Sea Change (Armstrong novel)
Encyclopedia
Sea Change is a children's novel by Richard Armstrong
. A contemporary seafaring adventure set on a cargo ship, it was the winner of the Carnegie Medal
for 1948.
. He is working towards his second mate
's ticket, but has mixed feelings about his life at sea.
to join the crew of the Langdale, a cargo ship
heading for Barbados and the Spanish Main
. He is working towards becoming an officer and, one day, captain of his own ship. He is dissatisfied with the progress of his training, and asks the mate to assign him to one of the night watches rather than to the more routine day-work. The mate gives him short shrift, and during the outward voyage the two are at odds.
Rankling under a sense of injustice, Cam devises a scheme to make the mate think he is haunted by a whistling poltergeist. However, he soon realizes this is childish and futile.
When they reach the Caribbean, Cam takes a rare opportunity to go ashore at Boca del Sol. He and his bunkmate Rusty find themselves in prison after a misunderstanding, and although Cam executes a daring escape, Captain Carey already has the matter well in hand. The captain also tells Cam a few home truths which make him realize that he is receiving an excellent training in seamanship
, thanks to the mate.
After this, Cam starts to work and study in earnest, and his knowledge of navigation
and semaphore
are put to use when he becomes part of a skeleton crew aboard a salvaged derelict
.
Michele Gill places Sea Change in a Late Victorian tradition of didactic adventure books inculcating manly values. She notes the emphasis on the trustworthy adults who guide the boy's training. "The novel suggests the continuance of a set of attributes which define manliness as well as maintaining the status quo within a society recovering from the upheaval of a World War."
From another perspective, Marcus Crouch
sees the book as breaking drastically with the tradition of sea stories through its uncompromising realism. "In its unobtrusive way this was a revolutionary book… It substituted for romance a robust facing of reality." He identifies Armstrong's intention to give the reader a sense of his own power, a confidence in his ability to live a full life in the real world, to provide in effect an "admirable textbook for life". What makes the book a true novel, though, is Armstrong's exposition and analysis of character. As well as having a command of the details of shipboard life, Armstrong has a profound understanding of how a young man thinks, and skilfully shows Cam's essential decency and his struggle to come to terms with the world he finds himself in.
Richard Armstrong (author)
Richard Armstrong was an English author who wrote for both adults and children. He was the winner of the Carnegie Medal in 1948 for his book Sea Change. He is also known for a biography of Grace Darling in which he challenges the conventional story: Grace Darling: Maid and Myth...
. A contemporary seafaring adventure set on a cargo ship, it was the winner of the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for 1948.
Plot introduction
Cam Renton is a sixteen-year-old apprentice in the British Merchant Navy. Having had a year's experience at sea, he is on his third voyage, to BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. He is working towards his second mate
Second Mate
A second mate or second officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command and a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining...
's ticket, but has mixed feelings about his life at sea.
Plot summary
Cam Renton has been an apprentice seaman for a year when he arrives at LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to join the crew of the Langdale, a cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
heading for Barbados and the Spanish Main
Spanish Main
In the days of the Spanish New World Empire, the mainland of the American continent enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico was referred to as the Spanish Main. It included present-day Florida, the east shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Mexico, Central America and the north coast of...
. He is working towards becoming an officer and, one day, captain of his own ship. He is dissatisfied with the progress of his training, and asks the mate to assign him to one of the night watches rather than to the more routine day-work. The mate gives him short shrift, and during the outward voyage the two are at odds.
Rankling under a sense of injustice, Cam devises a scheme to make the mate think he is haunted by a whistling poltergeist. However, he soon realizes this is childish and futile.
When they reach the Caribbean, Cam takes a rare opportunity to go ashore at Boca del Sol. He and his bunkmate Rusty find themselves in prison after a misunderstanding, and although Cam executes a daring escape, Captain Carey already has the matter well in hand. The captain also tells Cam a few home truths which make him realize that he is receiving an excellent training in seamanship
Seamanship
Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watchstanding; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck...
, thanks to the mate.
After this, Cam starts to work and study in earnest, and his knowledge of navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
and semaphore
Flag semaphore
Semaphore Flags is the system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position...
are put to use when he becomes part of a skeleton crew aboard a salvaged derelict
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
.
Characters
- Campbell "Cam" Renton, a sixteen-year-old apprentice seaman
- "Rusty" Roberts, his fellow apprentice and bunkmate
- Captain Carey, captainCaptain (nautical)A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
of the Langdale, a cargo ship with a complement of thirty-eight crew members - Andy, chief mateChief MateA Chief Mate or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer , is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship...
of the Langdale - "Happy" Hartland, the cheerful CornishCornish peopleThe Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
second mateSecond MateA second mate or second officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command and a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining... - The third mateThird MateA Third Mate or Third Officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The third mate is a watchstander and customarily the ship's safety officer and fourth-in-command...
- The bosun
- "Chippy" Rasmussan, a gentle ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n giant, the ship's carpenter - The ship's cookChief CookA chief cook is a senior unlicensed crewmember working in the steward's department of a merchant ship.The chief cook directs and participates in the preparation and serving of meals; determines timing and sequence of operations required to meet serving times; inspects galley and equipment for...
, a talented banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player - "Calamity" Calston, an able seamanAble Seaman (occupation)An able seaman is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles.-Watchstander:...
with a penchant for predicting disaster at every turn - "Bandy" Boscombe, an able seaman
- "Taffy", a Welsh sailor
- The commandant of the fort at Boca de Sol & his soldiers
Themes and literary significance
Sea Change was the first book specifically for boys to win the Carnegie Medal. Not only the protagonist but all the characters are male, and the book is set in the traditionally masculine environment of a ship at sea. Further, Cam's family is not mentioned, nor do any of the characters refer to having a life ashore. The focus is firmly on the work of the ship and the interaction between the crew members.Michele Gill places Sea Change in a Late Victorian tradition of didactic adventure books inculcating manly values. She notes the emphasis on the trustworthy adults who guide the boy's training. "The novel suggests the continuance of a set of attributes which define manliness as well as maintaining the status quo within a society recovering from the upheaval of a World War."
From another perspective, Marcus Crouch
Marcus Crouch
Marcus Crouch was a British librarian and an influential reviewer of, and commentator on, children's books.- Life and works :...
sees the book as breaking drastically with the tradition of sea stories through its uncompromising realism. "In its unobtrusive way this was a revolutionary book… It substituted for romance a robust facing of reality." He identifies Armstrong's intention to give the reader a sense of his own power, a confidence in his ability to live a full life in the real world, to provide in effect an "admirable textbook for life". What makes the book a true novel, though, is Armstrong's exposition and analysis of character. As well as having a command of the details of shipboard life, Armstrong has a profound understanding of how a young man thinks, and skilfully shows Cam's essential decency and his struggle to come to terms with the world he finds himself in.