Britannia (1783 whaler) facts for kids

"Departure of the whaler Britannia from Sydney Cove, 1798", Thomas Whitcombe; National Library of Australia
Quick facts for kids History
Great Britain
Name	Britannia
Owner	Samuel Enderby & Sons
Launched	1783, Bridport, England
Fate	Wrecked 25 August 1806
General characteristics
Type	Whaler
Tons burthen	301, or 520 (bm)
Sail plan	Full-rigged
Complement	26
Armament	6 cannons
Notes	During the period 1790-1800, or so, six or seven vessels named Britannia engaged in whaling in the South Seas, or visited Australia. Separating them out is a non-trivial task as records appear to conflate them.

The Britannia was a large sailing ship built in 1783 in Bridport, England. It was a type of ship called a whaler, meaning it was used for hunting whales. The company Samuel Enderby & Sons owned it. The Britannia also made two trips carrying convicts, who were prisoners, to Port Jackson in Australia. Sadly, the ship was wrecked in 1806 near the coast of New South Wales.

The Ship's Journeys

The Britannia had an interesting career. It sailed across the world for many years. It was mainly used for whaling, but it also helped transport people.

First Trip with Convicts

In early 1791, the Britannia was part of the Third Fleet. This was a group of 11 ships that left the United Kingdom. Their goal was to take prisoners to the new settlement in Sydney, Australia.

The Britannia left Portsmouth, England, on March 27, 1791. It arrived in Sydney Cove on October 14, 1791. On this journey, the ship carried 150 prisoners. Sadly, 21 of them passed away during the long trip.

First Whaling Adventure

After dropping off the prisoners, the Britannia went whaling in the South Seas. It left Sydney on October 24. It returned to Port Jackson on November 10.

On its first day out, it sailed with another ship called William and Mary. They caught seven whales together. But they could only bring two of them back to the ship. The Britannia's share was 12 barrels of whale oil.

The ship went out again in December but came back without catching anything. The captain, Thomas Melvill, even won an award. He got a trophy for shooting the very first whale in the South Sea.

The Britannia left again on January 7, 1792. It planned to hunt whales for three months. Then it would either go back to Port Jackson or sail all the way to England. It arrived back home in England on August 9, 1793. It brought back 118 tuns of sperm oil and 1900 seal skins. Over the next few years, new captains took over. Tysack Hullock became master in 1793, and James Wilkie in 1795.

Second Trip with Convicts

The Britannia made another trip to Australia with prisoners. This time, Captain Robert Turnbull was in charge. The ship left England in early 1798. It reached Port Jackson on July 18, 1798.

On this journey, the ship carried 96 female prisoners. Two of them passed away during the voyage. On October 7, 1798, the ship left Port Jackson. It was supposed to be heading back to England.

Second Whaling Adventure Off Australia

However, the Britannia actually went whaling right off the coast of New South Wales. It spent a little over two months at sea. It stayed about 30 leagues (about 90 miles) from the shore.

On December 29, it returned with 60 tons of spermaceti oil. After this successful trip, it finally left for England.

Third Whaling Journey

The Britannia sailed from Britain again on November 21, 1800, with Captain Turnbull. It arrived in Sydney on March 26, 1801. While in Port Jackson, Captain Turnbull was asked by Governor King about the best way to sail to Australia. They also talked about how good the whale fishing was near Australia compared to other places.

The Britannia left Sydney in May with some sperm oil. It returned on July 9, 1801, with 550 barrels of sperm oil. It then left again on November 3.

By December 10, it was near Mocco Island. It returned to Port Jackson on May 12, 1802. The captain told Governor King that they had collected 1300 barrels of oil. The ship left Sydney on June 12 and returned to England on December 7, 1802.

Fourth Whaling Expedition

Captain George Quested sailed the Britannia from England on May 7, 1803. This time, it was heading for New Zealand. It stopped in Rio de Janeiro in June for supplies and repairs. In May 1804, it was reported to be doing well off the coast of New Zealand.

The Britannia sailed again on September 17, 1804, into the Pacific Ocean. Nathaniel Goodspeed was the master. On April 10, 1805, it was off the coast of Peru. It was reported to be fine in May 1805. It returned to Britain on December 9, 1805.

It arrived in Sydney on June 22, 1806, after being at sea for 22 months. It had gathered between 16,000 and 20,000 seal skins. It also had at least 95 tons of sperm oil.

The Ship's Final Voyage

The Britannia's journey ended sadly. It was wrecked at 2:00 AM on August 25, 1806. The ship hit a reef, either Middleton Reef or Elizabeth Reef. These reefs are about 297 miles east of the Clarence River Heads in New South Wales.

The ship hit the reef many times. Then, big waves lifted it onto the reef, and its back broke. When the crew tried to lower the lifeboats, one was immediately destroyed. But two other boats, carrying 19 men, managed to get away.

Five men stayed on the Britannia. Two of them were rescued the next day. The other three found another boat, put water and biscuits in it, and launched it. The three boats, with 24 men in total, headed for Newcastle.

On August 29, one of the boats, with eight men, got separated from the others during a storm. It was never seen again. The remaining survivors reached Newcastle on September 8. They finally arrived in Port Jackson on September 13, 1806.