Atlantic (1783 ship) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 Great Britain |
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| Name | Atlantic |
| Owner | John St Barbe & Co., London |
| Operator | East India Company, 1797–1799 |
| Builder | Swansea, Wales |
| Launched | 1783 |
| Fate | Not listed in 1810 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 422 or 451 (bm) |
| Sail plan | Ship rig |
| Complement | 30-34 |
| Armament |
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The Atlantic was a sailing ship launched in 1783. She had an interesting career, making a long journey to Australia carrying convicts. Convicts were people found guilty of crimes in Britain. They were sent to Australia to help build new settlements.
Later, Atlantic worked for the East India Company (EIC), a very powerful British trading company. After that, she sailed to places like Izmir, Surinam, and Gibraltar. The ship was last mentioned in records in 1810, meaning her fate after that is unknown.
Contents
The Atlantic's Early Voyages
In 1783, Captain Edward Redman commanded the Atlantic. She sailed between London, England, and Jamaica, an island in the Caribbean. This was part of regular trade routes.
By 1789, Captain Muirhead took charge of the ship. Under his command, Atlantic traded between London and Archangel, a port city in Russia.
Atlantic: A Convict Transport Ship
In 1791, the Atlantic became part of the Third Fleet. This was a group of ships carrying convicts to Australia. Captain Archibald Armstrong was her master.
The ship left Portsmouth, England, on March 27, 1791. She arrived in Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia, on August 20, 1791. On board were 220 male convicts. Sadly, 18 of them died during the long journey. A naval officer named Lieutenant Richard Bowen was on the ship. The ship's doctor, or surgeon, was James Thompson.
Food was scarce in the new Australian colony. So, Governor Phillip used the Atlantic as a transport ship for the navy. She left Port Jackson on October 26, 1791, heading for Bengal, India, to get supplies.
Atlantic returned to Port Jackson from Calcutta (now Kolkata) on June 20, 1792. She then made a trip to Norfolk Island, another Australian settlement. She was back in Port Jackson by September 30, 1792.
On December 11, 1792, the ship left Port Jackson for England. She carried the retiring governor, Arthur Phillip. Also on board were two Aboriginal Australians, Bennelong and Yemmerrawanne. They were traveling to England to learn about British culture. The last of the First Fleet soldiers, including a diarist named John Easty, also sailed home on the Atlantic.
Working for the East India Company
In 1795, Thomas Probeart became the Atlantics captain. At this time, she was working as a transport ship out of London.
Later, Atlantic sailed to India for the East India Company (EIC). This was during the French Revolutionary Wars, which started in 1793. Because of the war, the ship sailed with a special document called a letter of marque. This letter gave the ship permission to attack and capture French ships, not just defend itself. Captain Probeart received his letter of marque on December 26, 1796.
Captain Probert (another spelling of his name) sailed past Dungeness on February 5, 1797. His destination was Madras, Penang, and Bengal in India. On May 2, Atlantic reached the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. She arrived in Madras on June 20.
From Madras, she sailed to Penang, arriving on August 23. She stayed in Penang for some time. This back-and-forth travel was because the EIC and the Royal Navy were planning an attack on Manila. However, a peace treaty with Spain stopped the plan. The Atlantics owners were paid a large sum of money for her services.
Atlantic left Penang on November 26. She reached Madras on December 11, and Colombo in Sri Lanka on January 8, 1798. From there, she sailed to Calcutta, arriving on February 28.
On her way back to England, she left Calcutta on November 1. She reached the Cape of Good Hope on January 19, 1799, and St Helena on February 16. Finally, she arrived at Long Reach in England on July 17.
Atlantic's Later Journeys
In 1799, Alexander Muirhead became the Atlantics captain. He also received a letter of marque on August 31, 1799.
Under Captain Muirhead, Atlantic traded between London and Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey). After that, she sailed to Surinam, a country in South America.
In 1803, Captain Curzans took over command. He sailed Atlantic to Gibraltar. After the Napoleonic Wars began, Sampson Baker became the captain. He received a letter of marque on June 8, 1803.
The Atlantic was no longer listed in shipping records after 1810. This means her exact fate is unknown, and she likely stopped sailing around that time.
See Also
- Transport vessels for the cancelled British attack on Manila (1797)
