Horrible Shipwreck!: A Full, True and Particular Account of the Melancholy Loss of the British Convict Ship Amphitrite, the 31st August 1833, off Boulogne, When 108 Fema

On August 25, 1833, the British convict ship Amphitrite, filled with more than one hundred women prisoners and their children along with a crew of thirteen, left London for a convict colony in New South Wales. Less than a week later, all but three died when a savage storm battered their ship to pieces on the beach at Boulogne, all in sight of hundreds of horrified onlookers. The captain, John Hunter, had inexplicably refused offers of aid from the shore. Sensational news coverage of the calamity prompted an Admiralty investigation to find out who was responsible. The suspicion was that Hunter and the surgeon aboard rejected assistance because they feared the women would escape custody. Some blamed the doctor’s wife because she had refused to go ashore in a boat with the convicts so no boat was launched. Colourfully set in the political and social context of early 19th century Great Britain, this account of the shipwreck is peopled with a fascinating cast of characters that includes John Wilks, the Paris correspondent of a London newspaper whose reporting triggered public emotions; Lord Palmerston, the British foreign secretary; William Hamilton, the British consul who led the investigation; Sarah Austin, a British expatriate whose heroism the night of the wreck merits an award; and a Prussian prince. Drawing from government records in England, Scotland, and France, and from contemporary reports, Andrew Jampoler spins a memorable sea tale that is entirely true yet rivals the best of fiction. About the Author Andrew Jampoler is the award-winning author of The Last Lincoln Conspirator: John Surratt’s Flight from the Gallows; Adak: The rescue of Alfa Foxtrot 586; and Sailors in the Holy Land: The 1848 American Expedition to the Dead Sea. He spent more than twenty years in the U.S. Navy and later was a marketing executive in the international aerospace industry.

About the Author :
Andrew C. A. Jampoler spent nearly twenty-five years as an active-duty naval aviator including a year on the ground in Vietnam, command of a squadron and a naval air station, and service on several high-level staffs. He is the author of six other Naval Institute Press books, beginning with Adak in 2003 and most recently Congo.

Review :
Andrew C.A. Jampoler is the author of several award-winning books. With Horrible Shipwreck! he presents a comprehensive, yet compelling, story of the tragic sinking of the convict ship Amphitrite. The combination of primary and secondary sources creates a comprehensive body of literature by which to examine this particular account, and places it within a more solid historical framework. the book would appeal to readers of all ages and of a variety of backgrounds. Horrible Shipwreck! provides a good starting point for research and reveals the complex social, cultural and political milieu within and surrounding one ship. Jampoler’s work brings to light the importance of context in understanding any event. This book is not only a good read but will also be useful in undergraduate classes on maritime history, legal history and those concerning the nineteenth century.