What did the first fleet carry

The fleet consisted of nine merchant ships – six of them carrying convicts and marines (Alexander, Charlotte, Friendship, Lady Penrhyn, Prince of Wales and Scarborough) and three loaded with stores and equipment (Borrowdale, Fishburn and Golden Grove) – and two naval vessels, the Sirius and the Supply.

What weapons were on the First Fleet?

It was lightly armed for this voyage with 10 guns; 4, 6 pound long-cannon and 6, 18 pound carronades. A carronade was a basically a giant shotgun. Guns and cannon in the age of sail were classified according to their pound rating: theoretically, this was the weight of a single iron shot fired by that bore of cannon.

What animals did the First Fleet bring?

The animals included: two bulls, seven cows, one stallion, three mares, 44 sheep, 32 pigs, four goats and poultry. They left on 12 November. From Cape Town it took the Fleet two months to reach Australia. Phillip took a few ships ahead to start building at Botany Bay.

What did the First Fleet trade?

First Fleet convicts would steal anything in exchange for rum and tobacco – including a possum. In the difficult days of the early colony, First Fleet sailors were forbidden to give rum to convicts.

Did the First Fleet carry convicts?

The number of convicts transported in the First Fleet is unclear; there were between 750-780 convicts and around 550 crew, soldiers and family members.

Who discovered Australia?

The first known landing in Australia by Europeans was in 1606 by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. Later that year, Spanish explorer Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through, and navigated, what is now called Torres Strait and associated islands.

What did the First Fleet bring to Australia?

The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports.

What happened in the First Fleet?

On May 13, 1787, the “First Fleet” of military leaders, sailors, and convicts set sail from Portsmouth, England, to found the first European colony in Australia, Botany Bay.

What did the Scarborough carry?

She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, carrying 208 male convicts, together with officers and 34 other ranks of the New South Wales Marine Corps.

How many ships carried supplies in the First Fleet?

In May 1787, the British government sent a fleet of 11 ships – carrying over 1500 men, women and children – 20,000 kilometres around the world. This historic convoy, later known as the First Fleet, was led by Captain Arthur Phillip. The First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay on 20 January 1788.

Article first time published on

What livestock did the first fleet bring?

The First Fleet brought livestock to provide food for the first colonists. Records say that this comprised seven horses, six cattle,29 sheep, 12 pigs, and a few goats.

Why did the First Fleet bring animals to Australia?

Brumby. Introduced to Australia in 1788 aboard the First Fleet from Europe, horses were transported across for farm and utility work by the settlers. The long sea journey to Australia saw the loss of many horses, meaning those that made it to Australia were healthy and strong, which consequently helped them to flourish …

What supplies were aboard the First Fleet?

• 10 Forges.
• 175 Steel Hand Saws.
• 700 Iron Shovels.
• 700 Garden Hoes.
• 700 West Indian Hoes.
• 700 Grubbing Hoes.
• 700 Felling Axes.
• 700 Hatchets.

What did the convicts do on the First Fleet?

Many were skilled carpenters, blacksmiths or cobblers (shoemakers). , convicts worked to turn large wooden logs into smaller timber planks for buildings. They also made doors, window frames, shutters and roof shingles. Down at the edge of Sydney Harbour, convicts built boats and made rope and sails for ships.

Who was the most famous convict?

1. Francis Greenway. Francis Greenway arrived in Sydney in 1814. …
2. Mary Wade. The youngest ever convict to be transported to Australia at the age of 11. …
3. John ‘Red’ Kelly. …
4. Mary Bryant. …
5. Frank the Poet.

Who was the youngest convict?

John Hudson, described as ‘sometimes a chimney sweeper’, was the youngest known convict to sail with the First Fleet. Voyaging on board the Friendship to NSW, the boy thief was 13 years old on arrival at Sydney Cove. He was only nine when first sentenced.

What was Australia called in 1788?

After the Dutch era Cook first named the land New Wales, but revised it to New South Wales. With the establishment of a settlement at Sydney in 1788, the British solidified its claim to the eastern part of Australia, now officially called New South Wales.

How did the First Fleet affect Australia?

What effect did the First Fleet have on Australia’s first peoples? The arrival of the First Fleet immediately affected the Eora nation, the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Sydney area. … Thousands of Eora people died as a result of European diseases like smallpox.

Was Australia or New Zealand discovered first?

Australia and New Zealand had quite separate indigenous histories, settled at different times by very different peoples – Australia from Indonesia or New Guinea around 50,000 years ago, New Zealand from islands in the tropical Pacific around 1250–1300 CE.

What date did Australia get invaded?

January 26, 1788, is the day Captain Arthur Phillip landed on Australian soil with the First Fleet of British ships. He raised the British flag at Sydney Cove to claim New South Wales as a British Colony. This day marks the beginning of a long and brutal colonisation of people and land.

What was Australia called before?

Australia, once known as New South Wales, was originally planned as a penal colony. In October 1786, the British government appointed Arthur Phillip captain of the HMS Sirius, and commissioned him to establish an agricultural work camp there for British convicts.

How many convicts did Scarborough carry?

Reportedly, a total of 208 male convicts were to be transported on the Scarborough.

What was the height of the HMS Supply?

H.M.S. (H.M.T.) Supply (Armed Tender) – Brig – 170 Tons, 70 ft. (21.3m.)

How many convicts were on the Scarborough First Fleet?

Being the second largest vessel in the fleet Scarborough carried 208 male convicts, who travelled by wagon to Portsmouth for loading, many coming from the Ceres and Censor Hulks.

What actually happened on January 26?

Australia DayTypeNationalSignificanceDate of landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson in 1788

Why was the First Fleet important?

The First Fleet carried the first white settlers to Australia. Before 1787 convicts from England had been sent to British colonies in North America. … The First Fleet was the first group of ships to carry convicts to the British colony in Australia.

What did convicts eat on the First Fleet?

Convicts ate bread,hardtack,salted beef or pork,peas,oatmeal,butter,cheese. They also ate rise,fruit,vegetables.

Who named Sydney?

Phillip but found Botany Bay unsatisfactory and sailed north and landed at Sydney Cove on Sydney Harbour. Phillip originally named the colony ‘New Albion’, but then the colony acquired the name ‘Sydney’, after the British Home Secretary, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney.

Who commanded the First Fleet?

The First Fleet On 13 May 1787 a fleet of 11 ships set sail from Portsmouth, England under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. This historic convoy, which later became known as the First Fleet, carried over 1500 men, women and children to the other side of the globe.

Why did the First Fleet bring cows to Australia?

The first dairy cattle arrived on Australian soil with the first fleet, in 1788. There were seven cows and two bulls and they were brought from England. These first Australian dairy cows were meant to help with development in the country. … However, this did not stop the dairy industry from starting to develop.

What fruit did the first fleet bring to Australia?

Currant Bush fruits saved the lives of scurvy-stricken convicts in Sydney in the 1780s.