The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom [Hardcover]

Peter F. Stevens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2002

The whaling ship Catalpa set out from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on the morning of April 29, 1875, to undertake a daring yearlong mission of international rescue. American captain George Anthony risked his career as a whaler—and his life—to rescue a group of British-soldiers-turned-Irish-rebels known as “The Fremantle Six” from their prison in Australia. With the help of the prison chaplain, the six men escaped to the coast where Anthony was waiting with a small whaleboat that would take them to the Catalpa. The resistance they overcame, both from armed British vessels and a furious sea storm, made their escape the stuff of legend. In what Britain considered a near act of war, the Catalpa outran the Royal Navy and deposited its politically dangerous cargo in New York Harbor in August 1876. Fast-paced, compelling, and meticulously researched, this saga of American, Irish, British, and Australian history is the first full telling of the Catalpa’s voyage. The expedition was embraced by Irish and Irish-Americans as the very symbol of defiance against Great Britain and would loom large in the revolutionary rhetoric of Michael Collins. Though Captain Anthony would never again sail into international waters for fear of arrest by the British government, his rescue voyage, made mostly without the use of a functioning chronometer, is one of the greatest feats of seamanship in nautical annals and one of the most daring deeds performed by an American in the name of Irish independence. Included are eight pages of black-and-white photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Truth may routinely be stranger than fiction, but seldom is it as suspenseful as this story of the 1876 rescue of six Irish rebels from Britain's infamous prison colony in Fremantle, Australia, by the American whaling ship Catalpa. Despite its title, the book covers far more than just the rescue ship's voyage, bringing to life the web of political interests and conflicts among Ireland, England and the U.S. toward the end of the 19th century. In his fast-moving narrative, journalist Stevens (The Mayflower Murderer and Other Forgotten Firsts in American History) tells how the six Irish members of the British Armed Forces were recruited and then arrested for treachery because of their allegiance to the rebellious Fenian movement for Irish independence. He describes the ordeal of the Irishmen in prison, as well as the plotting of the clandestine rescue mission, which launched from New Bedford, Mass., and took a year to complete in the face of hostile British forces. The writing is solid if workmanlike. Stevens doesn't shrink from getting into the heads of his subjects, and takes some liberties in reconstructing their thoughts and actions in minute, novelistic detail. The freewheeling approach may trouble some readers, especially as Stevens doesn't cite sources (he's based much of the book on the firsthand account of Catalpa captain George Anthony). Ultimately, however, the action-packed international intrigue and Stevens's keen sense of pacing carry the book; readers who can put aside their skepticism will be riveted.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Stevens (Rebels in Blue) presents a stirring account of a most dramatic episode in the history of the Irish struggle for independence. After the attempted uprisings of the 1860s, many Irish were arrested, including a number of Irishmen serving in the British army who had taken the Fenian oath. Some of these ex-soldiers were later transported to Australian prisons. One, John Boyle O'Reilly, made a dramatic escape from Fremantle prison in Australia and, after reaching the United States, worked with the Irish organization Clan Na Gael to secure the freedom of the six compatriots he left behind (see Fanatic Heart: A Life of John Boyle O'Reilly, 1844-1890). In a splendid example of boldness and daring, the clan purchased a whaling ship, sailed to the rescue of the "Fremantle Six," and brought them back to the United States. A cause c‚lŠbre at the time, the rescue was a major embarrassment to the British. This first book-length account will interest public library patrons who enjoy both a good story and a good history. It is also appropriate for collections of Irish history in the academic setting. Charlie Cowling, Drake Memorial Lib., Brockport, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; 1st edition (March 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078670974X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786709748
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Voyage of the Catalpa" review by a Fremantle guy in NYC, March 17, 2006

By 

A. A. Daulatzai "Daulatz" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom (Hardcover)

While I am not personally of a Fremantle Irish heritage (was raised among it), I am writing this review in part due to being born and raised in Perth-Fremantle and now having the privilege now to live and work in New York! Coincidently, I was requested to write this on my first "St Patrick's Day" in New York while I'm still capable to write...

I feel that this book explained that the Irish cause was not only Irish but belonged to every freedom loving person. Captain George Anthony saw that it was a right thing to do for the 'Fremantle six' to get out of prison and be brought to New York as free men. And, he left his family to do just that. I believe that British imperialism was wrong and people throughout the world were tiring from it.

It is a complex issue the Fenians both military and civilian faced, but it was good to see that the Darragh character who was not a Catholic, still saw that Irish people were capable to rule themselves even when being of other religious beliefs. His struggle can be seen in the present Irish Republic as a secular state which is run by Irish people of all types of backgrounds.

But for me, any Perth-Fremantle or other located Western Australian person that ever came to be in New York or the US New England region and experience its warmth can now see one of the historical reasons for this close bond that we in Perth-Fremantle share with this part of the US. A connection in part heightened from Irish suffering of the late 1800's.

To those who have passed including the 'Fremantle six' and Captain Anthony thank you for giving me, a West Australian, another deep connection to the United States. A connection that I knew about from Primary School, but needed to comprehend further as an adult.

Peter Stevens has done a good job.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!, December 31, 2006

By 

E. Lacey (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom (Paperback)

The Voyage of the Catalpa tells the true story of an American whale boat captain who is recruited to help rescue six Irish political prisoners from an Australia prison in 1875. It starts off slowly, but this quickly becomes a riveting tale. The mission is so daring and unlikely that you wouldn't believe it was true if you hadn't read the book. The climax is very suspenseful- I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who have an interest in history and the forced migration of the Irish to Australia.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real adventure, February 25, 2008

By 

maryann kehoe "mineral maid" (larchmont, new york United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom (Paperback)

Eyed this book at a friend's home in New Bedford & had to read it. You can't get a better story of risk & adventure than this. The fact that it all began in New England makes it even more engaging. Good gift for any Irishman.