The First Fleet was a group of eleven British ships that transported settlers to mainland Australia, marking the start of British colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three storeships and six convict transports under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. On 13 May 1787 the ships, carrying over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials and free settlers, left Portsmouth and travelled more than 24,000 kilometres over more than 250 days before reaching Botany Bay, New South Wales, on 18 January 1788. Governor Arthur Phillip rejected Botany Bay and chose Port Jackson to the north instead, where the fleet arrived on 26 January 1788 and established the Colony of New South Wales as a penal colony, the first British settlement in Australia.
Facts
Event DateDate of departure from Portsmouth; arrival at Botany Bay was 18 January 1788. LocationPortsmouth, England to Botany Bay and Port Jackson, New South Wales 1 Death Toll, Low Estimate Connections
In Era
Source First Fleet, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Portsmouth, took place there.
Sources
1. First Fleet, Wikipedia
Lead paragraph, departure
On 13 May 1787, the ships, with over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials, and free settlers onboard, left Portsmouth
Departure paragraph, date of sailing
On 13 May 1787, the ships, with over 1,400 convicts, marines, sailors, colonial officials, and free settlers onboard, left Portsmouth
Lead paragraph, arrival
arriving in Botany Bay, New South Wales, on 18 January 1788
Voyage section, deaths on the journey
Forty-eight people died on the journey, a death rate of just over three percent.
Voyage section, total deaths recorded
Forty-eight people died on the journey, a death rate of just over three percent.
First Fleet: Event Type
The First Fleet was a group of eleven British ships that transported settlers to mainland Australia, marking the start of British colonisation of Australia.
In Era: The Early Modern Period, lead paragraph and infobox, dates
The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the British (and Europ
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