Second Fleet (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The Second Fleet is the name of the second fleet of ships sent with settlers, convicts and supplies to colony at Sydney Cove
in Port Jackson
, Australia
. The fleet comprised six ships: one Royal Navy
escort, four convict ships, and a supply ship.
The ships were intended to sail to Australia together, arriving at Sydney Cove in 1789. However the escort was disabled en route and failed to make the destination, and one convict ship which was delayed arrived two months after the other ships.
Unlike the preceding First Fleet
, where great efforts were taken to ensure the health of the convicts, the Second Fleet was contracted to private businesses who kept the convicts in horrific conditions. Upon arrival the sickly convicts were a drain on the already struggling colony.
, returned to southern Africa and was wrecked on the coast.
The Surprize, Neptune and Scarborough were contracted from the firm "Camden, Calvert & King" who undertook to transport, clothe and feed the convicts for a flat fee of £17 7s. 6d per head, whether they landed alive or not. This firm had previously been involved in transporting slaves to North America. The only agents of the Crown in the crew were the naval agent, Lieutenant John Shapcote, and the Captain of the Guard, all other crew were supplied by the firm.
They left England
on 19 January 1790, with 1,006 convicts (928 male and 78 female) on board. They made only one stop on the way, at the Cape of Good Hope
. Here 20 male convicts, survivors from Guardian, were taken on board. The three vessels made a faster trip than the First Fleet
, arriving at Port Jackson in the last week of June 1790, three weeks after Lady Juliana
, and one week after the storeship Justinian.
The passage was relatively fast, but the mortality rate was the highest in the history of transportation
to Australia. Of the 1,026 convicts embarked, 267 (256 men and 11 women) died during the voyage (26%).
On Neptune they were deliberately starved, kept heavily ironed, and frequently refused access to the deck. Scurvy could not be checked. On Scarborough, rations were not deliberately withheld, but a reported mutiny attempt led to the convicts being closely confined below decks.
Captain William Hill, commander of the guard, afterwards wrote a strong criticism of the ships' masters stating that “the more they can withhold from the unhappy wretches the more provisions they have to dispose of at a foreign market, and the earlier in the voyage they die, the longer they can draw the deceased's allowance to themselves”.
Among the arrivals on the Second Fleet were D'Arcy Wentworth
and his convict mistress Catherine Crowley, on Neptune, and John Macarthur
, then a young lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps
, and his wife Elizabeth
, on Scarborough. Macarthur's eldest son, Edward Macarthur
, who accompanied his parents on the Neptune and Scarborough, is believed to be the only person who sailed in the Second Fleet of whom we have a photograph as well as being the last survivor of the voyage (see reference below).
When news of the horrors of the Second Fleet reached England, both public and official opinion was shocked. An enquiry was held but no attempt was made to arrest Donald Traill, master of Neptune and described as a demented sadist, or bring a public prosecution against him, the other masters, or the firm of contractors. They had already been contracted by the government to prepare the Third Fleet
for sailing to Port Jackson in 1791.
Traill and his Chief Mate William Ellerington were privately prosecuted for the murder of an un-named convict, seaman Andrew Anderson and John Joseph, cook. But, after a trial lasting three hours before Sir James Marriott in the Admiralty Court, the jury acquitted both men on all charges "without troubling the Judge to sum up the evidence".
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove is a small bay on the southern shore of Port Jackson , on the coast of the state of New South Wales, Australia....
in Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The fleet comprised six ships: one Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
escort, four convict ships, and a supply ship.
The ships were intended to sail to Australia together, arriving at Sydney Cove in 1789. However the escort was disabled en route and failed to make the destination, and one convict ship which was delayed arrived two months after the other ships.
Unlike the preceding First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
, where great efforts were taken to ensure the health of the convicts, the Second Fleet was contracted to private businesses who kept the convicts in horrific conditions. Upon arrival the sickly convicts were a drain on the already struggling colony.
Fleet summary
| Ship | Type | Master | Crew | Dep. England | Arr. Sydney | Duration | Male convicts arrived (boarded) | Female convicts arrived (boarded) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Juliana Lady Juliana (ship) Lady Juliana was a convict ship dispatched in 1789 from Britain to Australia. She was the first convict ship to arrive at Port Jackson in New South Wales after the First Fleet. She is therefore sometimes considered as part of the Second Fleet and sometimes not... |
convict transport | Thomas Edgar | 35 | 29 July 1789 | 3 June 1790 | 309 days | n/a | 222 (226) |
| Guardian HMS Guardian (1784) HMS Guardian was a 44-gun Roebuck-class fifth-rate two-decker of the Royal Navy, later converted to carry stores. She was completed too late to take part in the American War of Independence, and instead spent several years laid up in ordinary, before finally entering service as a store and convict... |
converted gun ship to convict transport | Edward Riou Edward Riou Edward Riou was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary Wars under several of the most distinguished naval officers of his age and won fame and honour for two incidents in particular.... |
12 September 1789 | disabled en route | n/a | 20 (25) - see below | n/a | |
| Justinian Justinian (ship) The Justinian was a storeship that carried provisions to the convict settlement at New South Wales. She left Falmouth in England on 20 January 1790 and, after calling at Madeira and Saint Jago, she arrived at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson on 20 June, having been driven off from the harbour heads on... |
storeship | 20 January 1790 | 20 June 1790 | 151 days | ||||
| Surprize Surprize (ship) Surprize was one of the notorious Second Fleet ships to Port Jackson. At 400 tons burthen , she was the smallest ship of the fleet, and was an unsuitable vessel for so long a voyage, proving to be a wet ship even in moderate weather. In rough seas and heavy gales the convicts “were considerably... |
converted merchant ship to convict transport | Nicholas Anstis | 19 January 1790 | 26 June 1790 | 158 days | 218 (254) | n/a | |
| Neptune Neptune (ship) Neptune was one of the notorious Second Fleet ships to Port Jackson. Built in the River Thames in 1779, at 809 tons she was the largest ship of the fleet. In company with Surprize and Scarborough she sailed from England with 421 male and 78 female convicts on 19 January 1790. Her master was... |
convict transport | Donald Traill | 19 January 1790 | 27 June 1790 | 159 days | ? (421) + 12 from Guardian | ? (78) | |
| Scarborough Scarborough (ship) 'Scarborough' was a transport ship of 430 tons, built at Scarborough in 1782. She formed part of the First Fleet, which commenced European settlement of Australia in 1788.... |
converted transport to convict ship | John Marshall John Marshall (British captain) Captain John Marshall was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England on 15 February 1748. Having been bound apprentice at the age of ten he spent his life at sea... |
19 January 1790 | 28 June 1790 | 160 days | 180 (253) + 8 from Guardian | n/a |
Origins and history
The Lady Juliana sailed before the other convict ships and is not always counted as a member of the Second Fleet. The storeship Justinian did not sail with the convict ships and arrived before them. HMS Guardian set out before the convict ships but struck ice after leaving the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, returned to southern Africa and was wrecked on the coast.
The Surprize, Neptune and Scarborough were contracted from the firm "Camden, Calvert & King" who undertook to transport, clothe and feed the convicts for a flat fee of £17 7s. 6d per head, whether they landed alive or not. This firm had previously been involved in transporting slaves to North America. The only agents of the Crown in the crew were the naval agent, Lieutenant John Shapcote, and the Captain of the Guard, all other crew were supplied by the firm.
They left England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 19 January 1790, with 1,006 convicts (928 male and 78 female) on board. They made only one stop on the way, at the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. Here 20 male convicts, survivors from Guardian, were taken on board. The three vessels made a faster trip than the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
, arriving at Port Jackson in the last week of June 1790, three weeks after Lady Juliana
Lady Juliana (ship)
Lady Juliana was a convict ship dispatched in 1789 from Britain to Australia. She was the first convict ship to arrive at Port Jackson in New South Wales after the First Fleet. She is therefore sometimes considered as part of the Second Fleet and sometimes not...
, and one week after the storeship Justinian.
The passage was relatively fast, but the mortality rate was the highest in the history of transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
to Australia. Of the 1,026 convicts embarked, 267 (256 men and 11 women) died during the voyage (26%).
On Neptune they were deliberately starved, kept heavily ironed, and frequently refused access to the deck. Scurvy could not be checked. On Scarborough, rations were not deliberately withheld, but a reported mutiny attempt led to the convicts being closely confined below decks.
Captain William Hill, commander of the guard, afterwards wrote a strong criticism of the ships' masters stating that “the more they can withhold from the unhappy wretches the more provisions they have to dispose of at a foreign market, and the earlier in the voyage they die, the longer they can draw the deceased's allowance to themselves”.
Arrival at Port Jackson
On arrival at Port Jackson, half naked convicts were lying without bedding, too ill to move. Those unable to walk were slung over the side. All were covered with lice. At least 486 sick were landed (47% of those embarked). The remainder were described as “lean and emaciated” and exhibiting “more horrid spectacles than had ever been witnessed in this country”.Among the arrivals on the Second Fleet were D'Arcy Wentworth
D'Arcy Wentworth
D'Arcy Wentworth was born in Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland and emigrated to Australia as an assistant surgeon to then-new colony of Sydney.- Emigration to Australia :...
and his convict mistress Catherine Crowley, on Neptune, and John Macarthur
John Macarthur (wool pioneer)
John Macarthur was a British army officer, entrepreneur, politician, architect and pioneer of settlement in Australia. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation...
, then a young lieutenant in the New South Wales Corps
New South Wales Corps
The New South Wales Corps was formed in England in 1789 as a permanent regiment to relieve the marines who had accompanied the First Fleet to Australia. The regiment, led by Major Francis Grose, consisted of three companies...
, and his wife Elizabeth
Elizabeth Macarthur
Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Devon, England, the daughter of provincial farmers, Richard and Grace Veale, of Cornish origin. Her father died when she was 7; her mother remarried when she was 11, leaving Elizabeth in the care of her grandfather John and friends. Elizabeth married Plymouth...
, on Scarborough. Macarthur's eldest son, Edward Macarthur
Edward Macarthur
Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Macarthur KCB was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, an administrator active in Australia and Commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's forces in Australia from 1855.-Early life:...
, who accompanied his parents on the Neptune and Scarborough, is believed to be the only person who sailed in the Second Fleet of whom we have a photograph as well as being the last survivor of the voyage (see reference below).
When news of the horrors of the Second Fleet reached England, both public and official opinion was shocked. An enquiry was held but no attempt was made to arrest Donald Traill, master of Neptune and described as a demented sadist, or bring a public prosecution against him, the other masters, or the firm of contractors. They had already been contracted by the government to prepare the Third Fleet
Third Fleet (Australia)
The Third Fleet consisted of 11 ships which set sail from United Kingdom in February, March and April 1791 bound for the Sydney penal settlement, with over 2000 convicts. The passengers consisted of convicts, military personnel and notable people sent to fill high positions in the colony...
for sailing to Port Jackson in 1791.
Traill and his Chief Mate William Ellerington were privately prosecuted for the murder of an un-named convict, seaman Andrew Anderson and John Joseph, cook. But, after a trial lasting three hours before Sir James Marriott in the Admiralty Court, the jury acquitted both men on all charges "without troubling the Judge to sum up the evidence".
External sources
- Bateson, Charles, The Convict Ships, 1787-1868, Sydney, 1974. ISBN 0-85174-195-9
- French, Jenny, Australia's Second Fleet - 1790, IFHAA, 2007
- Hughes, Robert, The Fatal Shore, London, Pan, 1988 ISBN 0-394-75366-6
- Rees, Siân, The Floating Brothel, Hodder, Sydney, 2001. ISBN 0-7868-8674-9
- A. J. Hill, 'Macarthur, Sir Edward (1789 - 1872)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, Melbourne University Press, 1974, pp 122–123.
- Admiralty Proceedings on the Sessions held 7 and 8 June 1792 before Sir James Marriott and others, Trials of Kimber, Traill, Ellerington and Hindmarch for murder and Berry and Slack for piracy, London 1792
- Emma Christopher, Cassandra Pybus, Marcus Buford Rediker, Marcus Rediker (eds.), Many Middle Passages: Forced Migration and the Making of the Modern World, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007, chapter 6 by Emma Christopher, “Slave Traders, Convict Transportation, and the Abolitionists”.