The Second Fleet or The Death Fleet
The Second Fleet consisted of six ships - four transport ships and two storeships arrived in Sydney Cove in 1790. Three of the transport ships carried mostly male convicts and the other transport ship, The Lady Juliana, only carried women. The Lady Juliana was the first all-female transport ship and the female population of Sydney more than doubled when it arrived.
The convicts on all the ships were mistreated, rations were poor and sickness rife. Of the approximate 1250 male convicts, over 25% died en route to NSW (in comparison to just 2.8% of those on the First Fleet) and many more died within a year of reaching Sydney (Flynn 2001). Almost half of the convicts who arrived in Sydney required immediate hospitalisation and about 80 died within three weeks of arrival. (Source: http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/) |
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Watch till 4.30 to learn about the arrival of the Second Fleet
By 1790, no supply ships had reached the penal colony of Port Jackson for two years. Food harvests had failed and the colony was reduced to living off the remaining stores they had brought from England. An individual's rations were reduced to about a third of the original allocation. The weekly allowance per person amounted to 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of pork, 2.5 pounds (1.2 kilograms) of flour and 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of rice. On the orders of Governor Arthur Phillip (1738–1814), this ration was distributed equally, regardless of status. After the loss of the supply ship HMS Sirius in March 1790, relief came in October with the arrival of HMS Supply laden with provisions from Batavia.
In June 1790 the Second Fleet, known as the 'Death Fleet', arrived with enough supplies to end the famine. The first ship that docked in two and a half years was the convict ship Lady Julian with 226 female convicts. It brought letters and news from home. Later in the month the store ship Justinian arrived with much-needed supplies. It was followed a week later by the Surprise, Neptune and Scarborough, each having convicts in very poor condition. The nine-month sea journey was fraught with dangers and many deaths from dysentery, scurvy and fever. During the voyage, the convicts were chained below deck with only a few rations and had to breathe the foul air. When the ship docked, some were unable even to walk off the ship. The Second Fleet was the first transport organised by private contractors, which had reduced convict rations and medicines in order to increase their profits.
(Source: myplace.edu.au)
In June 1790 the Second Fleet, known as the 'Death Fleet', arrived with enough supplies to end the famine. The first ship that docked in two and a half years was the convict ship Lady Julian with 226 female convicts. It brought letters and news from home. Later in the month the store ship Justinian arrived with much-needed supplies. It was followed a week later by the Surprise, Neptune and Scarborough, each having convicts in very poor condition. The nine-month sea journey was fraught with dangers and many deaths from dysentery, scurvy and fever. During the voyage, the convicts were chained below deck with only a few rations and had to breathe the foul air. When the ship docked, some were unable even to walk off the ship. The Second Fleet was the first transport organised by private contractors, which had reduced convict rations and medicines in order to increase their profits.
(Source: myplace.edu.au)
Click on the images to read more about the Death Fleet
Ships of the Second Fleet
Lady JulianaLady Juliana (also known as the Lady Julian) was a convict ship dispatched in 1789 from Britain to Australia. She was the first convict ship to arrive at Port Jackson in New South Wales after the First Fleet. She is therefore sometimes considered as part of the Second Fleet and sometimes not.
A ship of 401 tons, she was chartered to transport female convicts. After a delay of six months the Lady Juliana left Plymouth on 29 July 1789 with 226 female convicts, and took 309 days to reach Port Jackson, one of the slowest journeys made by a convict ship. (Source: Wikipedia) After ten months at sea, the Lady Juliana arrived at the desperate, starving Sydney Cove colony. They did not receive a warm reception. The colonists had expected food and supplies – not a cargo of over 200 women and as many as seven newborn infants – and they made their disappointment clear to the women of the Lady Juliana. However, the Lady Juliana had brought enough supplies to stave off disaster and the colonists’ ire eased after the supply ship Justinian arrived in Sydney Cove just days after the Lady Juliana. (source: sa-staging.com) |
GuardianThe HMS Guardian left England in September, 1789, bound for New South Wales. The ship was laden (overloaded) with livestock, crops and other supplies. These were desperately needed by the infant colony at Port Jackson, which had been struggling to survive since the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788. The Guardian also carried 25 convicts and several passengers, including a number of superintendents who had been appointed to work in Sydney.
Riou and the Guardian took on supplies at the Cape of Good Hope in December 1789, and continued south on their way to New South Wales. Within two weeks, the voyage turned to disaster. TheGuardian struck an iceberg, leading to the loss of most of the crew and cargo. The story was later likened to the sensation caused by the loss of the Titanic, more than a century later. (Source: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/) |
Justinian |
Surprize |
The Justinian was a storeship that carried provisions to the convict settlement at New South Wales. She left Falmouth in England on 20 January 1790 and, after calling at Madeira and Saint Jago, she arrived at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson on 20 June, having been driven off from the harbour heads on 2 June. One week after her arrival, the three ships of the infamous Second Fleet arrived. After unloading, she departed for China on 28 July 1790, calling at Norfolk Island on the way.
(Source: Wikipedia) |
Surprize was a three-deck merchant vessel (trade ship) which was subsequent to her participating in the notorious Second Fleet transporting convicts to Port Jackson.
Camden, Calvert & King, contracted to transport, clothe and feed convicts for a flat fee of £17 7s. 6d per head, whether they landed alive or not. In company with Neptune and Scarborough, she sailed from England with 254 male convicts on 19 January 1790. At 394 tons, she was the smallest ship of the fleet, and was an unsuitable vessel for so long a voyage, proving to be a wet ship even in moderate weather. In rough seas and heavy gales the convicts "were considerably above their waists in water", according to the commander of the guards. During the voyage thirty-six convicts died (14%), and 121 (48%) were sick when landed. (Source: Wikipedia) |
NeptuneNeptune was one of the notorious Second Fleet ships to Port Jackson. She was the largest ship of the fleet. In company with Surprize and Scarborough she sailed from England with 421 male and 78 female convicts on 19 January 1790. She and the Scarborough were parted from Surprize in heavy weather and arrived at Port Jackson on 28 June. During the voyage 158 convicts died (31%) and 269 (53%) were sick when landed.
The treatment of convicts aboard the Neptune was undeniably the most horrific in the history of transportation to Australia. Convicts suspected of petty theft were flogged to death; most were kept chained below decks for the duration of the voyage; scurvy and other diseases were common; and the food rations were inadequate (not enough). (Source: Wikipedia) |
ScarboroughScarborough returned to New South Wales with the notorious Second Fleet after participating as one of the ships in the First Fleet. In company with Surprize and Neptune she sailed from England with 253 male convicts on 19 January 1790. On 18 February several convicts plotted a mutiny. They chose as their leader one Samuel Burt, who revealed the plot to the ship's officers. The plotters were interrogated, and several were severely flogged. Others were chained to the deck.
She and Neptune parted from Surprize in heavy weather and arrived at Port Jackson on 28 June. During the voyage 68 or 73 (28%) convicts died and 96 (37%) were sick when landed. After landing, a total of 124 convicts who had arrived in Port Jackson succumbed to disease. She also brought with her two officers and 38 soldiers. (Source: Wikipedia) |