Ship of Death: A Voyage That Changed the Atlantic World

by Billy G. Smith

How a ship of British idealists sailed to Africa to end the slave trade but instead ignited a yellow fever pandemic

It is no exaggeration to say that the Hankey , a small British ship that circled the Atlantic in 1792 and 1793, transformed the history of the Atlantic world. This extraordinary book uncovers the long-forgotten story of the Hankey , from its altruistic beginnings to its disastrous end, and describes the ship’s fateful impact upon people from West Africa to Philadelphia, Haiti to London. Billy G. Smith chased the story of the Hankey from archive to archive across several continents, and he now brings back to light a saga that continues to haunt the modern world. It began with a group of high-minded British colonists who planned to establish a colony free of slavery in West Africa. With the colony failing, the ship set sail for the Caribbean and then North America, carrying, as it turned out, mosquitoes infected with yellow fever. The resulting pandemic as the Hankey traveled from one port to the next was catastrophic. In the United States, tens of thousands died in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Charleston. The few survivors on the Hankey eventually limped back to London, hopes dashed and numbers decimated. Smith links the voyage and its deadly cargo to some of the most significant events of the era—the success of the Haitian slave revolution, Napoleon’s decision to sell the Louisiana Territory, a change in the geopolitical situation of the new United States—and spins a riveting tale of unintended consequences and the legacy of slavery that will not die.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

306 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

review here

[Calzean · Rating 1 out of 5]

I smelt something fishy when the jacket said the author "has won every major teaching and research award offered". Such a flamboyant claim matches the author's hypothesis that a single ship carried yellow fever from Africa to the Caribbean and the US thereby causing a pandemic which became a major cause of the Haitian slave revolt and Napoleon's decision to sell Louisiana.
The story of the English abolitionists who set sail in 1792 to the island of Bolama to start up a free settlement, bring civilisation to the natives and earn their fortunes was interesting and a classic tale of white arrogance and ignorance. The settlers/invaders didn't even know where the island was, who claimed ownership and what were the actual locals like.
But the main premise was a long shot, the book was full of hyped statements of the deaths to come and overall provided a pretty unsatisfactory argument.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading this I saw many interesting parallels between the present COVID-19 crisis and the yellow fever epidemic of the late 1700's. And it showed how we have changed. In the 1700's many people abandoned their sick family and friends. Today we strive to be in it together in this challenging time.

[John Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2⭐️ book about a British ship, the Hankey that travels the Atlantic (Africa, South America and North America) carrying mosquitos with Yellow Fever. One of the World’s first recorded and worst epidemics.

[Boyd Cothran · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read. He uses the voyages of a single ship to tell a story of the interconnectedness of the Atlantic world during the age of revolution. Well-written and well-paced with interesting detours. Would recommend.

[Joseph Kavajecz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already very good history book written like a great novel, by Billy G. Smith a history professor at my university of Montana State.