Borrowdale (1785 ship)
 Borrowdale from three angles
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Borrowdale |
| Builder | Sunderland |
| Launched | 1785 |
| Fate | Sunk, 31 October 1789 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Storeship |
| Tons burthen | 272, or 340[2] (bm) |
| Length | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Beam | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 22 |
| Armament | 4 guns |
Borrowdale was a three-masted, square rigged merchant ship, launched in 1785, that served as a storeship of the First Fleet, a convoy of 11 ships taking settlers and convicts to establish the first European colony in Australia. She was wrecked in 1789.
Career
Borrowdale was built in Sunderland in 1785. The British government immediately chartered her to participate in the First Fleet.[3]
She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, and arrived at Botany Bay, Sydney, Australia on 20 January 1788. Along with most other ships of the First Fleet, Borrowdale sailed on to Port Jackson arriving 26 January 1788, the colonists having found Botany Bay unsuitable. [4]
She left Port Jackson on 14 July 1788 to return to England via Cape Horn. The crew was so badly affected by scurvy that the master, (Readthorn) Hobson Reed, took her to Rio de Janeiro, where the harbour master and his men had to bring the ship to its berth. Five of the crew died on the homeward voyage.[5] Borrowdale arrived at Plymouth from Botany Bay on 25 March 1789.[6]
Career via Lloyd's Register
After returning to England Borrowdale served as a collier.
Unfortunately, information is only as correct and up-to-date as the information vessel owners provided.
| Year | Master | Owner | Trade | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1786 | H. Reed | Leighton | London - Botany Bay | 340 tons (bm)[1] |
| 1787 | H. Reed | Leighton | London - Botany Bay | 340 tons (bm)[2] |
| 1788 | Not available on line | |||
| 1789 | H. Reed | Leighton | London - Botany Bay | 340 tons (bm)[3] |
Fate
A violent storm developed of the coast of Norfolk on 30 October 1789 that damaged many vessels, and sank some. On 31 October 1789 Borrowdale sank off Great Yarmouth, taking Reed and all but one man of his crew with her.[7]
Post-script
An Urban Transit Authority First Fleet ferry was named after Borrowdale in 1985.[8]
See also
Citations
- ^ "The Ships of the First Fleet". Fellowship of First Fleeters. 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ Lloyd's Register (1786), seq.№523..
- ^ "Storeship Borrowdale". National Library of Australia. 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ Phillip, Arthur (1789). "The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay".
- ^ "Borrowdale". First Fleet Fellowship Victoria Inc. 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ^ Lloyd's List, № 2076.
- ^ Lloyd's List, №2139.
- ^ Sydney Ferries Fleet Facts Archived 12 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Transport for NSW
External links
- Penny Edwell (2015). "Borrowdale". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 2 October 2015. [CC-By-SA]