Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "shipwreck"

The Lost Story of the William and Mary: The Cowardice of Captain Stinson by Gill Hoffs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In the years leading up to 1853, successive bad harvests and epidemics struck Europe. Particularly hard hit was Ireland, where a potato blight led to mass starvation and death. Working conditions were deplorable and the amount earned for doing those jobs was abysmal. One of the few avenues to offer some hope for escape was emigration. As an essay in the 23 October 1852 edition of the Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette explained:

America is to modern Europe . . . the land of aspirations and dreams, the country of daring enterprise and the asylum of misfortune, which receives alike the exile and the adventurer, the discontented and the aspiring and promises to all a freer life and a fresher nature. (1)

Why the United States? It was too far, and hence more costly, to go to Australia. Canadian winters were too severe and there were too many hoops to jump through to get past customs. On the other hand, the United States seemed more welcoming to newcomers, wasn’t so far away, and didn’t require as much money. Within the pages of this book, Gill Hoffs shares the story of one particular voyage and what happened to those moving to America to start life anew.

On 23 March 1853, the William and Mary left Liverpool, England bound for America with over 200 Europeans, who had managed to accumulate sufficient funds to pay for their passage. Recently constructed in Maine and just having completed her first transoceanic voyage, the three-masted barque was a merchant ship that could carry up to 512 tons. But once her cargo was unloaded, she was refitted to carry passengers on the return trip. Her captain, Timothy Reirdan Stinson, was thirty-two and married to the daughter of one of the ship’s owners. Serving under him was a crew of fourteen. After weighing anchor, the ship headed for New Orleans where the passengers would disembark and secure other means of getting to their final destinations.

Many passengers came from Ireland, but the barque also carried 91 settlers from Friesland in the Netherlands. Bound for Iowa to establish a new town, these men, women, and children were led by Oepke Bonnema, a grain merchant who paid their way on condition that they work for him. They were supposed to travel to America on a different ship, but by the time they reached Liverpool, that steamship already carried a full complement of emigrants. Among their group were two people who would prove invaluable to all the passengers – a midwife and Johannes van der Veer, a fifty-six-year-old doctor.

Although the journey began on a beautiful day and they welcomed a new baby into their midst on the next, the promising start failed to carry through the entire voyage. In addition to the crockery stowed in her hull, the William and Mary carried iron freight that made her roll so badly it wasn’t safe to be on deck in foul weather. Kept mostly below deck the passengers endured air and conditions that were far from healthy; fourteen died, and their deaths and burials left vivid impressions on those left behind. Insufficient provisions meant severe rationing and a meager diet of hard biscuit, dry rice, and boiled peas. Rats provided the only meat available to passengers and crew alike. By later April and early May, conditions were such that violence simmered just below the surface, waiting for just the right spark.

Another complication was the barque’s location; she sailed in shark-infested waters around the low-lying Bahamas where hidden dangers lurked. During a storm on 3 May, the William and Mary became impaled on a rock and water began to flow into her hold. With only five boats on board, none of which had been used during the voyage, not everyone would escape. What the passengers did not expect was to see the captain and most of the crew escape with only a handful of travelers. The only reason any of the remaining emigrants survived was because a heroic wrecker placed a higher value on their lives than on salvaging the wreckage. But perhaps even more astounding is that no investigation was conducted and no one faced any charges or paid any price for what happened.

Each chapter opens with a quoted passage, from various sources, that pertain to some relevant aspect of the journey. The passage of time is also clearly identified, making it easier to keep track of what happened when. The first chapter sets the stage, providing readers with necessary background to fully grasp the situation. Footnotes are included where the material is most pertinent, rather than requiring the reader to look up the marked passage in end notes at the back of the book. There is a center section of black and white cartoons, newspaper illustrations, advertisements, and a map. One image is the only surviving one of the William and Mary, and several pages of photographs allow readers to put names to faces. The appendix includes a list of the passengers, although not all details about these people are complete. Hoffs does provide an e-mail address so that anyone who can provide missing information may contact her. A bibliography and index are also included.

In the accounts shared, Hoffs keenly shows the difference in value placed on human life versus that of livestock. She crafts a heart-wrenching and vivid tale composed primarily from firsthand accounts that allows readers to envision the terrifying journey these people endured. She also shares what happened to those survivors whom she could track through a variety of sources including contemporary newspapers, survivors’ stories, later articles on the disaster, and family histories. Instead of simply names on the page, these people come alive.

But this book is far more than just the story of this ship and those aboard her. Hoffs enriches the story with accounts from other passages and descriptions to provide readers with a fuller understanding of conditions that led to emigration, what such journeys were really like, and what occurred in the aftermath of the accident and the shameful behavior of those who escaped unscathed. In doing so readers gain a better appreciation for the dangers their own ancestors may have faced to make a new life in a new land.




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The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Originally constructed for a member of parliament involved in the slave trade, the Whydah was bound for England when Samuel Bellamy and his fellow pirates attacked her in February 1717. In 1984 Barry Clifford and his team of divers discovered what remained of her off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Born in 1689, Englishman Samuel Bellamy found himself unemployed after his stint in the Royal Navy during the War of the Spanish Succession. He eventually journeyed to New England, where he hoped to seek his fortune. He met Paulsgrave Williams, son of an influential Rhode Island family, and the two decided to try their hand at diving on the Spanish treasure fleet that had sunk off the Florida coast in 1715. The fortune both sought failed to materialize, so they went on the account in hopes of finding adventure and wealth. Along the way they encountered other infamous pirates, such as Benjamin Hornigold, Olivier Levasseur, and Edward Teach. Bellamy also came to captain his own pirate ship, which led him to acquire new crew members. Among these were John King (the youngest known pirate), John Julian (a Moskito Indian), and Tom Davis (a carpenter forced to join). They captured many vessels, but the Whydah finally delivered what Bellamy desired most – an ideal pirate ship loaded with treasure. But tragedy struck when she and all but two of her crew sank during a violent storm.

In the aftermath of the wreck, many sought the treasure, but locating the Whydah proved elusive. Centuries passed before she finally gave up her secrets. This volume, written for middle-grade readers, recounts the story of this ship, the pirates who attacked her, and the hunt to locate the first verified pirate shipwreck. Sandler also includes the legends surrounding Bellamy; what the recovered artifacts have taught us about piracy during the early eighteenth century; and the establishment of a museum to showcase these artifacts.

This fascinating tale is recounted in twelve chapters, each of which includes a feature that further illuminates some facet pertaining to the information in the chapter. Among these historical sidepieces are discussions on the slave trade, pirate life and tactics, the history of diving, and preserving artifacts. To further enhance the reading experience, Sandler incorporates quotations from period documents or people involved in the hunt and discovery of the shipwreck, black-and-white illustrations, and maps.

The inclusion of an index makes this history of the Whydah more accessible than Clifford’s own books that often lack this important feature. Sandler clearly mentions any alterations he makes, such as rewording passages from Captain Johnson’s A General History of Pyrates into modern-day language for easier reading, and points out when the historical record remains silent about a particular aspect of the story, such as the legend of Maria Hallett. The inclusion of lesser-known facts, such as two of the divers who helped in the search, will surprise many. The chronological unfolding of events and the smooth flow of the narrative make this an inviting tale that snares the reader’s attention. This might be a book aimed at young pirate readers (ages ten and up), but adults will find it an equally intriguing adventure.




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Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy on the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell about It by Brian Murphy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ice in the North Atlantic in winter is normal, but when ships put into ports along the east coast of North America in 1856, those aboard reported alarming sightings. Not only were icebergs and ice slabs far more numerous and farther south than usually found, they were huge. Some were described as being wider that New York’s Central Park and taller than the clock tower of London’s Westminster Palace once these were completed. They proved equally dangerous. Between January and March, some 830 men, women, and children perished and their ships vanished. And from the four largest of these vessels, only one man survived.

The 1850s was a decade of turbulence – the Crimean War and conflicts between those favoring slavery and those who did not – and change. The heyday of sail had ebbed, giving rise to steamships that were faster and more luxurious and not dependent on the wind to propel them from one location to another. But few emigrants could afford these new vessels, so they travelled aboard wooden sailing ships to arrive at their destinations. One such vessel was the John Rutledge, a packet ship christened in Baltimore, Maryland just five years before she left Liverpool, England for New York City on 16 January 1856.

Howland & Ridgway owned the Rutledge and hired Alexander Kelley to captain the her. Although he had served on packet ships before, this was his first time in command on a transatlantic crossing. The passage to London went smoothly and among those who sailed with him were half-owner James Lawrence Ridgway, Alexander’s wife Irene, first mate Samuel Atkinson and his wife, boatswain William Ryan, and able seaman Thomas W. Nye. The last was not yet twenty-two, but came from a long line of New Bedford sailors, some of whom were well-known among the merchant trade. When it came time to return to New York, Kelley persuaded Irene to remain in Liverpool until spring, and Ridgway chose to sail home to his family aboard the Pacific, a luxury steamship that would leave later, but arrive earlier, in New York. Several new sailors joined the crew, among them John Daley from Scotland. Aside from her cargo, the Rutledge carried steerage passengers, including William Henderson and his family: a wife, two sons and two daughters (ranging in age from five to sixteen), as well as his sister and niece who was one year old.

When the Rutledge set sail, Captain Kelley was aware of the ice reports, but not having the advantage of today’s technology, the information they contained was outdated. A month later, he realized that navigating the North Atlantic would take much longer than anticipated because of the proliferation of ice and the frequent storms the ship encountered. Four days later, on the 20th of February, the packet ship hit an iceberg and began taking on water. Unable to stop the flow, everyone was ordered to abandon ship. Not everyone got off, although many did. For those in the lifeboats they hoped and prayed that another ship would soon come to their rescue.

This book is a heartrending and compelling account of shipwreck and survival. Maps, illustrations, occasional footnotes, an explanation of types of vessels, a family tree, bibliography, and index further enhance the reading experience. Murphy, a journalist for The Washington Post, pieced together the story of what happened and the people involved from family archives, civil and church documents, shipping ledgers, interviews, and published material found in collections in Europe and the United States. Much of the dialogue is skillfully imagined –fully explained in his introduction – and, when combined with the personal histories and period details, vividly recreates life and sailing in the middle of the 19th century. His primary purpose is to tell the story of one ship and the people aboard her, yet a secondary goal is for the book to serve as an elegy to all the forgotten men, women, and children who lost their lives. He accomplishes both with dignity and passion. Adrift is so riveting that even in the midst of summer heat, the wintry cold seeps so deeply into your bones that not even the warmest wool will dispel the bleak aloneness of being surrounded by water and ice in a small boat where the only other occupants are the dead.




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The Sinking of the Vasa: A Shipwreck of Titanic Proportions by Russell Freedman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


King Gustav II wanted to dazzle and terrify the world, to show all the other countries how wealthy and skillful Sweden was. How better to show this than to build the most powerful warship ever known? For two years, shipwrights and other craftsmen worked to make his dream a reality, and when she was launched on Sunday, 10 August 1628, Vasa was indeed the crown jewel of the Swedish navy. Her masts rose high into the air, as high as a building fourteen stories tall. If she was placed at the end of one city street, she would reach nearly to the end of the block. She carried ten huge sails and rows of 64 bronze cannons lined each side of three different decks. She was not only a magnificent war machine, she was also a work of art. Painted and gilded sculptures and carvings – too many to count – decorated her hull.

The sailors and their families gathered on the decks for Vasa’s maiden voyage. People waved goodbye from the shore and some boarded smaller boats to follow the mighty warship. But then disaster struck. The sails caught the wind, Vasa heeled over on one side, and water poured through her open gunports. Many men, women, and children died as the ship sank below the waves. Those who survived and those ashore, including the king, began to ask questions. How could this happen? Why did she sink? Who was to blame?

Within the pages of this book the story of the Vasa and her fate unfold. The artwork is skillfully rendered and colorful, telling the story without graphically depicting the horror of this tragedy. The size of the illustrations gives readers a sense of just how big this warship was and they cover all the facets of her building, the launch, and her recovery. There is even a four-page spread showing how divers lifted Vasa from the seafloor three centuries after she sank. The narrative tells the same story, but in greater detail and in a compelling way that shows that other vessels slipped beneath the waves long before Titanic. At no time does the author talk down to his audience and the large font size makes the text easy to read. For those who might want to explore Vasa further, he provides a list of sources, including the website for the museum where visitors can view photographs of her, listen to an audioguide, and learn about exhibitions, artifacts, and preservation efforts.

The Sinking of the Vasa is not your typical picture book. It’s geared toward older children and includes far more text than normally appears in such volumes. Young readers interested in stories of the sea and sailing ships will be fascinated, and teachers will find this a useful enhancement to history lessons and for eliciting discussion in the classroom.




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HMS Victory. The name brings to mind one particular ship, the one on which Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson succumbed during the Battle of Trafalgar. But she wasn’t the first to be so named, and this is the story of her predecessor and her admiral, both of which were lost on a stormy night in October 1744. A great lamentation resulted from the deaths of Admiral Sir John Balchen, Victory’s captain, and the 1,100 men who went down with the ship. Yet, as time passed, they have faded from memory, even though their losses triggered fundamental changes in the ways navy ships were designed and built, as well as in how the royal dockyards were administered. This book explores the man, the ship, and their legacies in hopes of bringing both back to the fore of conscious memory, rather than relegating them to a blip in the historical record.

John Balchen was born in 1669 in Godalming, Surrey, England. Once he joined the Royal Navy, duty became a hallmark of his career. He didn’t always agree with the status quo and raised serious questions about the way ships were designed and maintained. He cared about the men who served under him. He survived two courts-martial and several wars during his fifty-eight years of service – a time that encompassed the reigns of seven different monarchs. He retired in 1744 at the age of seventy-five.

Victory was the finest warship of the Royal Navy in her day. Her origins dated back to 1673 when orders for a 100-gun First Rate ship of the line were received. She was rebuilt several times, the last time in 1733, and was commissioned four years later. In spite of being a new and modern warship, she was considered a “crank” ship, one that was top heavy and prone to rolling. Still, she was needed and she would serve as the flagship of the White Squadron at a time during a most dire situation for the country.

French Admiral Rochambault and his squadron had corralled a convoy of English ships laden with food and stores near Lisbon, Portugal during the War of the Austrian Succession. Their supplies were destined for the Mediterranean Fleet and 17,000 men, who were in desperate need, but the convoy was unable to escape the enemy’s blockade. Admiral Balchen was summoned back from retirement to command a fleet of warships to relieve the convoy and see it safely to Gibraltar.

The mission was a success, but the homeward bound squadron encountered a storm. All the ships but one limped into port. Last seen on 4 October 1744, Victory went down with all hands. She was believed to have foundered on Les Casquets reef because of where wreckage came ashore. When Odyssey Marine Exploration found the wreck site 264 years later, it turned out she sank somewhere else entirely.

The book is comprised of chapters that cover the shipwreck, the aftereffects, the stories of the ship and the admiral, their legacy, and the discovery of the wreck site and what transpired as a result. Two timelines are included that highlight events in both Admiral Balchen’s and Victory’s careers. Color and black-and-white pictures provide visual representations of information presented in this volume. In addition to the maps, end notes, bibliography, and index, five appendices are included. The first provides experts’ answers to a question the author posed: “Why, in your opinion, do you think the man and the ship are no longer of any importance or relevance to naval, or even national, history today?” Three document the grief as it was shown in literary examples. The last discusses Balchen and his hometown.

Many questions still remain about Victory’s loss, and Smith explores and analyzes the various theories. Her discovery also led to conflict as to whether or not the wreck site should be excavated. These, too, are discussed, as is the resulting outcome of that conflict.

Smith does not simply relate the stories of an admiral and a ship. He places both in context with what was happening within the Royal Navy and in the world at large. His goal is to provide readers with an understanding of who Admiral Balchen was and why he should be remembered for more than just a shipwreck. In this, Smith achieves what he set out to do in a manner that is straightforward and enlightening.

(Review originally posted at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...)

Hidden Galleon: The True Story of a Lost Spanish Ship and the Legendary Wild Horses of Assateague Island by John Amrhein Jr.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A sunken Spanish ship. Legendary ponies. A barrier island off the Virginia coast. These are ingredients that inspired Marguerite Henry to craft what became a well-known children’s story, Misty of Chincoteague.

Oftentimes, legends have their basis in fact. As centuries pass, divining what is truth and what is fiction becomes difficult. Research plays a key role in this endeavor, as this narrative clearly demonstrates. In this case, the journey begins at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Amrhein discovers a letter, written by a Spaniard, to Maryland’s governor in 1750. The information leads Amrhein to believe it will be easy to find what remains of the sunken vessel. (Yes, that incident actually occurred.) It also leaves him with an unanswered question: If finding the wreck is so simple, why has no one done so? As he soon learns, his supposition is anything but easy. The journey will span years and involve a court-martial, a con man, a ship that never sets sail, fraud, uncooperative governments, and legal battles.

The true beginning of this voyage is neither the ponies nor the hunt for a hidden shipwreck. It starts in August 1750 in Havana, Cuba, where Don Daniel Huony is the captain of La Galga de Andalucia, a worn-out warship built nearly two decades earlier. She can carry 632 tons worth of cargo and measures 120 feet from stem to stern, but numerous tweaks and modifications have left her less seaworthy than in her early days. After taking on cargo and passengers, including English prisoners taken captive by Spanish privateers, La Galga escorts five merchants on their journey to Spain. It is late in the year to be voyaging, but delays have left Huony little choice. They encounter a hurricane soon after their departure, which scatters the fleet. La Galga successfully navigates the seething water and wind until Assateague Island, where she strikes an impediment that damages her hull. Unable to stem the water flowing into the ship, Huony orders those aboard to abandon ship; all but five make it to shore.

Amrhein uncomplicates a series of convoluted episodes from recent and distant history to provide readers with a comprehensive and straightforward account that fascinates and astonishes. To further enhance the reading experience, he provides endnotes, a bibliography, an index, illustrations, diagrams, charts, and two sections of color plates. For those who enjoy mysteries and tales of searching for shipwrecks, The Hidden Galleon masterfully achieves both.


This review originally appeared inPirates and Privateers (March 2023) at http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpirat...



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Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World by Eric Jay Dolin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


On the cusp of the War of 1812, an American ship sets sail on a sealing expedition. The master, Charles Bernard, and the owners understand the risks, but if this venture proves successful, the skins and oil will garner them a sizable profit.

Although Charles is captain of this expedition, he is not the only master aboard. In fact, there are four others. Three sign on as partners in the venture; the fourth is Charles’s father. The remaining members of the expedition are eight crewmen and Charles’s dog, Cent.

Nanina reaches the Falklands on 7 September 1812. With five masters aboard, strife becomes an issue – one that is aggravated when another ship arrives with a letter from the owners. Since war has been declared between the United States and Great Britain, the owners urge Charles and the others to come home, but they ignore the request. As a result, their later encounter with shipwrecked passengers and crew from a British brig will have dire consequences for the Americans despite a peaceful accord with the survivors. Some will become prisoners of war; Charles and four others become stranded on one of the Falklands where they face inhospitable conditions for more than a year.

Black-and-white pictures depict people, floral, fauna, and places throughout the book; there is also a color section of photographs. The galley lacks an index, but it will be included in the published book. Much of the information imparted comes from period journals and documents.

Few readers will be aware of this historical event, one earmarked by betrayal, danger, and survival. Dolin does a masterful job of relating what transpires in a way that reads more like adventure fiction. He makes it clear from the start that this is not a treatise or exposé on seal hunting; this is a recounting of what happened and how it unfolded during a time of war and a time when sealing was an acceptable commercial venture. Human strengths and frailties are vividly recounted in ways that make readers wonder how such events can occur, and yet, viewing them through a modern lens, makes it clear that human nature hasn’t really changed much in the two centuries separating this event and today.


This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Dolin.html...




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The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run off the Coast of Nantucket by Jennifer Sellitti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first inkling that something is amiss comes two days out of New York in the North Atlantic when Captain Enoch Peabody of Neptune orders his men to investigate a floating, but damaged, object where none should be. Fearing what they may find, he goes with his men. Instead of bodies, they find provisions, clothing, and two chronometers carefully stowed. Nothing gives them a clue as to where the lifeboat is from until Peabody uncovers an engraved spyglass from a French steamer.

On 1 November 1856, Le Lyonnais departs New York City for France. She is a sturdy, iron-hulled, luxury steamship with three decks and six watertight bulkheads. In addition to her two masts, rigged with square sails, steam and a propeller propel her through the waters of the cold and stormy Atlantic. Pierre Stanislas Devaulx, her captain, commands a crew of ninety-two, many seasoned veterans, recently released from their duties during the Crimean War. She also carries thirty-nine passengers on this first voyage to Le Havre. Although she carries six lifeboats of various sizes, two more than the law requires, they lack sufficient space to hold everyone on board the steamer.

Among the passengers are the Sumners, a family of three whose fourteen-year-old daughter needs a warmer clime to heal. Much to the chagrin of his mother, John Gibson books passage for him and his wife, even though his father died at sea years before and his mother still mourns his loss. The Dummers, a mother and daughter, travel without a male companion in a time when this is a rarity. The Reverend John B. Cocagne plans on visiting his birth country before he begins his next Methodist posting. Augustus Froelich, a professor of French, is returning home to visit his dying father.

The night is black, but Le Lyonnais carries her required lights and lookouts are posted. Despite the damp haze and cold air, some people are on deck when a wooden sailing ship under full sail emerges from the darkness. The two vessels are too close. There is nothing Captain Devaulx can do, but he tries. The unnamed barque strikes amidships, and splinters and wreckage rain down on the steamer’s deck. Rather than stay to find out if she needs assistance, the barque disappears as suddenly as she appeared, leaving behind a single clue as to her identity.

Le Lyonnais does not sink immediately, but water does seep into the coal bunkers and then the engine room. No matter how much the crew and passengers pump, bail, and lighten the load, they must abandon the steamer – even though there are not enough boats to carry everyone and not everyone is willing to leave the ship. In the end, only eighteen of the 132 will survive.

A criminal lawyer and a shipwreck hunter, Sellitti not only investigates the specifics about the ships and people involved but also delves into background material that permits readers to gain a fuller understanding of the events and historical period in which this tragedy occurs. She accumulates her research over ten years and visits many archives, museums, and personal collections from Massachusetts to France to Alabama. Scattered throughout the narrative are black-&-white images depicting 19th-century sea travel and life, as well as a center section of color plates that include snapshots from the shipwreck expeditions in 2023 and 2024. There are also endnotes, an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary source materials, and an index.

Within the pages of The Adriatic Affair, Sellitti discovers the who, what, where, when, and why of the shipwreck and the tragic loss of so many. What is astounding is what her research reveals, the near rescues that become misses, the fight for justice, and what becomes of those aboard the three-masted barque named Adriatic that carries a captain, nine sailors, and a cargo of lime and hay.



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