Vanished fleets: Sea stories from old Van Dieman's land

by Alan Villiers

Very Good Hardcover Patrick Stephens Ltd.. Very Good. Hardcover. 1974.

297 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Mr. Alan Villiers (23 September 1903 - 3 March 1982) was an Australian sailor who had won considerable fame for himself as a result of his voyages in sailing-ships. Mr. Villiers preferred the excitement and the danger of small sailing-ships to the comfort and the safety of the modern ship.

Reviews

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one deserves at least one review, I think. I'm somewhat surprised to find it already in goodreads at all, given that it's a quirky 1931 book about the first 100 years or so of European settlement in Tasmania, with an emphasis on maritime adventure.

The result is still pleasant enough, 80-some years on. Villiers's style is casual and conversational (even if one may smile a bit today at the author's horror in describing episodes of "depravity," i.e. premarital sex). The book meanders a bit, and lacks any real conclusion, admittedly. And some readers may also be put off by some of Villiers's extended excerpts from period accounts; having performed historical research myself I understand the temptation to share what seem like treasures, but I believe maintaining the flow of one's own narrative should take precedent. (Still, give "Captain Tregurtha's Log" a try anyway; it makes for very decent reading once one gets into it.)

Bottom line, though, Vanished Fleets offers assorted stories of piracy, shipwrecks, treasure, tests of survival and mutiny; it's fairly easy to put down but still a pleasure to pick back up.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. As pointed out in another review here, it isn't particularly conclusive, but I think the author's intent was to establish a written history of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). I like historical research, and I like maritime topics, so this was right up my alley.

I was fascinated by the description of how men in early Hobart Town (1830s) would harpoon baleen whales right at the shore, then haul the carcasses in with block and tackle. During processing, the men threw the livers back into the bay, which killer whales would gobble up - quite a treat! It didn't take long before the killer whales figured out that if they drove baleen whales into the bay for the men on shore, they'd get more livers. An unusual inter-species cooperation.

There were loads of other things that captured my attention, including the details of the convicts being shipped to Tasmania from England and how they fared (or didn't), and the severity of the weather and the waters around the island. The speedy little sailing packets were fun to read about, too, especially when one of the tiniest vessels beat out the bigger ones in how quickly she could sail to England and back.

I got a lot out of this book, then handed it on to friends who research maritime music and history. It's in good hands.