{"id":820,"date":"2011-12-19T23:03:59","date_gmt":"2011-12-20T06:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lindacollison.com\/blog\/?p=820"},"modified":"2012-05-18T13:48:04","modified_gmt":"2012-05-18T20:48:04","slug":"perfect-wreck-chronicles-fateful-clash-ships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/perfect-wreck-chronicles-fateful-clash-ships\/","title":{"rendered":"Steven Maffeo’s Perfect Wreck"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOn board Old Ironsides, it suddenly occurred to Lieutenant Parker that thus far this battle had not been, and was not going to be, a mere pounding match.\u00a0 It was more a complex combination of skillful maneuver and artillery duel.\u00a0 He realized the two ships were much like fencers or boxers, with a succession of evolutions which resembled those kinds of changes of position \u2013 parries, lunges, ripostes, retreats, and advances \u2013 all accompanied by a continual play of the great guns, answering to the thrusts and blows of each individual movement\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

—\u00a0 from The Perfect Wreck –Old Ironsides and HMS Java: A Story of 1812.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Perfect Wreck<\/em> is the first book dedicated to the events leading up to the fateful encounter between the U.S.S. Constitution<\/em>, one of the first of America\u2019s frigates, and H.M.S. Java<\/em> of the Royal Navy, with the battle itself the climax of the story.<\/p>\n

Author Steven E. Maffeo is the associate library director at the U.S. Air Force Academy, a retired Navy Captain and a visiting history lecturer and tour guide instructor for the U.S.S. Constitution<\/em>.\u00a0 Oh, and let\u2019s not forget a credential that is even more valuable, which is his passion for history; especially the age of sail.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In reading this realistic account I feel as if I\u2019m a fly on the wall (or a weevil in the biscuit), seeing and hearing what went on aboard these two vessels. Maffeo explores the edges of nonfiction without falling into the sea of make-believe.\u00a0 \u00a0This form of narrative is sometimes called creative nonfiction<\/em>, which according to Lee Gutkind, founding editor of the journal Creative Nonfiction, is \u201creportage in a scenic, dramatic fashion\u201d\u00a0 (author\u2019s afterword).\u00a0 True to the form, Maffeo finds the inherent structure to the story, linking what is known with what is probable.\u00a0 The commands given by the officers, the lists of provisions, the weather and sea state, the casualties and damage to the ships are all authentic and brought to life on the page.<\/p>\n

As Steve says in his afterword, \u201cI\u2019ve tried extremely hard to deliver to you solid historical truth, but at the same time bring the era to life and pull you into its time and place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aye, Capt. Maffeo, that you have!\u00a0 My own sense of maritime history has been enhanced by reading this, and I hope my own writing will be enriched by having experienced it.\u00a0 (If you\u2019ve read either of my historical novels you\u2019ll know I don\u2019t actually write historic naval fiction but am definitely having an affair with it!)<\/p>\n

Steve Maffeo and I are shipmates aboard <\/em>Fireship Press<\/a>, a small publisher founded by the late Tom Grundner, who was also an author and aficionado of historic naval fiction.\u00a0 I have had the pleasure recently, of corresponding with Steve who is eager to share his passion for naval history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Steve Maffeo and son, Micah<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSteve, I know you\u2019re a retired naval captain but what piqued your interest in the age-of-sail?\u00a0 Was it all while you were serving in the navy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve: \u201cIt might seem funny, for a kid born and raised in Denver, but it seems I\u2019ve always been interested in ships, and even more so the age-of-sail.\u00a0\u00a0 Can\u2019t remember when I wasn\u2019t!\u00a0\u00a0 There may have been other factors, but I think seeing the Trevor Howard\/Marlon Brando \u201cMutiny on the Bounty\u201d in \u201963 (I was 9) was significant, and my mom bought me a beautiful edition of \u201cCaptain Horatio Hornblower\u201d when I was in the 4th grade \u2013 with the great NC Wyeth book jacket.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also always been interested in the historical period of, roughly, the French and Indian Wars thru the Napoleonic Wars with all the cultural, political, and military aspects of that period, so it becomes a larger \u201cpackage,\u201d as it were.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI loved all the details you wove into the account and the respect you obviously have for the officers and men of all the ships\u00a0 on both sides of the war.\u00a0 I imagine this authenticity stems from your 30 years in the navy \u2013 and your familiarity with Old Ironsides<\/em>.\u00a0 On your website you mention having access to some rare sources of information and inspiration.\u00a0 Care to elaborate?\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve: \u201cWell, there were those three evenings when I sat in the captain\u2019s cabin and worked on the manuscript\u2026.and was the only soul on board the entire ship as the watchkeepers were pierside\u2026that was truly memorable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have been allowed to climb both fore and mizzen masts with the crew on two different occasions; quite the experience, even at pierside.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you\u2019re killing me here!\u00a0\u00a0 To be able to have that ship all to yourself, just you and the ghosts of Commodore Bainbridge and his crew, what an enviable experience!\u201d<\/p>\n

(Click here <\/a>for a mini-YouTube tour of the captain\u2019s cabin where the author worked on the manuscript.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0Steve:\u00a0 \u201cAnother Age-of-Sail snapshot is when my wife Rhonda and I were at a Patrick O\u2019Brian Symposium at the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, just two weeks after 9\/11.\u00a0\u00a0 One night the group had dinner at tables on the lower gundeck of the Victory, and at one point I was apparently staring vacantly around in rapture at just being there; the noted British marine artist Geoff Hunt, sitting across from me, became concerned to ensure that I was OK \u2013 and of course I was\u2026way more than OK!\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>marine artist Geoff Hunt at work<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Having read The Perfect Wreck<\/em><\/strong> Steve’s other books are now high on my reading list:<\/p>\n

Most Secret and Confidential: Intelligence in the Age of Nelson<\/em><\/strong> (Naval Institute Press; 2000)\u00a0 A trade paperback edition is planned for Fall, 2012.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seize, Burn or Sink: The thoughts and words of Lord Horatio Nelson <\/em><\/strong>(Scarecrow Press; 2006)<\/p>\n

For more information visit the StevenMaffeo.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The USS Constitution<\/em> was one of the first six frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and is most famous for her actions during the War of 1812 against Great Britain during which she defeated five British warships and earned her nickname, Old Ironsides<\/em>. Launched in 1797 she is still a fully commissioned US Navy ship with a crew of 60 active-duty officers and personnel.\u00a0 Old Ironsides<\/em> is berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard and no visit to Boston would be complete without taking the tour and visiting the bookstore.\u00a0 Her crew and commanding officer Commander Matt Bonner are preparing for bicentennial observances of the War of 1812.<\/p>\n

Explore Old Ironsides<\/em> <\/a>on line on this fun, interactive website Sue Hicken shared with me:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.asailorslifeforme.org\/ironsides_explore.php<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  \u201cOn board Old Ironsides, it suddenly occurred to Lieutenant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,94],"tags":[33,195,71,142,141,70],"class_list":["post-820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-interviews","category-history","tag-fireship-press","tag-historical-nautical-fiction","tag-old-ironsides","tag-steven-maffeo","tag-the-perfect-wreck","tag-uss-constitution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=820"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1137,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/820\/revisions\/1137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}