Archive ∙ Back to Island Voices 

Book Review:

Hostile Seas: A Mission In Pirate Waters (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2013, 253 pages)

Former Victoria resident, Jen L. Savidge, with her first book, has offered readers a glimpse into life on a Canadian Navy deployment that is both informative and personal. Her book effectively combines the parameters of life aboard ship and the stress of an actual mission in the face of hijacking and piracy. Set in the Mediterranean Sea and off Somalia’s Indian Ocean coast from July to December, 2008, Savidge has woven two parallel narratives seamlessly; one about escorting United Nations’ food aid cargo ships through Somali pirates’ sorties and secondly, the possible motivation behind piracy in Somalia itself.  Her book provides a fascinating context and poignancy for landlubbers who walk often by Victoria’s public sculpture by Nathan Scott’s, The Homecoming  at Ship Point or who watched the Tom Hanks movie, Captain Phillips.

Savidge, who worked for Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) as well as being a naval intelligence reservist, admitted that she juggled career initiatives between non-governmental social and cultural assignments and military missions. “For years I’d alternated between civilian and military employment, permitted to do so by the grace of an understanding civilian boss and a military system, that in a rare show of flexibility, allowed reservists to determine when and for how long they would be available for full-time work.” (page 24). In fact, she had just come off a non-governmental job in Zambia that left her jaded and hoped that a naval posting with Mediterranean ports-of-call might be the antidote. As it turned out, although it seemed like a good idea at the time, the naval posting did not really allow her to shed her stress.

Serving on the frigate, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ville de Québec, Savidge tells so much about daily life on board. There are cramped living and working conditions; regulations such as one that forbids cultivating romantic relationships on board, and, if they happen, they must be declared to the commanding officer; the frustration of broken plans because of changed orders; and the necessity of the navy’s motto, maximum flexibility.

Ship Life

Life aboard a navy frigate is not a cruise ship. During a stormy sea ride, Savidge writes of having “to strap myself into bed using the belt attached to my rack-insurance against ending on the floor tonight.” (p. 97). She also shares details about rationing water and having to bathe with a bottle of water after a workout; of the stultifying eighteen hour days of routine involving computer-bound investigation of regional events, interspersed with meetings and briefings; and of a lack of downtime that “could transform the most enthusiastic sailor into a zombie.” (p. 143). There are some diversions, like occasional shore leave and one interesting fling where Savidge gets to go on a helicopter sortie. But in essence, going to sea is a romantic notion that quickly fades under the rigors of reality.

Pirate Narrative

What makes the seas hostile is the Somali piracy threat. The end of each chapter keeps the reader apprised of vessels held by the pirates to date, where ransom negotiations in the millions of dollars ensue. In a rendition of one evening’s operations briefing, Savidge gets the crew up to speed on recent piracy activity. Although three ships have just been taken, Savidge says the majority of attempts don’t succeed. She cites that the occasional failure of pirate firepower, the efficacy of fire hoses and evasive maneuvers, and the success of a helicopter counter-attack, all of which were depicted in the movie Captain Phillips, can influence the outcomes. An interesting addition to the non-fiction is the author’s inclusion in several chapters of Abdi’s story.

Abdi is a composite creative character that Savidge uses to try to understand why any young Somali would become a pirate. The story is based on research and information gleaned from interviewing a Canadian soldier who was on the ground in Somalia in 1993 and who was familiar with Somali culture. The tale is a sad and familiar one: the grinding poverty and the need for any job; the insidious role of drugs, khat in this case; the escalation of coercion from gang lords; and the rationalization of revenge for economic imperialism, overfishing by other countries in this instance. It is a vicious cycle, but the author gets us to have some compassion.

Empathy

This might be the author’s strong suit. At one point, comparing the routine and stability of shipboard life, Savidge writes, “What would it be like to live each day in war torn, drought-ridden Somalia with such uncertainty, such insecurity?” (p. 198). She cleverly gets the reader to consider the ‘other side’ and even to empathize, admitting that, faced with those circumstances, she might be a pirate too. Around this time, news was breaking about a Canadian journalist being missing in Somalia, Amanda Lindhout. Wondering what may have driven Lindhout to put herself in such danger, Savidge muses, “Or any one of a thousand reasons that may have been determined by Amanda’s psychology, as so many of our choices, at least mine, seem to be driven by the psyche’s drive for a defined life purpose.” (p. 131). It isn’t just others the author gets us to consider. She also gives an insight to her own dilemmas.

Savidge explores some causes for her own angst. Six-month deployments destroy life-work balance and family life itself. Relationships get eroded; strong ones get strained and weak ones get terminated. But on the other hand, “Apprehension about the mission’s end and return to normal life begin to haunt me. (p. 222). Friends and family at home in Victoria have been getting on with their lives; there is a career or another purpose in life to pick up or create.

In Hostile Seas, Savidge gives the reader a great deal to mull over. The daily life of one of our military branches takes tolls and without preaching, the reader can appreciate their efforts. Also there is another side to Canadian missions, namely the people and countries who are on the receiving end of those assignments. As Socrates stated, the unexamined life is not a life worth living; and Savidge shares the necessary but ambiguous contemplative life too. Her book is a full read for anyone interested in the efforts of Canadians serving on foreign missions.