THE FIRST FLEET 1788
The following 10 pages have been transcribed from a copy of the original
Manifest of “THE FIRST FLEET 1788” they contain the name of Ships. Officers.
Sailors. Crew. Convicts. And Provisions. Taken on the voyage to colonize Australia
With the loss of her American possessions following the American Revolution of
1776 Britain sought to colonise new lands to take care of her burdensome convict
problem. The goals and prisons were overflowing with convicted criminals.
It was announced in the British Parliament on January 23rd 1787 that Lord Sydney
agreed to send convicts to the new colony of New South Wales. A fleet of 11 ships transporting over1400 people (780 convicts) left Portsmouth on the13th May 1778 under the command of Captain Arthur Philip.
The voyage of over 15,000 miles took over 8 months for the lead ships to reach
Botany Bay eventually arriving on January 18th 1788. This site was deemed unsuitable for settlement and Port Jackson nine miles further north was chosen instead. A quiet cove with a fresh water supply nearby was the final choice for settlement and named “Sydney” The birth of the modern Australian nation can be traced to those hardy survivors of the FIRST FLEET.
THE VOYAGE
Departed PORTSMOUTH May 13th 1787
Arrived TENERIFFE June 3rd 1787
Departed TENERIFFE June 10th 1787
Arrived RIO de JANIERO Aug 7th 1787
Departed RIO de JANIERO Sept 4th 1787
Arrived CAPETOWN Oct 13th 1787
Departed CAPETOWN Nov 12th 1787
Arrived BOTANY BAY Jan 18th 1788
THE SHIPS
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SUPPLY SHIPS
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People who arrived but no
records showing which ship.
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