She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea

by Joan Druett

Long before women had the right to vote, earn money, or have lives of their own, "she captains" -- bold women distinguished for courageous enterprise on the high seas -- thrilled and terrorized their shipmates, performed acts of valor, and pirated with the best of their male counterparts. From the warrior queens of the sixth century b.c. to the female shipowners influential in opening the Northwest Passage, She Captains brings together a real-life cast of characters whose audacity and bravado will capture the imagination. In her inimitable style, Joan Druett paints a vivid portrait of real women who were drawn to the ocean's beauty -- and danger -- and dared to captain ships of their own.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Pirates, Nautical, Biography, Womens, Adventure

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Back in the year 1984, on the picture-poster tropical island of Rarotonga, I literally fell into whaling history when I tumbled into a grave. A great tree had been felled by a recent hurricane, exposing a gravestone that had been hidden for more than one and a half centuries. It was the memorial to a young whaling wife, who had sailed with her husband on the New Bedford ship Harrison in the year 1845. And so my fascination with maritime history was triggered ... resulting in 18 books (so far). The latest—number nineteen—is a biography of a truly extraordinary man, Tupaia, star navigator and creator of amazing art.

Reviews

[Emily M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to re-read this because it was on my shelf from a previous "pirate phase"...but I surprisingly couldn't remember much about it. Well, as with The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula - it turns out that that's because it isn't very good!

I don't understand. You could easily fill a book of this modest size with one chapter each on famous female pirates like Anne Bonney or Zheng Yi Sao...but instead this is composed of a hodgepodge of stories, including many ladies who are only tangentially related to the sea. For example: Cleopatra...because she and Marc Antony lost a sea battle? Or Tomyris, queen of the decidedly STEPPES BASED Massagetae...because there were some river boats involved in her conflict with Cyrus the Great?

Worse, there's a lot of inaccuracies! A lot of the stories are just copied uncritically from the (often very sexist) chroniclers of the time, without much input from historians or archeologists on what is likely accurate or not. For example, the Cleopatra bit talks a lot about her beauty and seductiveness...when, really, that was probably simply Romans ASSUMING that's how she got Caesar & Marc Antony's loyalty (rather than that she was also a very skilled politician). Worse, we get statements about female vikings wearing horned helmets or being revealed as women by their long hair...when actual viking helmets didn't have horns (that was made up for operas in the 1800s) and, even if the monks writing about it centuries later assumed otherwise, VIKING MEN ALSO WORE THEIR HAIR LONG!!! Likewise, there's a statement about village women in China being vulnerable to pirate attacks because their bound feet would make it hard to run away...but that would probably only apply to RICH women, because poor women had to work for a living and so often DIDN'T have bound feet!

If I'd been able to bring myself to finish the re-read, I'm sure I could go on...but I didn't see much point. It has some entertainment value if you don't have much knowledge of this area of history, and might inspire someone to go learn more (which is why this is 2 stars rather than 1) - but, if you already have a lot of interest in and knowledge of history, it is super frustrating.

[treva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this scattered, unfocused, and superficial. The tone was sometimes annoying -- overly playful to the point where it sometimes felt she was making fun of her women subjects. There were so many women, so many time periods, and so many different aspects of Women Of The Sea, that it is logically impossible to get too in depth or too analytical in such a short book. I get that. But while this book may serve as a good introduction to the stories of these women, I think Wikipedia would serve just as well, and hopefully without the flippant tone.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's just been awhile since I've read any historical nonfiction, but this was...not great. I actually had to stop reading about halfway through because of the gratuitous rape. I mean, I know it's historically accurate but I would have appreciated a warning (maybe there was and I just missed it?) I also didnt know how brutal it was going to be based on the description - maybe it was just overly hopeful for me to think it would be a fun, swashbuckling romp about various powerful women on the sea. But there was a lot of random "heroic male captains, and this one random woman mentioned in the story once, who happened to stumble onto the boat or get captured for 5 seconds" kind of thing.

Aside from the content it also didn't seem to be written coherently. Stories were spliced up and told out of order within a chapter. In one sentence she would switch back and forth between two stories that were only barely related. So many stories contained like 5 Janes and 10 Marys and it was hard for a non-history buff to keep them all straight. It also was so much more white-european-centric than I was hoping...I figured there would be more mentions of women from all around the world, especially Asia and the pacific islands, but I suppose maybe there just isnt as much written history about it. Anyway, I was just disappointed in this book.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The deeper we look at history, the more we find women playing prominent roles everywhere. This book shows us how women have played their part on the seas in the eras when such adventure was dominated by men.

The history appears very well researched, though the delivery of such tended to be a bit dry, rarely capturing my reading interest (which is why I only occassionally picked this book up to read a chapter here and there). Many of these women are deserving of their own books or stories, many of them already have already written their own stories, though I expect the writing to be even drier.

A very interesting book, revealing some characters that I'd like to read more about, but this particular book won't stand out as a favorite of mine.

[Gwyn Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a little misleading - this book isn't just about female ship captains but about the history of women's involvement in all maritime occupations. From young women who disguised themselves as men to work on whaling boats or warships to the wives and daughters who managed the household and raised the family alone while their men were at sea, this book chronicles women's unsung contribution to the nautical world.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love This book! Ladies- we are going to need a bigger boat!!! Who doesn't want a pet Asp? The beauty of the kill is in the surprise, the dagger you never saw coming.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift from my stepdaughter Katie a bunch of years ago, in response to my love of all things piratical and especially my incessant touting of Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th, mark your calendars!); only recently got around to reading it, as is my habit.
This book proved to be somewhat of a surprise for me. When one thinks of seafaring women, it usually involves Anne Bonney and Mary Read, who were the lovers and consorts of the notorious pirate Jack Rackham during the Golden Age of Piracy (late 17th - early 18th century). While they were ferocious fighters and knowledgeable seafarers, they remained loyally under the control of Rackham.
This is an unfortunate stereotype, and leaves out or at least minimizes, the contributions of women in leadership roles; after all, the subtitle of the book is “Heroines and Hellions of the Sea.” Ms. Druett takes pains to explain that the term “Hero” is typically descriptive of men, when its origin is Hero, a mythological priestess who cast herself into the sea after her lover drowned swimming to her. Literally the first half of the book is devoted to women who not only captained ships, but also commanded fleets of them, from ancient historical times (a Chinese courtesan who became one of the most feared maritime raiders; a woman who refused to marry the Persian monarch in 529 BC, and when he attacked her forces, she soundly defeated and killed him).
The book traces the history of such brave, ruthless women throughout virtually every era through the Age of Sail, with plenty of examples given. Probably the most well-known is Grace “Grania” O’Malley, daughter of a warrior chieftain and owner of a fleet of fishing vessels in the mid-1500’s. She was forced into a political marriage at age 15, but when her husband was killed, she vowed revenge and, commanding her father’s fleet, wreaked havoc on the seas around Ireland. There are other similarities throughout history, in which a wife learned the ways of piracy, pillage and murder from their families and/or husbands and carried on the bloody traditions.
But that’s only part of the story. What is typically left out is that the majority of seafaring women were in more conventional maritime occupations such as shipping. Thus, they learned the ways of the sea and of business, such that when their husbands died or became infirm, they were able to immediately step in and take over the captaincy of the ships (many times having to deal with merchants and others who felt that a woman was not capable of such complex functions). Despite these biases, many thrived and made good lives for themselves and their families.
And indeed, the story doesn’t end there. In addition to the construction of said ships per se, there are many other vital products and services for ships to be functional. Such provisions include sail making and repair, logging for masts and spars, barrel makers, coppersmiths, candle makers for the ship’s lanterns, and rope makers, not to mention the providers of cargo for the holds of the ships, notably tea, spices, housewares and all manner of foodstuffs. As some merchantmen were armed, cannons and their ammunition, as well as firearms, were necessary. Women were intimately involved in these functions, some co-leading their companies and/or taking over upon their husbands’ deaths, or inheriting the business from their families. They had to be shrewd and knowledgeable to survive in such businesses, and many did so.
I found this book to be quite readable and informative, as well as entertaining. There are many illustrations, drawings and pictures throughout the text, adding further information and documentation. Ms. Druett has obviously done her homework, as there is an extensive bibliography and an Index, which I used a lot. Five stars, recommended for just about any reader, and with many thanks to Katie.

[Ruth Donigian · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 70%
The book started out good and seemed like it was going to be the tale of the female role in maritime history. However about 30% percent in the book started focusing less on these women’s actual actions and achievements and more on their sex lives. I looked ahead at the remainder of the book and it appears that it’s just as focused on the sexual aspect. Had the opportunity to be a great historical book and fell short by a long shot.

Even in the chapters about Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, the stories of their adventures were given a few pages while great detail was given to their affairs and their gender. Wasn’t really inspirational or educational.

If you’re interested in a vague and broad look at maritime history through the ages and the women (mainly prostitutes) that played a role then this might be for you.

If you’re like me and you wanted an actual history of some butt-kicking female pirates then this is not fore you.

[Nikki Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh man… I really wanted to love this book. At the very least I wanted to like it and learn a little something. What a disappointment. The title is incredibly misleading, it was more about men than women. Each chapter would begin by talking about a woman only to use her as a lead into another story about a man. It should be called “Husbands of She Captains” because most of it was about the men these women were with. I’m not gonna go on a long rant, I’ll simply say this book was very difficult for me to finish. I did not like it at all. The author’s style of writing was not for me. It felt as though she was trying way to hard and completely missed the mark. I found the book scattered, back and forth on the timeline, really just all over the place and nothing felt tied together in the least.

If you’re looking for a book about bad ass women in the maritime industry through the ages, this is NOT that book. It’s pretty much a book about marriages to different male captains and what those male captains accomplished and who they slept with. Definitely not what I was hoping for and like I said the title was very misleading. Don’t waste your time with this one.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bugs bunny cartoons from the 80's are more historically accurate than this farce. I cannot subject myself to finishing it.

This book aimed for what "rejected princesses" has, but.... Research. I was already questioning the authors willingness to accept Herodotus as the final word on absolute truth, but then, in the chapter on the viking age, she dropped in that our heroine would be wearing a horned helmet like the men and... Really? Just... No. Either the author has no respect at all for her readers, or else really knows nothing about the history she purports to write about.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like it so much, but it gave me good ideas for clothes. It motivated me to look up more about the women she mentions.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Cleopatra to the Arctic explorer, Louise Arner Boyd women have made their mark on the sea. Druett researched female mariners through the ages and wrote about those that made a difference and paved the way for women today who finally have a place at the helm. Some did it for love, some for adventure and some for shear survival. Druett transports the reader through the ages of pirates, times of war and exploration, inspiring the reader with the strength and fortitude of these remarkable women. I hadn't given much thought to the women who felt a pull of the seas, but had to dress as men in order to gain passage and acceptance, until now. Thankfully times have changed and women are piloting huge ocean vessels without the need of disguise.

[David M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to begin this book but was soon disappointed. For the first 2/3 of the book, the “”She Captains” and their stories had an anecdotal feel with prevarication and documentation equivalent to a Bigfoot sighting.

Only in the final third, around the time of Lord Nelson, do the stories begin to solidify. Even then, most of the women are either wives or concubines rather than ship officers much less true captains.

Total waste of time. Better to read about the many modern seafaring women and true commanders of warships, cruise ships, and ocean crossing cargo ships.

[Colleen Mertens · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows historical women on the high seas. It is thoroughly researched and at times reads a little like a textbook. Many of the women in the book lead interesting lives and the ones about whom we knew more made for much more interesting segments in the book. Several of the women would make for great characters in books of their own.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. Disorganized, use of unfamiliar terms and phrases with no explanations, barely skimmed some of the more famous examples. Did not enjoy this book.

[Tanika · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever want to feel powerful and strong, this is the book

[Megan Jelinski]

Got this book at a secondhand shop and now I know why. I’ll be adding this book to my donations to prank another poor soul - was good until chapter 8!

[Faith Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one sat on my TBR shelf for far too long, but finally got its chance. First of all, I'd say the title is misleading. I expected a book of She Captains, stories of women who captained ships and lead crews. Druett starts off with 78 pages on ancient queens who sailed with their own navies, female Vikings, and actual female pirates. The rest of the book is devoted to women who are captains' wives or mistresses, victims of pirates, or involved in the business end. Their stories are fascinating and I enjoyed hearing about them, but that is not what I expected.

The writing is a bit dry and some of the stories seem like padding. I could have done without the chapter on women being captured by Barbary pirates and the space given to Lady Hamilton (Admiral Nelson's paramour), neither of which seem to fit the premise of the book. What did work was the astonishing number of documented women who went to sea as crew disguised as men; or accompanied their husbands on war ships, whalers, or exploratory expeditions. I had no idea that captains regularly took their wives and children with them on long voyages. I'd always suspected that a number of women made their livings from the sea, especially wives, widows and daughters of seaman, fisherman, and shipping magnates; and was glad to have that confirmed.

From the chapter on Ice Queens:

"The winters of the last two decades of the nineteenth century regularly discovered a dozen or more whaling vessels snugged up in Pauline Cove at Herschel Island in the western Arctic, all neatly roofed over and with the sides banked up with blocks of snow. Quite a town would be established around these strange residences, for native, intrigued by the exotic community, build their snow houses near by on the ice. Inside the ships, it was cozy and both inside and outside it was sociable...In the 1894-95 season there where no fewer than seven European females at Herschel Island...It was a strangely formal existence, with dances, whist parties, costume balls, concerts (one concert party being called "The Herschel Island Snowflakes"), and amateur theatricals. Dinner parties were staged, complete with amazing menus. One included "Lobster salad & olives, Oyster Pate with French peas" and "Bartlett Pears, with citron & sponge cake" for dessert."

The book seems well-researched. Druett doesn't use footnotes or offer a comprehensive bibliography, but does have a sixteen-page chapter by chapter list of bibliographical notes and a thirteen-page index. I'd recommend this book for anyone who needs to have their consciousness raised about women and the sea (it wasn't just the boys sailing out there!) It's the kind of book, that doesn't quite rate as a research book, but can inspire additional research into the stories of the individual women covered.

[Ell Eastwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, even though it was less about pirates than I had hoped for, and way less about female captains. Still. I remember when the first PotC movie came out and me and my (female) friends became obsessed with the pirate life, saying we wanted to set sail and start slitting throats. A male friend was kind enough to mansplain it to me: "you know that all the women on pirate ships were raped, right?". I wish I could slap him with this book. It's not a big book, it wouldn't hurt him much, but maybe he'd get an infected papercut and be forever deformed.

What I didn't like about this book was the times it didn't really talk about women at sea, but rather women whose husband were at sea and they stayed home. It wasn't really what I wanted. Also, the use of the word "female" as a noun and the casual use of "transvestite" to describe a lot of the women who cross-dressed kinda put me off. But the stories were interesting, and the snide-ish comment by the author were funny, so mostly I enjoyed it.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I have always been interested in unconventional women. The women who dressed like men to join our armies, the female pirates, and female spies that were not just the honey pots.
I admit, I read this book like a research book. I looked up the parts that interested me and read read those parts.
This was because the book reads rather like a ry text book. There is very little passion behind the words.
On the other hand, I learned a lot. I had previously thought women were not allowed on ships due to superstitions. On the contrary, women were on ships as bookkeepers, captains, crew, historians, and companions. Not only were these women important, they were essential and some very powerful. I also had no idea ALL women were able to buy shares of these expensive ships like one would with the stock market now.

[Melanie Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty much the only book of its subject on the market. The book has great facts and information, but unfortunately lacks transitions. This book has page after page of facts and history, but reads almost as a list. It is not an easy read and you feel overwhelmed. This book should have been either a lot longer, or more than one book. Don't get me wrong though, the information in this book is well-researched and very interesting. It is worth picking up.

[Midnight Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly written book with anecdotal tales about the history and relationship of women and the sea; informative without being boring and full of all the interesting details that make history so appealing. Detailed illustrations in the various styles of the periods that the stories are set in add to the enjoyment......a must-read for any woman that wanted to grow up to be a pirate or an explorer!

[Rebecca Nesler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book proves not only that women were pirates but captains as well and that it wasn't entirely uncommon. This is a great way to dispel the many myths about women of the past. Women are strong and have always been strong. Yarg!

[Kerensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, this book is not exclusively about she captains, but it is a history of various heroines and hellions of the sea as well as other ladies that had some involvement. I found this to be a very interesting read and I enjoyed the writing style.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly Euro-centric, but with some discussion of women in Austrialia, America, and a brief flirt with China (where are my Japanese pearl divers?), Druett explores the colorful, and often overlooked, lives of women under the sail.

My favorites were obviously the lighthousekeepers.

[H.L. Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great reference for the newbie pirate historian. I always say never have just one book as a reference but if you can only have one to begin with, make sure it has a good base. This is that book for she-captains.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not big on the literary flourishes, but a wonderful catalog of female pirates nonetheless.

[Pancha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Druett's other books (Island of the Lost, Hen-Frigates) but I just couldn't get into this one.

[Maria Astua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serious research written very accessibly. Only person who talks about Cheng I Sao

[Kellie Hendley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is misleading. It's about women at sea, not a lot of captains. But was very informative.