Product Description

The true story of a daring 1876 rescue of six Irish political prisoners held in mortal solitude in the British Empire's most infamous prison at Fremantle, Australia

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #506554 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-09
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Synopsis
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.

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.