Overview

The Fishburn served as a storeship in the expedition commonly called the First Fleet. Rather than transporting convicts as her primary role, she carried food, equipment and other supplies needed to establish a penal settlement. The voyage of the First Fleet carried convicts, guards and support personnel such as soldiers to what is now Australia to create a new penal colony and begin permanent European settlement.

Construction and characteristics

Fishburn was constructed at Whitby in 1780 and measured about 378 tons burthen. Contemporary records list her as approximately 94 ft long and 26 ft wide, values sometimes expressed as about 29 m long and 8 m wide. She was owned by private merchants and was engaged under contract to the British government for the voyage, with payment arranged at a rate of ten shillings per ton per month until she returned to Deptford. The ship was commanded by Master Robert Brown for the journey out and back.

Role in the First Fleet and the outward voyage

The First Fleet left England in May 1787 and arrived at Port Jackson in January 1788. Fishburn's task during the outward passage and after arrival was to deliver and hold stores—foodstuffs, tools, seeds, building materials and other essential supplies—that would sustain the small and vulnerable settlement in its first months. As a storeship she worked alongside transports and naval escorts, unloading and distributing provisions that were crucial to survival while the colony established gardens, shelters and defensive arrangements.

Return voyage and later history

After several months at Port Jackson, Fishburn departed with other vessels such as the Golden Grove in November 1788 to sail back to England. During the return passage she put in briefly to the Falkland Islands to attend to sick seamen and to take on provisions. Records show Fishburn was returned to her owners at Deptford on 25 May 1789. Beyond that discharge and the formal end of her government contract, contemporary records provide little additional detail about her subsequent career.

Significance and notable facts

  • Fishburn was part of a small fleet whose voyages marked the start of sustained European settlement in Australia.
  • Her role as a storeship distinguishes her from the convict transports: she was primarily a logistical vessel tasked with supply rather than incarceration.
  • Financial arrangements for ships like Fishburn—payments per ton while employed—illustrate how commercial owners and government contracted maritime support for colonial ventures.

Legacy

Although Fishburn herself left few surviving records after 1789, ships of her class and service were central to the success or failure of distant settlements. The supplies she carried and the timing of her movements were ordinary details that nonetheless had a direct impact on the survival of the first settlers and the early development of the colony at Port Jackson.

First Fleet sources and general works on the founding of the colony remain the best starting points for readers who wish to follow up on individual ships, their crews and the contractual arrangements that underpinned this formative voyage.