Review of "Anatomy of a Mutiny Ship Sharon 1842," by Philip F. Purrington

Review of

Anatomy of a Mutiny Ship Sharon 1842, by Philip F. Purrington 

Four out of five stars

 Despite the often-brutal discipline, bad food and enforced loneliness aboard the old sailing ships, there were relatively few instances of mutiny to the point of the death or injury of an officer. Once exception was the whaling ship Sharon, where the Captain was killed by three King’s Mill Islanders taken on as substitute members of the crew.

 This book is a short note based on the formal ship’s log as well as letters written by others on the ship. It is not a compelling, intense read, it is more a journalistic rendition of the best possible account of the events. The author admits that some of the aspects of the story may not be quite true, for there was room for some embellishment.

 It does provide some insights into the life of the whaling man in the first half of the nineteenth century. Life was harsh and sometimes deadly as the men hunted down and tried to kill the largest animals on Earth.