Product Description

Fast-paced, compelling and meticulously researched, this saga of American, Irish, British and Australian history is the first full telling of the voyage of the Catalpa. Setting out from New Bedford Mass., on April 29, 1875, the American whaling ship undertook a secret year-long mission of international rescue. American captain George Anthony risked his career - and his life - to liberate a group of Irishmen known as 'The Fremantle Six' from an Australian prison. They had been soldiers in the British army and each had taken the secret Fenian oath to fight for Irish independence. The Fremantle Six overcame British armed vessels and furious sea storms to make their miraculous escape with Anthony. The rescue was made without a chronometer and is considered a remarkable feat of navigation, as well as being a legendary symbol of defiance against British imperial authority.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73771 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Review
Copies of THE VOYAGE OF THE CATALPA have gone out, and we've given it a press date of 30th January. The author is writing a piece for HISTORY TODAY whichwill be published in the January issue. He's also written a 1,200 word piecefor the IRISH EXAMINER (22nd Feb.) and a 'top 10 nautical books' for the Guardian Unlimited website. The first reviews have been excellent: 'With enough jib booms, keelsons and leg-of-mutton sails to satisfy a Forester (or O'Brian) fan, enough fitting out of whalers in New Bedford to match Melville and easily enough glowering resentments among the cabin-crazy crew of Scots, Portuguese and Malays to satisfy an enthusiast for Conrad's brooding insights, Steven's narrative is essentially a cool historical record of the shift from the fervid nationalism of pikestaff rebels to a structured, military - and international - Feniasm... In a tightly written book, carefully balanced between gripping adventure and serious history, Stevens has given his characters enough humanity to involve the reader in their exploits and dilemmas, while avoidingthepull of the Irish sentiment and republican rhetoric.'CL Dallat, GUARDIAN 'It is an incredible story and Stevens tells it well...An enjoyable real-liferomance.'Robbie Hudson, SUNDAY TIMES '...it is hard to put this story down. True-life adventure doesn't come much more romantic than the tale of how six Fenians transported to western Australia's escape-proof Fremantle prison weresnatched away under the noses of the authorities by a daring crew of sympathisers who had sailed all the way from New England for the purpose.'SCTOTSMAN 'THE VOYAGE OF THE CATALPA is an excellent true account of action, adventure and politics on the high seas. A fast-paced read about a little-known event in British colonial history and a battle against the system.'GLOBAL ADVENTURE 'This meticulously researched and fast-paced history is a compelling account of one of the great neglected tales of the Irish struggle for independence. It is a true story that reads more like fiction...Peter Stevens' recounts thisstirring adventure in a vivid style so that THE VOYAGE OF THE CATALPA is a history that both enlightens and entertains.'WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY 'Thisis a gripping account of an event that caused much embarrassment to British imperialists, whilst boosting the cause of Irish self-rule - and a great read.'GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'Steven's account combines authoritative historical research with a pacy style that will have the reader speeding towards the dramatic conclusion. THE VOYAGE OF THE CATALPA is not just a swashbuckling tale of rescue. It is also a colourful reminder of the rise of the Irish in America in the second half over the 19th century.'IRELAND ON SUNDAY 'As an adventure storythe whole tale is difficult to beat. Peter Steven's account of the FremantleSix is a fine read.'SUNDAY TRIBUNE (DUBLIN) 'warmly recommended.'IRISH DEMOCRAT 'Peter Stevens' meticulously researched account fully captures the drama of the adventure and shows yet again how, when it comes to telling a good story, fact will so often triumph over fiction.'YORKSHIRE EVENING POST '[an] outstanding book of the sea...Stevens recounts in vivid detail not only their rescue by an American whaling ship but the troubled background of Ireland in the 19th century.'Colin Gardiner, OXFORD TIMES 'A gripping account of one of the greatest escape stories ever told.'GOOD BOOK GUIDE It was also chosen as one

From the Inside Flap
Setting out from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on April 29, 1875, the American whaling barque Catalpa undertook a secret year-long mission to liberate a group of Irishmen known as "The Fremantle Six" from an Australian prison. The six men had been soldiers in the British army when they took the secret Fenian Oath and pledged themselves to fight for Irish independence and armed insurrection against the British military. Arrested in 1866 and tried for treason against the Crown, they were sentenced to imprisonment and slow death in "a hellish foreign land". After eight years languishing in Fremantle Gaol and aided by a worldwide network of Irish nationalists and undercover agents the Fremantle Six escaped to the Australian coast where the Catalpa was waiting to escort them to freedom. But their trials were only just beinning. the obstacles they overcame, from armed British vessels to the full fury of the sea, made their escape the stuff of international headlines and legend. A thrilling and true adventure that is one of the great unknown stories from Irish history.

About the Author
Peter Stevens is a correspondent for the BOSTON IRISH REPORTER. His articles appear regularly in AMERICAN HERITAGE, AMERICAN HISTORY, YANKEE, CIVIL WAR TIMES, MILITARY HISTORY, and TRUE WEST.

Customer Reviews

Superb read, an incredible true story compellingly written.
It really is a case of truth being stranger than fiction in this account of the escape of six Irish political prisoners from Australia. The details of these mens' brutal treatment by their British captors in Freemantle Gaol is hard to read – the cruelty of the regime rivalling that of Stalin's labour camps. But the account of their escape by the whaling barque Catalpa, her captain and crew and their associates is uplifting, dramatic and really well told. If it was a novel, you would say it was far-fetched. A Riveting Read.

A great adventure - led by Dr Who
Here we have a remarkable story or remarkable men in remarkable circumstances. Numerous contemporary sources are woven into Stevens' spirited narrative to give a gripping story of survival in the face of adversity. But is it all that it seems?

No. What appears to be history is, as Henry Ford once said, bunk. There are so many blatant inaccuracies, falsehoods and muddled thinking that one quickly loses all faith in what this writer is telling us.

How, for instance, did John O'Reilly lose his job at the Argus (p14) in 1844, when he was only born on June 28, 1844? (Too young to operate the presses?) Or - even more miraculously - how were the prisoners loaded onto the convict ship bound for Australia on 12 October 1867 (p33), when on p87 they spent `10-11 January 1867, in Fremantle Gaol': ie, nine months before they had even left England. Or this: on p193, the Catalpa puts into port in Tenerife on 20 November 1875, but Anthony `left for the consulate [in Tenerife]' (p194) on 21 February 1875, nine months before arriving (indeed, two months before even leaving New Bedford on the other side of the Atlantic!).

These are not the only major errors and inconsistencies in the book. Under the guise of rigorous research and a slew of learned references, Stevens weaves a tale that is remarkable mainly in its sheer impossibility. True, the Voyage of the Catalpa is a gripping and astonishing story, but for it to have happened the way it is presented here, the ships would have had to be captained by Dr Who.

Stevens does the Six Irish Rebels a serious disservice in this book. They survived much: their story, sadly, does not survive his shoddy writing. (Note that this review refers to the 2003 first edition - it is possible (hopefully) that the publisher has tidied this mess up in later printings, in which case it might just have become a worthwhile read.)