Katherine Howe isn’t just a prolific author and historian. She is also a passionate sailor, so the recent discovery of a great-aunt, who singlehandedly rescued a ship from mutiny in the 19th century, was serendipitous to say the least. The relative was Hannah Masury, wife of the ship’s captain, Edward Howe. Unusually for the time, Hannah joined Edward on his voyages, helping to transport locomotives and labourers to and from California. One day, while sailing around the Pacific coast, Edward died. Without a commander, the crew and passengers attempted a mutiny, but Hannah had other ideas.
“She took control of the ship with just a pistol and hung a flag up to signal their distress,” says Howe, speaking via Zoom from her home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. “They were then rescued.”
