Career
The supplement to Lloyd's Register for 1811 lists Phoenix as one year old, with Wilson, master, and Blacket & Co., owner. It gives her trade as London transport, amended to London-West Indies. [3]
By 1813 Phoenix had switched from the London-West Indies trade to simply being a general transport out of London. She also became quite heavily armed. [5]
EIC voyage (1820-21)
The EIC chartered Phoenix for one voyage. Captain William Gordon sailed Phoenix from Falmouth on 12 June 1820, bound for Bengal and Madras. She reached São Tiago on 28 June, and arrived at Calcutta on 14 October. Homeward bound, she was at Diamond Harbour on 29 December, and Kedgeree on 21 January 1821. She reached Madras on 3 February, and arrived at The Downs on 14 July. [6]
Convict transport to Van Diemen's Land (1822)
Captain Thomas Weatherhead and surgeon Evan Evans sailed Phoenix from Portsmouth on 5 January 1822. She sailed via Rio de Janeiro, and arrived at Hobart, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), on 20 May, after a voyage of 135 days. She transported 184 male convicts, of whom two died on the voyage. A detachment of the 3rd Regiment of Foot provided the guard. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron commanded the detachment, assisted by Ensign Pigot. The guard brought with them ten women and ten children. After landing the prisoners on 25 May, Phoenix sailed to Sydney, where she landed the guards. [8]
First convict voyage to New South Wales (1826)
Captain Alexander Anderson sailed from Dublin and arrived at Port Jackson on 25 December 1826.Phoenix had embarked 190 male convicts and she disembarked 189, one convict having died on the way.
Second convict voyage to New South Wales (1828)
Captain Thomas Curzens sailed from Spithead on 28 March 1828 and arrived at Port Jackson on 14 July.Phoenix had embarked 190 convicts and she landed all of them.
Guildford was a two-decker merchant ship launched in 1810. She transported convicts to New South Wales. Of her eight voyages delivering convicts, for three she was under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She underwent major repairs in 1819, her hull was sheathed in copper in 1822; in 1825 she received new wales, top sides and deck, the copper was repaired and other repairs. Guildford was lost without a trace in 1831.
Asia was a merchant ship built by A. Hall & Company at Aberdeen in 1818. She made eight voyages between 1820 and 1836 transporting convicts from Britain to Australia. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) between 1826 and 1827. At the same time she served in private trade to India as a licensed ship. She also carried assisted emigrants to Australia. She was last listed in 1845.
Albion was a sailing ship of two decks and three masts, built at Bristol, England, and launched in 1813. She made three voyages transporting convicts to Van Diemen's Land and New South Wales. She also traded with Jamaica, India, and Quebec. For two of the voyages to India she was an "extra" ship to the British East India Company (EIC).
Almorah was built at Selby, England in 1817. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and three transporting convicts to Australia. She foundered in 1832 in the North Atlantic.
Hercules was built in 1822 at Whitby, England. She made three voyages to Australia transporting convicts to New South Wales. She also made two voyages under contract to the British East India Company (EIC). She was broken up in 1847.
Norfolk was built at Littlehampton, England in 1814. She was originally a West Indiaman, and then sailed to India and Quebec. She made four voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia, one voyage from Ireland to Australia and one from Madras and Mauritius to Australia. She was wrecked on 7 July 1837.
Waterloo was a merchant ship built at Bristol, England in 1815. On her first voyage she suffered a short-lived mutiny. She then made one voyage under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). She made four voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia, and two voyages from Ireland to Australia. On her seventh convict voyage Waterloo wrecked on 28 August 1842 in Table Bay with great loss of life.
Royal George was a 486-ton merchant ship built at Hull, England in 1820. Between 1823-4, she undertook one voyage for the British East India Company. Later, she made two voyages transporting convicts from England to Australia.
Princess Royal was launched at Great Yarmouth in September 1794 and for the next three years traded with the West Indies. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC) in 1797-8. On her return she resumed general trading. In 1822 and again in 1829 she transported convicts to New South Wales. She was last listed in Lloyd's Register in 1834.
Tyne was launched in 1807 in Rotherhithe. She spent the first part of her career as a West Indiaman. However, in 1810–1811 she made a voyage to India for the British East India Company (EIC) as an "extra" ship, i.e., under charter. Then in 1818 she made a voyage to Port Jackson, New South Wales transporting convicts. Thereafter, with a change of owners, she traded with the Far East under a license issued by the EIC. A fire destroyed her in 1828.
Claudine was launched at Calcutta in 1811. She made two voyages transporting convicts, one to Van Diemen's Land in 1821 and one to New South Wales in 1829. In between, she made one voyage under charter to the British East India Company (EIC). Her captain deliberately grounded her in November 1840 to survive a storm, but she was able to return to service. She was broken up in 1849.
Lord William Bentink was launched in 1828 at Bristol. She made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC), and one transporting convicts to Tasmania. She was wrecked on 18 June 1840 off the harbour of Bombay.
Lady Nugent was built at Bombay in 1813. She made four voyages under contract to the British East India Company (EIC). She then made two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, one to New South Wales and one to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). She also made several voyages with emigrants to New Zealand under charter to the New Zealand Company. She foundered in May 1854 with the loss of some 400 persons, most of them soldiers that she was carrying from Madras to Rangoon.
Lord Melville was launched at (George Taylor's shipyard at rue de la Canotiere in Quebec City, Quebec, in May 1825. She made one voyage under charter to the British East India Company, two voyages transporting convicts to Australia, and one voyage to Canada with emigrants. She was wrecked in 1836 with some loss of life.
Susan was launched at Calcutta in 1813. She initially traded in the East Indies as a country ship, and with Britain under license from the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1829 and 1831 she made two voyages for the EIC. Then between 1834 and 1836 she made four voyages transporting convicts, two to New South Wales, and two to Tasmania. She foundered in 1846 as she was sailing between London and the Cape of Good Hope.
Lord Wellington was launched in 1810 at Rochester, or equally, Chatham, as a West Indiaman. She made at least one voyage to India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). She then made a voyage to New South Wales transporting female convicts from England and Ireland. She was lost in December 1822 off Denmark while sailing from Saint Petersburg to London.
Coromandel was launched on the Thames in 1820. Notable voyages include two for the British East India Company, and one transporting convicts to Tasmania. For the first 15 years of her career she primarily sailed to India. Thereafter, she primarily sailed to Australia and New Zealand. She was broken up in 1857.
Lady Kennaway was launched in Calcutta in 1816. In 1819 and thereafter she sailed between England and India under a license from the British East India Company (EIC). In 1823 she was sold in London. She made three voyages under charter to the EIC. In 1835 and again in 1851 she made voyages transporting convicts to Tasmania. On one voyage some of the convicts were young men for the Pankhurst apprentice scheme. In between, in 1836, she transported convicts to New South Wales. She made five voyages carrying immigrants to Australia, including young Irish women for the Earl Grey Irish Famine Orphan scheme. In 1847 her crew abandoned her in the Bay of Biscay although she seemed to have sustained little damage; she was salvaged and returned to service. She was finally wrecked on 25 November 1857 at South Africa.
Cornwall was launched at Calcutta in 1810. She participated as a transport in two military campaigns some 40 plus years apart. In between, she made four voyages for the British East India Company (EIC), carried assisted immigrants from England to Sydney, and transported convicts to Tasmania. She was wrecked at Mauritius in July 1858.
Lord Lyndoch was launched in 1814 at Calcutta. After she sailed to England she made one voyage for the British East India Company (EIC). Between 1831 and 1841 she made five voyages transporting convicts to Australia, three to Hobart and two to Sydney. She became a transport and suffered a maritime incident in 1844. She was last listed in 1847.
United Kingdom
