Pirates & Privateers: Jill Farinelli's Books

History knows her as "Palatine," initially a sailing ship, then a wreck, and later, a fiery ghost. Her name and those of most passengers have been lost until now. For the first time, we finally learn a bit about fifteen emigrants who set sail in April 1738, aboard Princess Augusta. The total number who leave Rotterdam in the Netherlands is uncertain; this cargo ship carries around 300 men, women, and children. At least 240 of these die during the crossing of the Atlantic. Of her crew of sixteen, half succumb, including one of the principal owners, Captain George Long, who, at twenty, is making his first Palatine run.

Princess Augusta was bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the journey to their new homes should have taken three months. Instead, those who survived reached the mouth of the Delaware River in December, only to discover the waterway was frozen shut. Unable to wait any longer to reach land, the ship headed north to Rhode Island, where she grounded and sank off Block Island. A year later, the first sighting of a full-rigged ship on fire occurred, but when rescuers reached the site, nothing was there except water – no survivors, no dead bodies, no wreckage. From time to time in the intervening years, the ghost ship has reappeared.

The majority of emigrants come from the Palantinate, a region in Germany that borders both sides of the Rhine River. One town in this area is Schwaigern, where the residents’ lives are controlled by the market, the palace, and the church. Inheritance laws, financial burdens, and the possibility of another war convince many in the region to immigrate to the New World and many go to William Penn’s colony because he offers cheap acreage without heavy taxation or government interference. One man who decides to leave Schwaigern is Sebastian Dieter, who takes with him his wife and three children. The first section of the book, “The Old World,” recounts what it takes to leave their homeland and the trials they endure during the journey to the Netherlands and the wait to board a ship bound for America.

“The Voyage” recounts the crossing of the Atlantic. Farinelli skillfully weaves a horrific tale where greed, overcrowding, illness, poor provisions, delays, and storms impact everyone aboard. Where specific details about Princess Augusta are available, she includes them. She fills in missing information with details of what other Palatine ships experience. At the same time, she shares the questions that remain unanswered about this particular cruise – many of which are mysteries that will never be solved.

The third portion of the book, “The New Land,” focuses on what emigrants experience once the ship arrives on the east coast of America, as well as what happens to the survivors of Princess Augusta after she sinks. “The Legend,” the fourth part, discusses some of the best-known sightings, John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “The Palatine,” the stories of two female survivors who opt to remain on Block Island, and how the publicity of the ghost ship forever changes the island and the islanders’ way of life. The endnotes contain fascinating historical tidbits beyond identifying sources. The bibliography includes famous poems and stories inspired by the Palatine Legend, as well as primary and secondary source materials. There is also an index.

The Palatine Wreck is an invaluable addition to any collection dealing with maritime history and the immigrant experience. Part of the Seafaring America series, it delves deeper into the true story of the fateful journey, while clearly separating fact from fiction. For example, one persistent legend is that wreckers lure Princess Augusta to her death and murder the passengers; Farinelli’s research clearly shows this is not what happens. Her spellbinding account reads like a novel but is totally nonfiction. The manner in which she recounts what occurs concisely demonstrates that the horror of the shipwreck is merely the final episode in a series of tragic events – some man-made, some no one can control. She immerses readers in the time period, ship life, and the emigrant experience, making this engrossing presentation difficult to put down.

Read an excerpt