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Hell Ship
The riveting story of one of the most calamitous voyages in Australian history, the plague-stricken sailing ship Ticonderoga that left England for Victoria with 800 doomed emigrants on board.
For more than a century and a half, a grim tale has passed down through Michael Veitch's family: the story of the Ticonderoga, a clipper ship that sailed from Liverpool in August 1852, crammed with poor but hopeful emigrants- mostly Scottish victims of the Clearances and the potato famine. A better life, they believed, awaited them in Australia.
Three months later, a ghost ship crept into Port Phillip Bay flying the dreaded yellow flag of contagion. On her horrific three-month voyage, deadly typhus had erupted, killing a quarter of Ticonderoga's passengers and leaving many more desperately ill. Sharks, it was said, had followed her passage as the victims were buried at sea.
Panic struck Melbourne. Forbidden to dock at the gold-boom town, the ship was directed to a lonely beach on the far tip of the Mornington Peninsula, a place now called Ticonderoga Bay.
James William Henry Veitch was the ship's assistant surgeon, on his first appointment at sea. Among the volunteers who helped him tend to the sick and dying was a young woman from the island of Mull, Annie Morrison. What happened between them on that terrible voyage is a testament to human resilience, and to love.
Michael Veitch is their great-great-grandson, and Hell Ship is his brilliantly researched narrative of one of the biggest stories of its day, now all but forgotten. Broader than his own family's story, it brings to life the hardships and horrors endured by those who came by sea to seek a new life in Australia.
For more than a century and a half, a grim tale has passed down through Michael Veitch's family: the story of the Ticonderoga, a clipper ship that sailed from Liverpool in August 1852, crammed with poor but hopeful emigrants- mostly Scottish victims of the Clearances and the potato famine. A better life, they believed, awaited them in Australia.
Three months later, a ghost ship crept into Port Phillip Bay flying the dreaded yellow flag of contagion. On her horrific three-month voyage, deadly typhus had erupted, killing a quarter of Ticonderoga's passengers and leaving many more desperately ill. Sharks, it was said, had followed her passage as the victims were buried at sea.
Panic struck Melbourne. Forbidden to dock at the gold-boom town, the ship was directed to a lonely beach on the far tip of the Mornington Peninsula, a place now called Ticonderoga Bay.
James William Henry Veitch was the ship's assistant surgeon, on his first appointment at sea. Among the volunteers who helped him tend to the sick and dying was a young woman from the island of Mull, Annie Morrison. What happened between them on that terrible voyage is a testament to human resilience, and to love.
Michael Veitch is their great-great-grandson, and Hell Ship is his brilliantly researched narrative of one of the biggest stories of its day, now all but forgotten. Broader than his own family's story, it brings to life the hardships and horrors endured by those who came by sea to seek a new life in Australia.
260 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2018
84 people are currently reading
1198 people want to read
About the author
Michael Veitch
28 books35 followersMichael Veitch spent much of his youth writing and performing in television sketch comedy programs, before freelancing as a columnist and arts reviewer for newspapers and magazines. For four years he presented Sunday Arts, the national arts show on ABC television, and produced two books indulging his life-long interest in the aircraft of the Second World War, Flak and Fly. He lives in Hobart, where he presents ABC radio.
Books:
Hailing from a family of journalists, Veitch wrote Flak – True stories from the men who flew in World War II published in 2006 by Pan Macmillan and later, Fly: True stories of courage and adventure from the airmen of World War II published by Penguin Australia in August 2008. A third book, The Forgotten Islands, exploring the lesser-known islands of Bass Strait, was published by Penguin Australia in August 2011.
Further publications include a history of the CSIRO marine exploration vessel, Southern Surveyor will be released in late 2015 (CSIRO Publishing) and a further volume of Second World War airman stories, which will also be published late 2015 (Penguin Books).
Books:
Hailing from a family of journalists, Veitch wrote Flak – True stories from the men who flew in World War II published in 2006 by Pan Macmillan and later, Fly: True stories of courage and adventure from the airmen of World War II published by Penguin Australia in August 2008. A third book, The Forgotten Islands, exploring the lesser-known islands of Bass Strait, was published by Penguin Australia in August 2011.
Further publications include a history of the CSIRO marine exploration vessel, Southern Surveyor will be released in late 2015 (CSIRO Publishing) and a further volume of Second World War airman stories, which will also be published late 2015 (Penguin Books).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
January 15, 2020
A terrific insight into life aboard an immigrant ship for those who took the perilous Journey from Ireland, Scotland and England to seek a new life in Australia. I started this and just couldn't put it down, the hardship and conditions these people had to put up with on a 90 day journey was just heartbreaking and we must remember their courage and foresight as they forged better lives for their children and grandchildren and indeed for their families left behind as they sent the money back home to better the lives of brother and sisters and the generations yet to come.
I was lucky enjoyed to have been given a gift of this book by a friend who obviously thought very carefully when choosing a gift of a book for me as this is is a story that really floats my boat (pardon the pun).
This is the the true account of the Plague Ship Ticonderoga and one of the most calamitous voyages in Australian history and also a wonderful insight to life in Scotland in the mid 1800s and how these people were drove off their lands by greedy landlords and forced to immigrate. I leaned so much from this book and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it.
The author’s Great- Great - Grandfather was one of the passengers aboard this ship and you can feel his passion as he recounts this heartbreaking but informative true story. Not only was his great great grandfather a passenger but a doctor who put his own life at risk to save and care for so many of the passengers who became ill and It comes across in the story how proud the author is of his great-great-grandfather and I am sure that his ancestor would be just as proud of his great-great-grandson’s re-telling of this amazing story.
A great read and a book that will stay with me a long time from now and another book for my real life book shelf.
I was lucky enjoyed to have been given a gift of this book by a friend who obviously thought very carefully when choosing a gift of a book for me as this is is a story that really floats my boat (pardon the pun).
This is the the true account of the Plague Ship Ticonderoga and one of the most calamitous voyages in Australian history and also a wonderful insight to life in Scotland in the mid 1800s and how these people were drove off their lands by greedy landlords and forced to immigrate. I leaned so much from this book and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it.
The author’s Great- Great - Grandfather was one of the passengers aboard this ship and you can feel his passion as he recounts this heartbreaking but informative true story. Not only was his great great grandfather a passenger but a doctor who put his own life at risk to save and care for so many of the passengers who became ill and It comes across in the story how proud the author is of his great-great-grandfather and I am sure that his ancestor would be just as proud of his great-great-grandson’s re-telling of this amazing story.
A great read and a book that will stay with me a long time from now and another book for my real life book shelf.
August 1, 2018
Wow. What a powerful (true) story. Brilliantly written and totally absorbing.
Full review below.
***
In the close quarters of an overcrowded ship packed with English, Irish and Scottish emigrants, disease waits. The year is 1852 and the impressive American clipper Ticonderoga is fitted out for the purpose of transporting its human cargo from Britain to Victoria, Australia. It is an exciting time in sea travel with altered shipping routes and faster ships resulting in shorter voyages from the motherland to the young country at the end of the world. The expected sea travel time of just ninety days to Melbourne means that all supplies for the journey are to be taken on board at Liverpool – there will be no stops before reaching the ship’s destination.
For these eight hundred passengers, the journey will be arduous, with a regime of order and cleanliness on board ship that must be strictly adhered to. Australia needs workers from all stations of life, as the Melbourne gold rush still has enough of a fantastical hold on the dreams of those who arrive in Port Phillip Bay to make their fortunes. The largely disenfranchised Highlanders and others on board feel they have nothing left to lose. When the fever takes its first victim, it is nothing unexpected. As more and more people fall ill and Typhus decimates the ships’ passengers, an enormous strain is placed on the only two surgeons on crew. Denied entry to Melbourne for being a ‘plague ship’, the Ticonderoga is at the end of its voyage, but this will not be the end of its troubles.
Could NOT put this book down and polished it off in a day. Absolutely gripping with great care and dignity afforded to all of those who set sail, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. The research undertaken to write such a detailed work must have been incredible, and it is with this care that Australian author Michael Veitch has written a book detailing of how his great-great grandfather, James William Henry Veitch, first came to Australia and married the woman who saw him through the horror, the stalwart Anne Morrison.
HELL SHIP was, if you’ll forgive this, masterfully navigated from Liverpool right to the end of its horrific voyage. Upfront knowing the scale of suffering of the Ticonderoga’s eight hundred passengers is so overwhelming that you’d be forgiven for wincing as you pick up this book, expecting tragic tales of woe and detailed descriptions of the truly hellish conditions on board. Author Michael Veitch has balanced the human factor of deaths at sea with the education of his readers. There was so much bravery shown by the crew and passengers of the Ticonderoga that it is astonishing that most Australians would not even have heard of this story. It is heartbreaking to learn of what these people went through, and of how they stoically endured so much loss and suffering.
The care with which the human losses are detailed is commendable, and each death is given in context as to what family members the deceased has left behind. This intensely powerful and moving account of hope and survival in the settlement days of Australia is an excellent read and highly recommended. HELL SHIP will definitely stay with you.
Full review below.
***
In the close quarters of an overcrowded ship packed with English, Irish and Scottish emigrants, disease waits. The year is 1852 and the impressive American clipper Ticonderoga is fitted out for the purpose of transporting its human cargo from Britain to Victoria, Australia. It is an exciting time in sea travel with altered shipping routes and faster ships resulting in shorter voyages from the motherland to the young country at the end of the world. The expected sea travel time of just ninety days to Melbourne means that all supplies for the journey are to be taken on board at Liverpool – there will be no stops before reaching the ship’s destination.
For these eight hundred passengers, the journey will be arduous, with a regime of order and cleanliness on board ship that must be strictly adhered to. Australia needs workers from all stations of life, as the Melbourne gold rush still has enough of a fantastical hold on the dreams of those who arrive in Port Phillip Bay to make their fortunes. The largely disenfranchised Highlanders and others on board feel they have nothing left to lose. When the fever takes its first victim, it is nothing unexpected. As more and more people fall ill and Typhus decimates the ships’ passengers, an enormous strain is placed on the only two surgeons on crew. Denied entry to Melbourne for being a ‘plague ship’, the Ticonderoga is at the end of its voyage, but this will not be the end of its troubles.
Could NOT put this book down and polished it off in a day. Absolutely gripping with great care and dignity afforded to all of those who set sail, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. The research undertaken to write such a detailed work must have been incredible, and it is with this care that Australian author Michael Veitch has written a book detailing of how his great-great grandfather, James William Henry Veitch, first came to Australia and married the woman who saw him through the horror, the stalwart Anne Morrison.
HELL SHIP was, if you’ll forgive this, masterfully navigated from Liverpool right to the end of its horrific voyage. Upfront knowing the scale of suffering of the Ticonderoga’s eight hundred passengers is so overwhelming that you’d be forgiven for wincing as you pick up this book, expecting tragic tales of woe and detailed descriptions of the truly hellish conditions on board. Author Michael Veitch has balanced the human factor of deaths at sea with the education of his readers. There was so much bravery shown by the crew and passengers of the Ticonderoga that it is astonishing that most Australians would not even have heard of this story. It is heartbreaking to learn of what these people went through, and of how they stoically endured so much loss and suffering.
The care with which the human losses are detailed is commendable, and each death is given in context as to what family members the deceased has left behind. This intensely powerful and moving account of hope and survival in the settlement days of Australia is an excellent read and highly recommended. HELL SHIP will definitely stay with you.
September 19, 2023
Rating: 2.5 stars
The author is a descendant of two of the survivors of the "plague ship" Ticonderoga that transported 800 Scottish, Irish and English free settlers / immigrants from England to Australia in the mid-1850s. So this book is something of a historical family "memoir" - one that could really have used a more proficient editor.
I found the second half of the book was more interesting than the first half, since it deals more with shipboard life and the typhus epidemic. Veitch manages to convey the awfulness of the crowded, cramped, claustrophobic conditions that the ship's passengers had to endure. The eventual stench of 800 bodies is also elucidated, probably more than anyone would want. Apparently people sick with Typhus exude a horrible rotting-meat smell, giving the disease one of it's many names - "putrid fever". That certainly didn't help the olfactory aspect of the voyage. The ships surgeons also didn't know that typhus is a bacterial infection transmitted by the body louse. That discovery was still waiting to happen. Passengers start getting sick and dying. Maintaining normal ship function and hygiene becomes impossible. Sea burials become more common, eventually so common families are just quietly dumping their dead overboard without fuss. Veitch paints a horrifying and depressing picture of life at sea for these 800 poor, unfortunate souls.
However, the book feels somewhat padded out, with too many repetitive sections and chapters dedicated to side tangents and historical information that could have summarised into a few pages at most. The author also states that there are no records left from the voyage itself, but a large portion of the ship chapters read like a historical fiction novel with description of how the passengers were feeling and what they were thinking. To be fair, he does use first-hand accounts of people sailing the same route but on other ships. I was left frustrated and annoyed because I couldn't tell for certain what was fact, what was an educated guess by the author, and what was downright fabrication. I did find the logistical aspects of organising, feeding and lodging and providing health care for 800 people (single men, single women, and families from different and often conflicting cultures) on one ship to be particularly informative.
The book was interesting and provides a horrifying view of this small portion of history, but it really could have used an editor.
The author is a descendant of two of the survivors of the "plague ship" Ticonderoga that transported 800 Scottish, Irish and English free settlers / immigrants from England to Australia in the mid-1850s. So this book is something of a historical family "memoir" - one that could really have used a more proficient editor.
I found the second half of the book was more interesting than the first half, since it deals more with shipboard life and the typhus epidemic. Veitch manages to convey the awfulness of the crowded, cramped, claustrophobic conditions that the ship's passengers had to endure. The eventual stench of 800 bodies is also elucidated, probably more than anyone would want. Apparently people sick with Typhus exude a horrible rotting-meat smell, giving the disease one of it's many names - "putrid fever". That certainly didn't help the olfactory aspect of the voyage. The ships surgeons also didn't know that typhus is a bacterial infection transmitted by the body louse. That discovery was still waiting to happen. Passengers start getting sick and dying. Maintaining normal ship function and hygiene becomes impossible. Sea burials become more common, eventually so common families are just quietly dumping their dead overboard without fuss. Veitch paints a horrifying and depressing picture of life at sea for these 800 poor, unfortunate souls.
However, the book feels somewhat padded out, with too many repetitive sections and chapters dedicated to side tangents and historical information that could have summarised into a few pages at most. The author also states that there are no records left from the voyage itself, but a large portion of the ship chapters read like a historical fiction novel with description of how the passengers were feeling and what they were thinking. To be fair, he does use first-hand accounts of people sailing the same route but on other ships. I was left frustrated and annoyed because I couldn't tell for certain what was fact, what was an educated guess by the author, and what was downright fabrication. I did find the logistical aspects of organising, feeding and lodging and providing health care for 800 people (single men, single women, and families from different and often conflicting cultures) on one ship to be particularly informative.
The book was interesting and provides a horrifying view of this small portion of history, but it really could have used an editor.
July 10, 2022
This book is the story of the "Ticonderoga" an American clipper ship that set sail from Liverpool in August 1852 bound for the city of Melbourne, in the fledgling colony of Victoria, Australia. When the ship arrived three months later it was a veritable plague ship - typhus had broken out onboard.
This is the story of that voyage, but is is also a story about people. Those that survived the voyage from hell, and those that did not. It is also a sort of love story: to Dr. James William Henry Veitch, assistant ship's surgeon, and Annie Morrison, a woman from Scotland, who helped nurse the sick and dying. They became the great-great-grandparents of Michael Veitch, the author of the book.
The book is well researched and well written. The Ticonderoga's ill-fated passage is carefully documented, from the arrival of its passengers at the embarkation centre in Liverpool, until it's arrival in Australia, and beyond.
Powerful and moving, the book gives the reader a close look at what it was for poor immigrants in the middle of the 19th century.
Highly recommended for anyone interesting in Australian history, maritime history, 19th century history, or true stories of the human condition.
This is the story of that voyage, but is is also a story about people. Those that survived the voyage from hell, and those that did not. It is also a sort of love story: to Dr. James William Henry Veitch, assistant ship's surgeon, and Annie Morrison, a woman from Scotland, who helped nurse the sick and dying. They became the great-great-grandparents of Michael Veitch, the author of the book.
The book is well researched and well written. The Ticonderoga's ill-fated passage is carefully documented, from the arrival of its passengers at the embarkation centre in Liverpool, until it's arrival in Australia, and beyond.
Powerful and moving, the book gives the reader a close look at what it was for poor immigrants in the middle of the 19th century.
Highly recommended for anyone interesting in Australian history, maritime history, 19th century history, or true stories of the human condition.
July 7, 2020
Written by the great-great grandson of the second medic onboard this is the fascinating story of the Ticonderoga, a ship carrying 800+ Scottish immigrants to the new colony of Victoria (AU). If you ever wondered what made people to leave their homes and embark on the perilous journey seeking fortune in an unknown land, enduring cramped quarters, atrocious weather and facing daily the real possibility of sickness and even death, read this book, you won’t be disappointed.
Highly informative never boring, with a gripping narrative and excellent pace this is a truly brilliant book, highly recommended.
Highly informative never boring, with a gripping narrative and excellent pace this is a truly brilliant book, highly recommended.
June 19, 2020
4.5 would definitely be best. I had a great, great grandfather bring his family out to Melbourne on a clipper ship. Family history states that when my great grandmother as a young girl was naughty, her parents would threaten her with going back on the clipper ship. It had become becalmed in the Indian Ocean. But my family’s voyage seemed a picnic compared to the poor wretched souls on board the Ticonderoga. I was so touched by the stories of the Scottish families leaving their poverty stricken homes to seek a brighter future only to have typhus break out on the 90 day voyage out from Liverpool. The description of the dark lower sleeping & living sections defy belief. So glad to have read this book. Being myself born in Williamstown, I enjoyed recognising names that I knew as Williamstown street names such as Ferguson, LaTrobe and Jolimont. I particularly loved the photo of author Michael Veitch’s great, great grandparents, the brave and noble Dr James William Henry Veitch and the gentle Scottish lass Annie Morrison who became his beloved wife. No wonder neither of them ever set foot on a ship again. Thank you Michael Veitch.
November 21, 2019
From the blurb on its back, I was initially concerned the book would focus too much on the "love story" between the author's great-great-grandparents and not enough on the plight of the ship. Thankfully I was wrong, and that story was relegated to a small paragraph at the end of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this read as the author has done a tremendous job researching the factual evidence of this ships plight.
August 4, 2023
What a great read!
Lots of background information about the people on board the Ticonderoga and how and why they came to be there. I learned about the Clearances in Scotland of which I’d only heard about briefly. And the actual sea voyage, incredible and ghastly, unimaginable for us in this year to contemplate.
Easy to read. Highly recommended.
Lots of background information about the people on board the Ticonderoga and how and why they came to be there. I learned about the Clearances in Scotland of which I’d only heard about briefly. And the actual sea voyage, incredible and ghastly, unimaginable for us in this year to contemplate.
Easy to read. Highly recommended.
August 10, 2018
Excellent non-fiction. Well paced and well written, it was hard to put down. Hell Ship is an accurate description of the conditions onboard once people became very sick, however, the book is about so much more and really reveals what was happening in Scotland, England and Australia at the time to bring about this wave of migration. I had family from Scotland who came to Australia in the 1850s and it was fascinating to read about the times. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this period of history.
March 22, 2020
Wow. This book literally gave me full body goosebumps at times reading what these people went through. Already suffering from the utter social economic and emotional devastation of the highland clearances they were traumatized in almost unimaginable ways on their journey to Australia. This was incredibly eye opening, very well told, and once I actually was able to commit to listening to this I flew through it.
Great read.
Great read.
July 8, 2020
Travel from England to Australia in the 1800’s was certainly perilous on many occasions for passengers and crew of the clipper ships. Many made these journeys in the hope of achieving a better life in Australia, but tragically for some it did not happen. This account of the Ticonderoga’s fateful voyage in 1852 brings to life the hellish conditions the passengers and crew faced not only from the ocean but also a deadly outbreak of typhus. It also provides details of the reasons why people left their homeland in order to make the journey and how, Melbourne dealt with the ship as it entered Port Phillip Bay flying the yellow flag of contagion.
August 17, 2022
A fascinating history lesson illustrating all of the factors, economic, social, colonial, maritime, etc. surrounding a immigrant ship on its way to Australia in 1852 which carried a plague of typhus. The most eye-opening was the conditions in Scotland that were created by the English to expel a majority of the Scottish Highlanders from their homes. I did not realized how events were engineered.
October 7, 2018
Fascinating story of an often untold journey from Liverpool to Australia. I was initially disappointed that this book wasn’t written in a fictional style as the story lends itself to being brought to life through the eyes of one of the many characters aboard this ill fated ship. However, the story is fascinating and I whipped through the pages in a week. I will now follow it up with the Richard Fidler Conversations podcast where he interviews the author.
October 28, 2024
I’ve been thinking about this book since I finished it. I found it incredibly poignant how much effort Michael put in to find out what happened to the passengers of Ticonderoga. He managed to give a voice to some families that haven’t been heard in almost 200 years
January 26, 2022
This is the story of migration to Australia from Britain during the 1850's through the dire voyage of this plague ship from Liverpool to Melbourne. Other reviewers have overviewed the narrative brilliantly and I refer you to them.
My rating of five stars was immediate and enthusiastic. This review asks why and considers the impact of the book on me as a modern reader and the quality of the writing.
This book came onto my radar when I heard the ABC Conversations podcast with the author. Veitch was a 1980-90's TV comedy star in Australia, in Melbourne and at my university. He played an hilarious smutty 12YO boy embodied in an adult office worker, all before The Office. So wrong but so right. The book's Australian setting is Portsea, or more accurately Port Nepean National Park. At a golden time in my work history I had a small role in the conversion of this land from army to parkland. Quarantine Beach is where we swim and boat and talk about chucking it all in to live at Portsea and be one with the sea.
Beyond tenuous personal links, this book describes the history of many of us whose ancestors arrived by ship from England and Scotland during the Gold Rush. The various branches of my family are well documented. They came out cabin class which would have made the journey more pleasant and a great deal safer. Still, the book describes the universal experience of the journey, the weather, the perils of the ocean and the arrival at Port Phillip Heads and Melbourne which is my home town. When we ferry from Tasmania into Port Phillip Heads I can envisage the arrival of the Ticonderoga and the perils of crossing the Rip and entering Port Phillip Bay for the first time. I particularly love this (P163-4): "Negotiating the formidable Heads was not a task to be taken lightly, particularly for those unaccustomed to its tricks and peculiarities. .... A Mate then announced that one of the sailors had in fact sailed to Melbourne several times previously. ... Standing by the Captain and behind the helmsman stood the unnamed seaman.. the weight on his shoulders...". Imagine the risk!
This book will appeal to those interested in modern history and how it shapes our experience. The people on the plague ship were only four to five generations before us; they are us. Some of their last names are familiar names of school friends and local street names. To understand their experience is to marvel that any survived in prolonged conditions which to me seem unendurable.
As historical research, Hell Ship is impressive. Similar to Peter McInnes (although with fewer paid researchers) Veitch has consulted original sources and converted the morass of detail into a compelling narrative. Eight pages of photos are a bonus but not necessary as the descriptions are clear. The background to the boatload of immigrants is explained in just the right amount of detail. Now I understand about the Highland Clearances and how a Scottish benevolent society raised money for the travel costs for the Scottish refugees (which is what they were).
The hellish journey and the immediate arrival are the focus of the book. People travel, but they don't start a journey at disembarkation and end at arrival. The selection and departure processes are given due coverage, a topic about which I knew nothing. What the passengers ate and how they arranged themselves aboard ship filled in blanks for me. Veitch achieves all of this at pace and without judgement. Given the trauma experienced by the surviving passengers, a sequel would be compelling. How did the man who lost his wife and all his children on the voyage make a life in Australia?
This is not a literary work, but it is well written and engaging, itself an achievement for a non-fiction historical work. The writing style is clear and plain. At time sentences are long, but this is not problematic. If I had to find fault- and I had to try hard- at times there are too many "howevers" and "althoughs".
Even after this dissection, I still say FIVE stars. Thank you Michael Veitch.
My rating of five stars was immediate and enthusiastic. This review asks why and considers the impact of the book on me as a modern reader and the quality of the writing.
This book came onto my radar when I heard the ABC Conversations podcast with the author. Veitch was a 1980-90's TV comedy star in Australia, in Melbourne and at my university. He played an hilarious smutty 12YO boy embodied in an adult office worker, all before The Office. So wrong but so right. The book's Australian setting is Portsea, or more accurately Port Nepean National Park. At a golden time in my work history I had a small role in the conversion of this land from army to parkland. Quarantine Beach is where we swim and boat and talk about chucking it all in to live at Portsea and be one with the sea.
Beyond tenuous personal links, this book describes the history of many of us whose ancestors arrived by ship from England and Scotland during the Gold Rush. The various branches of my family are well documented. They came out cabin class which would have made the journey more pleasant and a great deal safer. Still, the book describes the universal experience of the journey, the weather, the perils of the ocean and the arrival at Port Phillip Heads and Melbourne which is my home town. When we ferry from Tasmania into Port Phillip Heads I can envisage the arrival of the Ticonderoga and the perils of crossing the Rip and entering Port Phillip Bay for the first time. I particularly love this (P163-4): "Negotiating the formidable Heads was not a task to be taken lightly, particularly for those unaccustomed to its tricks and peculiarities. .... A Mate then announced that one of the sailors had in fact sailed to Melbourne several times previously. ... Standing by the Captain and behind the helmsman stood the unnamed seaman.. the weight on his shoulders...". Imagine the risk!
This book will appeal to those interested in modern history and how it shapes our experience. The people on the plague ship were only four to five generations before us; they are us. Some of their last names are familiar names of school friends and local street names. To understand their experience is to marvel that any survived in prolonged conditions which to me seem unendurable.
As historical research, Hell Ship is impressive. Similar to Peter McInnes (although with fewer paid researchers) Veitch has consulted original sources and converted the morass of detail into a compelling narrative. Eight pages of photos are a bonus but not necessary as the descriptions are clear. The background to the boatload of immigrants is explained in just the right amount of detail. Now I understand about the Highland Clearances and how a Scottish benevolent society raised money for the travel costs for the Scottish refugees (which is what they were).
The hellish journey and the immediate arrival are the focus of the book. People travel, but they don't start a journey at disembarkation and end at arrival. The selection and departure processes are given due coverage, a topic about which I knew nothing. What the passengers ate and how they arranged themselves aboard ship filled in blanks for me. Veitch achieves all of this at pace and without judgement. Given the trauma experienced by the surviving passengers, a sequel would be compelling. How did the man who lost his wife and all his children on the voyage make a life in Australia?
This is not a literary work, but it is well written and engaging, itself an achievement for a non-fiction historical work. The writing style is clear and plain. At time sentences are long, but this is not problematic. If I had to find fault- and I had to try hard- at times there are too many "howevers" and "althoughs".
Even after this dissection, I still say FIVE stars. Thank you Michael Veitch.
June 10, 2025
This was an interesting piece of history (also with some connections to my own family), and it did a good job of combining accounts of what happened with the politics that led to it. It was also pretty readable as far as nonfiction goes. My one problem was with what felt like just imagining and projecting experiences. The author was pretty clear with when he was using historical records/accounts, but just seemed to be filling in the gaps with something along the lines of "this is what I imagine they would have been feeling/doing" and tended to get carried away with it. It felt like it was halfway between a nonfiction book and a historical fiction and as a result kind of failed to do well at either.
5/10
5/10
March 13, 2019
Strikingly well-done history that compellingly tells a forgotten sub-chapter of Australia’s colonial past. Veitch tells the the tale of the Ticonderoga, a dangerously overcrowded emigrant ship that arrived at Melbourne with hundreds of passengers dead or dying from typhus, with clarity and vigor. Besides a rousing read, he also manages to slip in all kinds of knowledge, touching on everything from Scottish agriculture to epidemiology.
February 9, 2020
There is a class of aged men in Australia who believe themselves to be historians because they can access and read primary source documents. Roland Perry is one such as is Michael Veitch. This is historical fiction masquerading as fact. It is poorly written, hysterically dramatized and vapid in the extreme.
Another author I need never bother with again.
Another author I need never bother with again.
January 15, 2019
The emigration of Scots and Irish to North America tends to be better known in the UK, so I found this book informative. I do have a personal interest, however. I wouldn’t exist had my ancestors taken one of these routes in the mid 19th century - rather than moving from Skye and Co Down to the south of Scotland!
As this is the author’s family history he recounts he has taken great care to research the subject, which had been taboo for long years.
Ironically, sheep had replaced humans in the Highlands, but needed more humans to farm them in Australia, where a Gold Rush had drawn so many to abandon their employment. Family men were thought less likely to be fired with gold fever, so emigration was subsidised. The conditions on board were better than those on a slave ship, but not good enough to prevent the outbreak and rapid spread of disease on the overcrowded non-stop trip from Birkenhead to Port Phillip.
The smaller number English passengers got the best berths, of course, and the few Irish, the worst. Given the attitude of the Westminster government to the Gaelic speaking Highlanders and Irish, this comes as no surprise.
The use of this American clipper, adapted to carry so many men, women and children halfway round the world, was something of an experiment- not a successful one.
Nevertheless many of the survivors did begin a useful new life in Australia and many of their descendants flourished in their new country.
Still, I wouldn’t exist had my ancestors followed so many to North America or Australia. Instead they left Co Down and Skye for the south of Scotland, endured hardship, but eventually those of their children and grandchildren,who did not die young, achieved useful lives in the old country. I’m often amazed by the many twists of fate that lead to the birth of one particular child, the men and women who met and married because of economic and social upheavals.
As this is the author’s family history he recounts he has taken great care to research the subject, which had been taboo for long years.
Ironically, sheep had replaced humans in the Highlands, but needed more humans to farm them in Australia, where a Gold Rush had drawn so many to abandon their employment. Family men were thought less likely to be fired with gold fever, so emigration was subsidised. The conditions on board were better than those on a slave ship, but not good enough to prevent the outbreak and rapid spread of disease on the overcrowded non-stop trip from Birkenhead to Port Phillip.
The smaller number English passengers got the best berths, of course, and the few Irish, the worst. Given the attitude of the Westminster government to the Gaelic speaking Highlanders and Irish, this comes as no surprise.
The use of this American clipper, adapted to carry so many men, women and children halfway round the world, was something of an experiment- not a successful one.
Nevertheless many of the survivors did begin a useful new life in Australia and many of their descendants flourished in their new country.
Still, I wouldn’t exist had my ancestors followed so many to North America or Australia. Instead they left Co Down and Skye for the south of Scotland, endured hardship, but eventually those of their children and grandchildren,who did not die young, achieved useful lives in the old country. I’m often amazed by the many twists of fate that lead to the birth of one particular child, the men and women who met and married because of economic and social upheavals.
October 16, 2025
A family origin story. Michael Veitch’s great grandfather was assistant surgeon on the fast clipper ship Ticonderoga on a non-stop journey to Melbourne Australia from Liverpool, jam-packed with poor Scottish, English, and Irish emigrants.
The story of the clearing of the Scottish Highlands, destroying the clan system and the displacing farmers from their small patches of land, their runrigs (the same as an Irish croft, and a favourite wine of mine) and replacing it all with grazing land for sheep, was a new one for me, and I found it the most fascinating part of the book.
The heartlessness of the British Government towards the Scots, who suffered a potato famine on top of everything else, and many still only spoke Gaelic, was a match for their attitude to the later Irish famine was also not so much a revelation as a confirmation of their colonial mindset.
As the discovery of gold in Victoria triggered a shortage of workers and farmers in and around Melbourne and the Victoria farmlands, the British Government was keen to send manpower to keep the colony viable. They hired ships that had been refitted to accommodate as many emigrants as possible, often more than double what would be considered a reasonable capacity for the time. The non stop journey took around 3 months, and the squalid and eventually filthy, mephitic, living quarters were a petri-dish for a disease. The principal ailment that took hold on the Ticonderoga was typhus, spread from person to person in clothing and bed linen by lice. A few deaths were to expected on even the best of long voyages, but the Ticonderoga eventually lost about 200 of its 800 odd passengers and crew, some during the extremely harsh conditions of the voyage and some in the ramshackle quarantine area on Point Nepean, as the “hell ship” was not allowed to approach Melbourne.
Obviously Micheal Veitch’s great grandfather survived. Michael also does (or did?) a stage presentation of the story.
The story of the clearing of the Scottish Highlands, destroying the clan system and the displacing farmers from their small patches of land, their runrigs (the same as an Irish croft, and a favourite wine of mine) and replacing it all with grazing land for sheep, was a new one for me, and I found it the most fascinating part of the book.
The heartlessness of the British Government towards the Scots, who suffered a potato famine on top of everything else, and many still only spoke Gaelic, was a match for their attitude to the later Irish famine was also not so much a revelation as a confirmation of their colonial mindset.
As the discovery of gold in Victoria triggered a shortage of workers and farmers in and around Melbourne and the Victoria farmlands, the British Government was keen to send manpower to keep the colony viable. They hired ships that had been refitted to accommodate as many emigrants as possible, often more than double what would be considered a reasonable capacity for the time. The non stop journey took around 3 months, and the squalid and eventually filthy, mephitic, living quarters were a petri-dish for a disease. The principal ailment that took hold on the Ticonderoga was typhus, spread from person to person in clothing and bed linen by lice. A few deaths were to expected on even the best of long voyages, but the Ticonderoga eventually lost about 200 of its 800 odd passengers and crew, some during the extremely harsh conditions of the voyage and some in the ramshackle quarantine area on Point Nepean, as the “hell ship” was not allowed to approach Melbourne.
Obviously Micheal Veitch’s great grandfather survived. Michael also does (or did?) a stage presentation of the story.
February 10, 2021
This is a terrific book. It tells the story of the Ticonderoga, an American ship that brought 800 - 900 immigrants, mostly from the Scottish Highlands, out to Australia in 1852, but tragically lost over 100 of them to typhus - and perhaps scarlet fever - en route. It is to some extent a personal story for the author, for his great great grandfather was the assistant surgeon on the ship.
The principal difficulty faced when writing the book would appear to have been that there are no surviving first hand accounts of the voyage itself. Veitch skilfully skirts this issue, thought it must have been very frustrating for him, by quoting other accounts of similar voyages. A great deal of time is also spent discussing the background to the voyage rather than the voyage itself. While I did at times feel this was a rather transparent attempt to make up for lack of detail relating to life for the passengers and crew making the journey, I have to admit it was very skilfully done, and of great intrinsic interest. The Ticonderoga was in fact the most disastrous of four ships making the journey at that time, all of whom sustained heavy losses. I find myself thirsty for more knowledge of how this came to be, who should have been held responsible, and why they weren't.
Too often we are told that Australian history is dull or unimportant. There is little that can be imagined that is more spectacularly horrific or immediately relevant to people living in Melbourne than the terrible story of the Ticonderoga. All things considered, Veitch has done a beautiful job of telling it.
The principal difficulty faced when writing the book would appear to have been that there are no surviving first hand accounts of the voyage itself. Veitch skilfully skirts this issue, thought it must have been very frustrating for him, by quoting other accounts of similar voyages. A great deal of time is also spent discussing the background to the voyage rather than the voyage itself. While I did at times feel this was a rather transparent attempt to make up for lack of detail relating to life for the passengers and crew making the journey, I have to admit it was very skilfully done, and of great intrinsic interest. The Ticonderoga was in fact the most disastrous of four ships making the journey at that time, all of whom sustained heavy losses. I find myself thirsty for more knowledge of how this came to be, who should have been held responsible, and why they weren't.
Too often we are told that Australian history is dull or unimportant. There is little that can be imagined that is more spectacularly horrific or immediately relevant to people living in Melbourne than the terrible story of the Ticonderoga. All things considered, Veitch has done a beautiful job of telling it.
June 26, 2024
An incredibly informative insight into a tragic tale of an emigrant ship - the Ticonderoga, in hindsight overpopulated at just under 800 people on board, in cramped but not (by the prism of the era) cruel conditions, are taken out by an insidious foe - typhus had come on board. While a certain number of fatalities were expected, (again, with the prism of the 1800s, child mortality isn’t uncommon), this swept through the passengers, picking off at random, and leaving a family of four or five, just a single person at the end of the trip. The official death toll was 168 passengers and 2 crew, including the brother of the captain.
The author uses to great advantage his familial ties - the junior doctor on board was his G-G-Grandfather, and accesses historical notes and letters to flesh out the story. While in itself the story could be a short one, he takes side alleys into the history of The Clearance in Scotland, famine in Ireland, sanitation and typhus, the history of emigration, the early days of Melbourne, etc, thus giving a wide historical view into a chapter of early Australian history of which I was previously unaware. But horrific to be on board…
The author uses to great advantage his familial ties - the junior doctor on board was his G-G-Grandfather, and accesses historical notes and letters to flesh out the story. While in itself the story could be a short one, he takes side alleys into the history of The Clearance in Scotland, famine in Ireland, sanitation and typhus, the history of emigration, the early days of Melbourne, etc, thus giving a wide historical view into a chapter of early Australian history of which I was previously unaware. But horrific to be on board…
January 16, 2019
My interest in history comes with little thanks to the education I received in my youth. My recollection of those classes was learning about important events by memorising dates, geography and not much else. It was boring!
What we needed was books like HELL SHIP. Veitch has done a wonderful job with his well researched account of not only the horrendous journey of the Ticonderoga from the UK to Australia but the multitude of economic and political circumstances that made such journeys a necessity for so many people.
Veitch’s initial interest obviously lies in the fact that his ancestors were on the Ticonderoga but his focus is broader than just his family. The result is a comprehensive and integrated narrative that made me feel invested in this journey and the people undertook it.
Audio: I listened to the audio version of this book which is narrated by the author. The narration was well-paced and intelligible but there is a part of me that wishes a narrator with more of a dramatic flair had been used. And yes, I say this even knowing the author’s CV.
4.5 stars
What we needed was books like HELL SHIP. Veitch has done a wonderful job with his well researched account of not only the horrendous journey of the Ticonderoga from the UK to Australia but the multitude of economic and political circumstances that made such journeys a necessity for so many people.
Veitch’s initial interest obviously lies in the fact that his ancestors were on the Ticonderoga but his focus is broader than just his family. The result is a comprehensive and integrated narrative that made me feel invested in this journey and the people undertook it.
Audio: I listened to the audio version of this book which is narrated by the author. The narration was well-paced and intelligible but there is a part of me that wishes a narrator with more of a dramatic flair had been used. And yes, I say this even knowing the author’s CV.
4.5 stars
February 21, 2021
This book sat on my to-read shelf for ages. When libraries locked-down for so long in Melbourne I finally got around to reading it. I REALLY wish that I had read it earlier. I have an avid interest in my family tree, and this gave me an idea of the huge sea journey my own ancestors would had from England & Ireland in the 1850s. Michael has a engaging storyline that tells the story of the Ticonderoga's journey, whilst dipping into other areas of interest in more detail (I learnt so much!), and adding a splash of personal stories from his own family.
Not long ago, Michael did a Zoom talk via Frankston Libraries, all about writing a family history story. I signed up, but missed it, but I wish I had done it now. This is a perfect example of a story that I would like to write too, and my family tree has a few that need telling.
Also, thankyou for putting the photo of James & Anne in the book!
Loved this book, and look forward to seeking out his others as I have an interest in aviation (huge Biggles fan!) and also Tasmania.
Not long ago, Michael did a Zoom talk via Frankston Libraries, all about writing a family history story. I signed up, but missed it, but I wish I had done it now. This is a perfect example of a story that I would like to write too, and my family tree has a few that need telling.
Also, thankyou for putting the photo of James & Anne in the book!
Loved this book, and look forward to seeking out his others as I have an interest in aviation (huge Biggles fan!) and also Tasmania.
November 26, 2019
Not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting an account of the journey and quarantine but got a history of why so many people emigrated from Scotland (sheep) and Ireland (spuds) and of the design advances of ships.
The history did add to the book as I suspect that without it the undiluted story would have been more horrifying than it seemed. It also helped the reader understand the background and why people were prepared to put up with those conditions.
Both doctors seem to have done an amazing job with the limited knowledge at the time and Captain Boyle was also something of an understated hero. The fact he ended up being blamed/held responsible by many who refused to take their own share of responsibility is disgusting. The fact that he had actually provided more than regulations required for his passengers and had done his best with what was known in the day shows he tried his best to deliver everyone safely.
Attitudes to children have certainly changed.
The history did add to the book as I suspect that without it the undiluted story would have been more horrifying than it seemed. It also helped the reader understand the background and why people were prepared to put up with those conditions.
Both doctors seem to have done an amazing job with the limited knowledge at the time and Captain Boyle was also something of an understated hero. The fact he ended up being blamed/held responsible by many who refused to take their own share of responsibility is disgusting. The fact that he had actually provided more than regulations required for his passengers and had done his best with what was known in the day shows he tried his best to deliver everyone safely.
Attitudes to children have certainly changed.
November 9, 2025
Michael Veitch did a phenomenal job of painting a picture of what must’ve been an absolutely horrific voyage for the poor passengers and crew abroad the Ticonderoga.
My family were also early settlers of New Zealand and one branch Australia so this story brought to life an even bigger deep sense of respect for what they endured to start their new lives on foreign shores.
My family were displaced Scotts themselves so I shed more than a few tears while listening to this book especially having seen passenger lists where some of my family members did not make it to the end of the voyages.
My own sons paternal family’s name is written upon the monument for those who did not survive the voyage abroad the Ticonderoga so this book has very special meaning for him.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
My family were also early settlers of New Zealand and one branch Australia so this story brought to life an even bigger deep sense of respect for what they endured to start their new lives on foreign shores.
My family were displaced Scotts themselves so I shed more than a few tears while listening to this book especially having seen passenger lists where some of my family members did not make it to the end of the voyages.
My own sons paternal family’s name is written upon the monument for those who did not survive the voyage abroad the Ticonderoga so this book has very special meaning for him.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
February 6, 2019
Tracing the context, voyage and aftermath of the Ticonderoga, a government emigrant ship that left Liverpool for Melbourne in 1852 with about 900 people onboard.
I’m interested in family history and members of my family emigrated to Melbourne at this time - it could have happened to me!
I enjoyed the story-telling and the personalisation of this book. I also loved all the side stories / context / information - the circular route via no land and Antarctic waters springs to mind.
All (or almost all) based on actual sources, which often results in a slightly dry story. However this book managed to avoid that fate, remaining interesting throughout and without noticeable gaps in the storyline.
I listened to this one and the author read it, which worked really well.
I’m interested in family history and members of my family emigrated to Melbourne at this time - it could have happened to me!
I enjoyed the story-telling and the personalisation of this book. I also loved all the side stories / context / information - the circular route via no land and Antarctic waters springs to mind.
All (or almost all) based on actual sources, which often results in a slightly dry story. However this book managed to avoid that fate, remaining interesting throughout and without noticeable gaps in the storyline.
I listened to this one and the author read it, which worked really well.
November 1, 2023
Highly recommended! It's evident that the author did excellent research on the Ticonderoga and its tragic journey from Liverpool to Australia in 1852. Micheal Veitch had a vested interest in the story as it is his family history that he is writing about. A 3-month journey turns deadly for the passengers aboard the clipper, Ticonderoga. Typhus spreads rapidly throughout the ship, and by the time they sight Australia, hundreds are dead and many more sick. The author weaves the story of his ancestor, James William Henry Veitch, who was the ship's assistant surgeon, with that of the other passengers and the history of emigration to Australia in such an effortless way that you are kept interested throughout.
December 26, 2018
I can sum this book up with one word - superb. I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish, in fact the name is probably the worst thing about it as to me it misleading as it is much, much more than a story about a ship in which a tragic number of passengers died of typhoid. The research into why so many assisted migrants quit their Scottish homeland in the 1850s to travel to Australia is fascinating and told in a way that brings the subject to life while the description of the currents and weather conditions in The Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, is the best I have ever read. I have given this book five out of five, which is a rating I have rarely given, but in this case I feel it is richly deserved.
February 2, 2019
What an interesting story of a government emigration ship in the mid 1800’s to Australia that is wracked with disease on its journey to Victoria that killed many of the emigrants and their family’s. The book written with in some cases very little remaining evidence from the time is very engaging and the author with a family connection to the ship has managed to create a very informative book that has some very moving pieces from survivors of the voyage. A book well worth reading if your interested in how the emigrants moved to Australia and the knowledge of diseases and how they were dealt with in the mid 1800’s.
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