MUTINY MAIN: ON THE SPANISH THE ROYAL HMS HERMIONE NAVY’S REVENGE AND

◗ Angus Konstam ◗ Osprey Publishing (2020) ◗ £25.00 ◗ 320 pages (hardback) ◗ ISBN:9781472833792 ◗ ospreypublishing.com

This is a story of a ship, in this case the frigate HMS Hermione but in the telling it is also a‘tour de force’of the Caribbean in the 18th century. It describes the islands and colonial powers and the maritime war against the Republican French and the Spanish. It explains the‘spanish Main’and ‘Hispaniola’and tells the story of one of the bloodiest mutinies suffered by the Royal Navy. In the process, it covers a wide range of subjects including the building of the ship, its role and that of other frigates, the operations it conducted while part of the British forces in the Caribbean.

It describes the course of the campaign on Santa Domingue, the slave revolt and the careers of some of the participants as well as the fate of the mutineers. It is a wargamer’s delight in that it is rich in background and outlines potential scenarios from ship actions to land battles. It is well written (although the proof reading could be improved) and the narrative moves along at a swift and exciting pace. I thoroughly enjoyed this‘ripping yarn’which is very strongly recommended.