January 18, 1788: HMS Supply reaches Botany Bay, the first of the First Fleet ships to do so. Eleven ships sailed from England on May 13, 1787. The mission of the First Fleet was to establish a convict settlement in New South Wales, Australia. The Fleet was led by Captain (later to become Admiral) Arthur Phillip.
There were 772 convicts (579 men and 193 women) along with 14 children on board the ships. There were a total of 1,418 people who left Portsmouth, England. During the eight month journey, 22 babies were born and 69 people either died, were discharged, or deserted so only 1,373 people were aboard as the ships entered the harbor at Botany Bay. The whole project began on August 18, 1786 when the British Government decided to export convicts to Australia with Home Secretary Lord Sydney responsible for implementing the project.
Ships were acquired and then manned with the crew to sail and militia to guard the convicts. The convicts were held below decks with strong hatch bars in place to keep the villains and crew separated. Food stores and equipment were transported below decks as well. They needed tents as shelter while the first buildings were constructed. They also needed to bring agricultural goods, both tools and seeds, so the colony would be self-sustaining.
The first ship to arrive was the HMS Supply under the command of Henry Lidgbird Ball. The ship continued service for trips between the established colony and Norfolk Island, making ten trips before she was sold in 1792. While the original landing site was at Botany Bay, the area was unsuitable and could not sustain the penal colony. Rather, under the direction of Captain Phillip the colony was established at Port Jackson, an area better suited to the needs of the colonists. Establishing the colony was more difficult than necessary because when selecting prisoners to send, no thought was given to the skill sets they possessed. Therefore there were many gaps in knowledge and skills as the colony was being launched.
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Comments
Australia really was the end of the earth then, and must have been incredibly desolate. I have read a few fictionalized histories of these years and there were so many hard stories. However, as I have spent many months in Australia, I can attest to the success that eventually came about. Aussies are some of the best people in the world. If you need help, always ask for an Aussie!
Given the harsh conditions in England and how easy it was to become a "criminal" (just steal of loaf of bread, or become penniless) - they probably were better off in Australia.
i'm an aussie, and my great great great great great great great great uncle was a convict in the first fleet, he got a ticket of leAVE, and had a pretty good life.
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