Sirius HMS

[shipstamps]

H.M.S. Sirius was the flagship of the British fleet which founded the first settlement on the Australian continent, in 1788. In March 1790 the Sirius, under Capt. Hunter, in company with the Supply left Port Jackson to take troops and stores to Norfolk Island where they arrived in bad weather. On March 19 Hunter attempted to land stores in Sydney Bay, but shifting winds forced the ship inshore with little room for manouevring. Despite all efforts, the Sirius struck a pointed rock and became a total loss. Two of her cannon now stand at the main entrance to the Administration offices at Kingston. The stamp picture is based on a painting by Roux in 1797 of a similar ship reproduced with the assistance of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.
The Sirius was purchased by the Admiralty as a burnt-out hull in 1781. She was originally a Thames-built ship. When taken over by the Royal Navy she was converted into a 16-gun, 540-ton armed stores ship under the name of Berwick. In 1786 she was renamed Sirius, fitted with 20 guns, and sailed in Capt. Arthur Phillip's convoy to New South Wales, arriving at Botany Bay under the command of Capt. Hunter on January 20, 1788.
The arrival of the convoy has been depicted on a set of Australian stamps issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of New South Wales in 1938, the design showing Governor Phillip and his officers at Sydney Cove with the fleet in the distant bay. The Sirius sailed on October 1, 1788, to the Cape of Good Hope for stores, arriving on January 2, 1789, and returned to Sydney on May 8, 1789.
Sea Breezes 10/67

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[john sefton]

Article in Log Book July 1987

The HMS SIRIUS, which convoyed the "First Fleet" to Australia in 1787-88, never saw service as a Merchant Ship. She was laid down as an East Indiaman, evidently at some yard on the Thames, but just before she was completed she caught fire and was partially destroyed. This probably happened in 1781. It is stated that she burnt down to her waterline which,
if true, indicates she has already been launched. What remained of the ship was purchased, for next to nothing it appears, by the Admiralty in November 1781. She was then built up again, and completed, with "a job-lot of timber" as the naval storeship BERWICK. The date of her completion is not given, but as Britain was at war at the time, it may have been in 1782.
After leaving Port Jackson on October 2nd, 1788, the HMS SIRIUS sailed southwards and then ran, by way of Cape Horn, to Cape Town where she arrived on January 1st, 1789. After taking on board provisions
for the New Colony she sailed from the Cape on January 21st and, sailing eastwards, she arrived back at Port Jackson 76 days later.
Other applicable dates to the voyage out of the "First Fleet" are: arrived Teneriffe on June 3rd, arrived Rio De Janeiro on August 4th, and arrived Cape Town on October 13th.

[aukepalmhof]

She was built as a cargo vessel by Christopher Watson & Co. Rotherhithe in 1780.
Completed under the name BERWICK.
Tonnage 510 ton (bm). Dim. 33.5 x 10.05 x 4 meters
She was built for the trade to the Baltic countries, but bought on the stocks in November 1781 by the British Admiralty for use as a storeship between the U.K. and North America.
Armament 20 – 9 pdrs. guns.
Later laid up.
October 1786 renamed in HMS SIRIUS and converted as a 6th Rate warship for the Royal Navy.
Armament of 20 – 9 pdrs. guns of which 10 with iron carriages were stowed in the hold.
Crew 160 men.
Under favourable conditions she could make 10 knots.

She was the flagship of the First Convict Fleet to New South Wales, when she sailed from Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 under command of Capt. John Hunter and via Cape of Good Hope arrived Botany Bay 20 January 1788 and Port Jackson 26 January 1788.

When store ships failed to arrive at Port Jackson in 1788, starvation threatened the 853 soldiers, free men and convicts in the new founded settlement
On 2 October 1788 Captain Hunter sailed with the SIRIUS from Port Jackson for the Cape of Good Hope for food to relieve the situation.
The prevailing westerly winds forced Hunter to set an easterly course and via Cape Horn arrived at Cape Town on 01 January 1789. During the voyage three men died on scurvy.
Flour was urgently needed in the new colony and when she left Cape Town on 26 January she was fully provisioned for the new colony for many months.
It took two week to round Cape of Good Hope before she could pick up the westerly winds and she arrived at Port Jackson on 08 May, having sailed completely around the world.
She was badly strained during bad weather and needed extensive repair which took around 6 months.

In the meantime the food supply at the colony dwindled, and drastic actions were needed. The HMS SUPPLY had made a few voyages to Norfolk Island and the reports were very good, it was a fertile island. Governor Phillip ordered the embarkation of 116 male convicts, 72 women and children and 65 soldiers on board the SIRIUS and SUPPLY, with the two ships were send some provision and livestock.
On 7 March 1790 the two ships sailed out and Norfolk Island was sighted six days later. On arrival the wind was from the southwest and making the landing at Cascade Bay on the north coast the safest place.
All passengers and convicts were put ashore there, but the supplies and livestock stayed on board.
16 March both ships sailed into Sydney Bay, were unloading commenced immediately, but when the wind shifted to the east the unloading had to be suspended. For two days the ships had to stay offshore.
By then Captain Hunter was so anxious to get on with unloading he hove to the SIRIUS about one mile of Sydney Bay during a moderate south-eastern, the boats were hoisted out and loaded with supplies, but the ships were during this operation drifting dangerous close to the shore.
When the men on board noticed the danger, and Capt Hunter tried to put her on a other tack, the ship bow would not come into the wind, and the SIRIUS drifted broadside on the rocks.
Although an anchor had been let go, the ship pounded heavily on the rocks and within a short time the masts had been dislodged and the SIRIUS was a wreck.
There was no hope to salvage the ship but boats could come alongside to discharge her cargo, during an other storm the ship was even swept closer to shore and the anchor did hold so her bow was turning seawards and prevented that the ship was broken up.
When the wind moderated two convicts were send aboard to throw the livestock which had been without food and water for three days overboard.
But the convicts found first the liquor locker and by nightfall they were drunk and set the ship alight, an other convict with the name of John Arscott volunteered to board the wreck and throw the two drunken men overboard. After he had extinguished the fire he had to stay on board the wreck that night.

The SUPPLY had managed to claw offshore and she was the only lifeline with the colony in Port Jackson, and 24 March she sailed back to Port Jackson with 33 men of the SIRIUS’s crew and on 5 April arrived there, with the news of the wrecking of the SIRIUS.
Most of the cargo of the SIRIUS was salvaged, but it took 11 months before an other vessel was available to return Captain Hunter and the rest of his men to Port Jackson. Where they arrived on 26 February 1791.
They arrived the next year April in England on board the Dutch vessel WAAKSAMHEID.
A court martial was held and acquitted Hunter and his officers of any blame for the loss of the SIRIUS.

1983 The wreck was discovered, and many artefacts were recovered.

Norfolk Island 2015 70c sg?, scott?

Source: Ships of the World by Paine. Hazards of the Sea by Capt. John Noble. Ships of the Australia Station by John Bastock.

[john sefton]

For more information on the First Fleet see under:-

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