Between 1788 - 1886 158,830 convicts from England and Ireland
were transported and landed in the Australian Colonies -
134,262 males and 24,568 females. Some 2,911 died on the way
Between 1788 - 1886 158,830 convicts from England and Ireland
were transported and landed in the Australian Colonies -
134,262 males and 24,568 females. Some 2,911 died on the way.
They were transported in 477 ships many of which made more
than one journey. (See Charles Bateson's "The Convict Ships"
After being sentenced to transportation many convicts had to
spend months in prison hulks before a ship to transport them was
available. An image of one of the many prison hulks below. The
journey to Australia itself could take up to four months and
sometimes longer. Coditions in the transports improved over time
as did the time taken by the voyage.
Below is a small sample of the ships which transported convicts
to Australia for which images have been identified or there is
evidence supporting identification, how long the voyages lasted
and the numbers of convicts landed on arrival at their destination.
A CONVICT HULK
Convict prison hulk Discovery E.W. Cooke's "Shipping and Craft"
The hulk was not Cooke's old ship but the ship Discovery in which Captain George
Vancouver explored the
West Coast of Canada. She became a prison ship in 1818 for
transportation and served as such until 1824 when she was broken up.
I. Images Identified as of Convict Transports by the National
Maritime Museum, Greenwich, in its Reseach Guide G3 dated
1/28/2004 (Passengers: Ships sailing to Australia & New Zealand
CHARLES KERR - w3s 463t 1926 Sunderland
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,
The Charles Kerr made one voyage to Sydney as a convict transport in
1837 landing 246 male convicts after a voyage of 123 days.
Sydney again in 1839 and Adelaide in 1840.
EMERALD ISLE - w3s 501t 1836 Moulmein
HENRY PORCHER - w3s 485t 1817 Bristol
EDEN - w3s 513t 1826 London
At anchor In
Port Adelaide 1839 - five sailing vessels - from right: Emerald
Isle, Eden, Goshawk,
Henry Porcher and David
State Library of South Australia (B7177)
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,
Emerald Isle made one voyage of 104 days to Hobart in 1843 nd landed 213 male convicts.
From Hobart she is
recorded as going on to New Zealand. She visited South Australia in 1854
The Eden made four voyages as a convict transport - two to Sydney, the first in 1836 when she landed
convicts after a voyage of 113 days, and the second in 1840 when she
landed 269 male convicts
voyage of 131 days. The next two voyages were to Hobatt in 1842 where
sh e landed275 male
after a voyage of 105 days, and to Hobart and Port Phillip in
1849. She landed 53 male convicts
Hobart and then went to Port Phillip. There was opposition to the
landing of convicts at Port Phillip so
the198male convicts designated for Port Phillip were unloaded at
vessel went to Sydney in 1937 after unloading convicts in Hobart, and
visited Adelaide in 1838.
The Henry Porcher made three voyages as a convict transport - two to Sydney in 1825 and 1835,
and one to Hobart in 1836. The first voyage to Sydney lasted 120
days with with 175 male convicts
landed, and the second 119 days with196 male convicts landed.
Her third voyage to Hobart was of
days and 258 male convicts were landed. The vessel was under Eat
India Company charter
1831, so after her first voyage would have gone to India for a return
FLORENTIA - w3s 453t 1821 Newcastle
Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK (PW7704)
The Florentia made two voyages to Sydney as a convict transport in 1828 and 1830. The first voyage
took 110 days and 165 male convicts were landed. The
second voyage lasted 121 days and 196 male
convicts were landed. She is also recorded as arriving in Sydney
from London in1841 and 1843. The vessel
was under East India Company charter from 1821 to 1827.
LADY JULIANA - w3s 379tt 1778 Whitby
Etching by R. Dodd - Lady Juliana in
Frank C. Bowen's "The Golden Age of
a storm in the West Indies in 1782
with mainmast shattered by lightning
Juliana was the first convict transport to leave Englandafter the First
Fleet. She made only one
voyage leaving Plymouth in July 1789 with 226 female convicts and
arriving at Sydney in June 1790
after a voyage of 309 days. The vessel was under charter to
the East India Company from181800 to 1809.
LADY KENNAWAY - w3s 584t 1817 Calcutta
Acquatint: "Off Margate, homeward bound, 1827"
National Maritime Museum,
made 1829 - engraver E.Duncan,
artist & publisher W.J. Huggins
Kennaway made three voyages