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The Voyage of the Catalpa: A Perilous Journey and Six Irish Rebels' Escape to Freedom
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.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 8, 2008
The Voyage of the Catalpa is a gripping historical novel detailing the imprisonment and rescue of Irish rebels who had infiltrated the Royal British Army in the 1860's. Stevens provides some history of the Irish rebellion, the rebel's capture, their trip to Australia on the last British prison ship, and the organization and execution of their rescue from an Australian prison by Irish and American conspirators aboard the whaling ship Catalpa.
If you liked Undaunted Courage or South (about Ernest Shackleton's South Pole attempt), you will probably enjoy The Voyage of the Catalpa.
If you liked Undaunted Courage or South (about Ernest Shackleton's South Pole attempt), you will probably enjoy The Voyage of the Catalpa.
May 15, 2009
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 is a riveting tale. It's 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.
November 13, 2013
Six Fenians awaiting death in Freemantle, Autralia. A New Bedford whaling captain who had promised his wife he'd give up the sea. Irishmen in the US and Australia working behind the scenes for the most daring feat. Half a world apart all are thrown together to free the "Freemantle Six".
Slow in some parts, but an overall good read.
Slow in some parts, but an overall good read.
January 16, 2012
I found the beginning and the ending of the book slow going. The middle in which the rescue actually took place was very good. If you were interested in Irish history it would be a very good account of the Fenian faction.
August 26, 2024
I first became aware of the Catalpa story about 20 years ago when, along with some friends, I went to see Donal O’Kelly’s award winning one man play on the subject. Later we got chatting to O’Kelly, invited him to the pub and got him very, very drunk indeed. It was a good night.
At the time I was writing my first book and, as it deals, in part, with the Parnell Commission, I had been researching Fenian matters. However, I had not heard this story before and became a little fascinated with it and looked further into it. This book, though, had not been published at the time so it’s taken me this long to circle round to it.
O’Kelly’s play begins with the planning for the expedition, and concentrates on the mission itself. Stevens begins his story some 10 years earlier, as the Irish Republican Brotherhood are preparing for an uprising against British rule. Some 80,000 Fenian activists across the island await only the word of their leader, James Stevens, to rise up simultaneously against the British authorities.
But Stevens, in exile in Paris, procrastinated, and while he did the British, through a combination of bribery and intimidation, built up a network of informers within the Fenian movement, and were the first to strike. Starting in late February 1866, in a series of raids, they arrested thousand and decimated the movement.
Among those arrested were John Devoy, who would go on to lead the Clan na Gael, and John Boyle O’Reilly, a former soldier of the British Army and later an acclaimed poet and author. The two men had been acquainted in the underground Fenian movement of Dublin.
As a civilian organiser, Devoy would spend three years in English prisons before being released condition of his removing himself from all British controlled territory for the remainder of his sentence. O’Reilly, having once sworn himself to the defence of the British realm, together with other former soldiers, was initially sentenced to be hanged, before this sentence was commuted to deportation to the Australian penal colonies.
Concentrating on O’Reilly’s story, Stevens leads us through the harrowing journey on the prison transport ship Hougoumont to Fremantle, and through the life of a convict deportee in The Establishment, as the penal institute in that city was known. With the aid of a local priest, O’Reilly escaped three years later and made his way to the USA, where he and Devoy renewed their acquaintance.
While many of the civilian convicts were being released from both the English prisons and from the Australian colonies, the British government were clear that any who had been soldiers would never be released. Devoy and O’Reilly felt a duty of honour to these men to secure their release and set about planning an audacious rescue.
The plan revolved around the whaling ship Catalpa, sailing out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Under the command of an experienced American captain, George Anthony, no eyebrows would be raised as she was fitted out for a two year whaling expedition to the South Atlantic. However, her real voyage was to round the Cape of Good Hope and sail across the Indian Ocean to the west coast of Australia.
Meanwhile, John J. Breslin, already having distinguished himself within the movement, was sent to Australia posing as an American business, to find away to ensure the six remaining prisoners would be in a position to be rescued.
What follows is essentially a Boy’s Own Adventure for grown-ups, a tale with countless twists and turns, thrills and spills, and heart stopping tension. The story is meticulously researched, but Stevens also tells it in an entertaining style, taking some artistic liberties but mostly allowing the story to play out in the words of those involved, through letters and journal entries from the time.
It’s a story that deserves to be better known. It has heroes and villains, double crosses and Dickensian coincidences, and if you had encountered it as a work of fiction you might consider it somewhat far fetched. As a historian, I think some prior knowledge of the political situation might enhance your enjoyment, but it’s a cracking read nonetheless.
At the time I was writing my first book and, as it deals, in part, with the Parnell Commission, I had been researching Fenian matters. However, I had not heard this story before and became a little fascinated with it and looked further into it. This book, though, had not been published at the time so it’s taken me this long to circle round to it.
O’Kelly’s play begins with the planning for the expedition, and concentrates on the mission itself. Stevens begins his story some 10 years earlier, as the Irish Republican Brotherhood are preparing for an uprising against British rule. Some 80,000 Fenian activists across the island await only the word of their leader, James Stevens, to rise up simultaneously against the British authorities.
But Stevens, in exile in Paris, procrastinated, and while he did the British, through a combination of bribery and intimidation, built up a network of informers within the Fenian movement, and were the first to strike. Starting in late February 1866, in a series of raids, they arrested thousand and decimated the movement.
Among those arrested were John Devoy, who would go on to lead the Clan na Gael, and John Boyle O’Reilly, a former soldier of the British Army and later an acclaimed poet and author. The two men had been acquainted in the underground Fenian movement of Dublin.
As a civilian organiser, Devoy would spend three years in English prisons before being released condition of his removing himself from all British controlled territory for the remainder of his sentence. O’Reilly, having once sworn himself to the defence of the British realm, together with other former soldiers, was initially sentenced to be hanged, before this sentence was commuted to deportation to the Australian penal colonies.
Concentrating on O’Reilly’s story, Stevens leads us through the harrowing journey on the prison transport ship Hougoumont to Fremantle, and through the life of a convict deportee in The Establishment, as the penal institute in that city was known. With the aid of a local priest, O’Reilly escaped three years later and made his way to the USA, where he and Devoy renewed their acquaintance.
While many of the civilian convicts were being released from both the English prisons and from the Australian colonies, the British government were clear that any who had been soldiers would never be released. Devoy and O’Reilly felt a duty of honour to these men to secure their release and set about planning an audacious rescue.
The plan revolved around the whaling ship Catalpa, sailing out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Under the command of an experienced American captain, George Anthony, no eyebrows would be raised as she was fitted out for a two year whaling expedition to the South Atlantic. However, her real voyage was to round the Cape of Good Hope and sail across the Indian Ocean to the west coast of Australia.
Meanwhile, John J. Breslin, already having distinguished himself within the movement, was sent to Australia posing as an American business, to find away to ensure the six remaining prisoners would be in a position to be rescued.
What follows is essentially a Boy’s Own Adventure for grown-ups, a tale with countless twists and turns, thrills and spills, and heart stopping tension. The story is meticulously researched, but Stevens also tells it in an entertaining style, taking some artistic liberties but mostly allowing the story to play out in the words of those involved, through letters and journal entries from the time.
It’s a story that deserves to be better known. It has heroes and villains, double crosses and Dickensian coincidences, and if you had encountered it as a work of fiction you might consider it somewhat far fetched. As a historian, I think some prior knowledge of the political situation might enhance your enjoyment, but it’s a cracking read nonetheless.
May 31, 2019
This is an amazing story of adventure and commitment. It reads like a novel and carries the reader along with a rising tide of tension and suspense, regardless of the massive spoiler in the sub-title of the book.
I was amazed by the courage of those involved who had the capacity to make decisions on the spot on their own which had huge life or death consequences for themselves and their families. I think the world would be a better place these days if people acted in that way; assess the situation, make a decision based on their own conscience and stick by it.
The story is a testament to endurance and dedication to a cause and I would recommend it as a good read.
I was amazed by the courage of those involved who had the capacity to make decisions on the spot on their own which had huge life or death consequences for themselves and their families. I think the world would be a better place these days if people acted in that way; assess the situation, make a decision based on their own conscience and stick by it.
The story is a testament to endurance and dedication to a cause and I would recommend it as a good read.
September 18, 2024
An absolutely riveting read based on a true story. I'd seen a one-man play about the voyage of the Catalpa 10 times, and had enjoyed the sense of adventure. But I didn't really know what it was about.
With the background of the fight for freedom in Ireland, it introduces us to secret meetings in Dublin pubs, harsh justice to rebels, and influencial plotters among the American Irish. Thoroughly researched, its pages are detailed in a fastmoving chronicle with well-defined charaters, harrowing descriptions of prison life in Australia and nail biting suspense. This voyage will have you on the edge of your seat.
With the background of the fight for freedom in Ireland, it introduces us to secret meetings in Dublin pubs, harsh justice to rebels, and influencial plotters among the American Irish. Thoroughly researched, its pages are detailed in a fastmoving chronicle with well-defined charaters, harrowing descriptions of prison life in Australia and nail biting suspense. This voyage will have you on the edge of your seat.
January 27, 2026
“This actually happened!” is all I could think while reading this book. In the 1875, Finnians met in NYC to hatch a plan to rescue Irish prisoners in Fremantle Western Australia. A whaleboat, Catalpa captained by George Anthony,headed east towards Portugal and around Africa. The two others headed west across the USA and the Pacific. No cellphones, no GPS, no internet. A great read.
June 18, 2025
Excellent!
February 12, 2020
Not a great read, but a good read.
The story itself is fascinating, without trying to reveal spoilers but how men imprisoned in arguably the most arduous of conditions in arguably the most desolate part of the world at the time managed to escape to freedom defies anything you might have thought possible. It makes you realise that the resilience of the human psyche and that man can overcome almost anything so long as they just simply refuse to give up.
The book was a little slow at times, Steven's could have likely shaved off a few chapters but over it was an easy read, with a thoroughly inspiring finish that I would read again.
The story itself is fascinating, without trying to reveal spoilers but how men imprisoned in arguably the most arduous of conditions in arguably the most desolate part of the world at the time managed to escape to freedom defies anything you might have thought possible. It makes you realise that the resilience of the human psyche and that man can overcome almost anything so long as they just simply refuse to give up.
The book was a little slow at times, Steven's could have likely shaved off a few chapters but over it was an easy read, with a thoroughly inspiring finish that I would read again.
January 25, 2019
A obscure moment in history is reveled with obvious historical dedication in The Voyage of the Catalpa.
The author, Peter Stevens, throws a reader right into Irish Republican Brotherhood rebellion as if said reader is already an informed observer in the quest for the freedom of a independent democratic republic in Ireland.
Whether the reader is indeed an expert in the bloody history of 1858 to 1924, or like me a complete beginner, both types will undoubtedly learn because this book holds no punches and hits the ground running. No subject in the perilous journey of the six Irish rebels is left unturned and in consequence the book can become rather tedious. It was slow going, but I stuck with the book and am glad to know the history of this mostly unheard of point in history when the clever and dedicated Irish successfully planed and executed a prison break from the inescapable British Fremantle Prison in penal colony Australia.
The author, Peter Stevens, throws a reader right into Irish Republican Brotherhood rebellion as if said reader is already an informed observer in the quest for the freedom of a independent democratic republic in Ireland.
Whether the reader is indeed an expert in the bloody history of 1858 to 1924, or like me a complete beginner, both types will undoubtedly learn because this book holds no punches and hits the ground running. No subject in the perilous journey of the six Irish rebels is left unturned and in consequence the book can become rather tedious. It was slow going, but I stuck with the book and am glad to know the history of this mostly unheard of point in history when the clever and dedicated Irish successfully planed and executed a prison break from the inescapable British Fremantle Prison in penal colony Australia.
December 24, 2012
I stumbled across this book in a second-hand bookstore without any knowledge of the Catalpa and its place in history. The story is an amazing one as are the protagonists involved. As the author needs to setup the context of the rescue and the political history of the tension between Britain and the Irish, it can be slow going at the start. However, the history is necessary to appreciate the boldness of the plan and the far reaching impact it had across the globe.
September 4, 2013
You may have heard the 'Bushwackers' singing the folk song 'The Catalpa'; this book recreates the events surrounding the daring escape from Fremantle gaol in a rollicking style worthy of the best historical novelists. It is not a novel, however, but a retelling of real events associated with several of the political prisoners from the last convict ship sent to Western Australia. Gripping, and very worthwhile reading.
August 12, 2012
A story of courage unfortunately lost in the passage of time. This is the story of both the Irish desire for freedom and the movement that brought freedom to Ireland encapsulated in the story of a new Bedford Massachusetts Whaler
November 2, 2014
"The Voyage of the Catalpa" - written by Peter F Stevens and published in 2003 by Basic Books. A very interesting account of the rescue/escape of a group of Fenians who had been imprisoned in Australia. Some judicious editing would have helped, but it was an enjoyable, instructional read.
September 17, 2015
Just recently read this book and loved it. Didn't know anything about his piece of history. Great story!
November 28, 2015
Well written & very interesting
March 13, 2019
"Meticulously researched"! Even a cursory examination of William J Laubenstein's The Emerald Whaler (1962) reveals that Stevens "borrowed" heavily and extensively.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews