Overview

The Scarborough was a British merchantman pressed into service as one of the six convict transports in the First Fleet that carried prisoners and military guards from England to establish the penal settlement in Australia. She sailed from England in May 1787 and arrived at Port Jackson, New South Wales, in January 1788, contributing to the beginning of sustained European settlement of the continent. The First Fleet’s purpose was to transport convicts, provisions and soldiers to found a new penal colony and secure a British presence in the region.

Design, size and fittings

Scarborough was rated at about 430 tons and commanded by John Marshall during the First Fleet voyage. Contemporary measurements list her as roughly 111 ft (about 34 m) long and 30 ft (9 m) across the beam. Like other transports of the era, she carried a fitted prison or 'convict' deck where the confined space was cramped and low — the height reported for that deck is approximately 53 in (135 cm), emphasizing the difficult conditions aboard for those transported.

Role in the First Fleet and conditions aboard

Scarborough was one of six dedicated convict transports; the task of such vessels was to convey prisoners under contract to the Crown and keep them secure until arrival. The ship’s owners were typically paid by tonnage—historical contracts for First Fleet transports specified sums such as 10 shillings per ton per month—and had to ensure confinement and basic custody standards. Onboard there were also soldiers and officers assigned to maintain order and oversee disembarkation; the Fleet as a whole combined convict transports, store ships and naval escorts to complete the operation.

Voyage, route and dates

The outward voyage left England in May 1787 and reached Australian waters in January 1788. After unloading convicts at Port Jackson, Scarborough departed the colony on 5 May 1788 for further employment. She sailed in company with the Lady Penrhyn on the leg toward the East Indies and China, pausing at islands en route. Notably, the ship called at Lord Howe Island on 17 May 1788 to take on fresh water, birds and vegetables, a stop that provided much needed provisions for ships on long voyages. Scarborough eventually reached England again on 15 June 1789.

Later service and contracts

Following the delivery of convicts to New South Wales, Scarborough continued in commercial service. She was engaged under contract to the East India Company for subsequent passages, a common post-voyage role for ships that had completed transport duties. Such arrangements fit merchant imperatives of the period: owners sought profitable employment across long trade routes between Britain, its colonial outposts and Asian markets.

Significance and historical notes

As part of the First Fleet, Scarborough played a logistical role in a pivotal moment of British colonial expansion and penal policy. The voyage highlighted contemporary practices of transportation as punishment, the constraints of shipboard life for convicts, and the interplay between state contracts and private shipping. Scarborough and her sister transports are often studied together with the fleet’s store ships and naval escorts to understand the scale and organisation required to establish the first European settlement at Port Jackson in New South Wales. For broader context about convict transportation and the Fleet’s composition, see references on convict transport operations and the mixed military and civilian crews that accompanied them, including the soldiers assigned to security duties.

  • Ship type: merchant transport (convict carrier)
  • Tonnage: ~430 tons
  • Dimensions: ~111 ft (34 m) long, ~30 ft (9 m) beam
  • Convict deck height: ~53 in (135 cm)
  • Key dates: departed England May 1787; arrived Jan 1788; left Australia 5 May 1788; Lord Howe stop 17 May 1788; returned England 15 June 1789

Scarborough’s history illustrates the dual commercial and governmental use of late 18th-century merchant shipping and the practical realities of establishing distant colonies using transported convict labor and military oversight.