John Watts (1755–1801) was a Royal Navy officer. He served as a midshipman in on

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

's third voyage to the Pacific in 1776–1780. In 1787–1789, while on leave from the navy, he sailed as a passenger on ''Lady Penrhyn'' with the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and acted as

supercargo A supercargo (from Spanish ''sobrecargo'') is a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship. The duties of a supercargo are defined by admiralty law and include managing the cargo owner's trade, selling the merchandi ...

on the return voyage to England via Canton. Extracts from Watts's journal of the First Fleet voyage appear in ''The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay'', as do three plates after his sketches.Phillip (1789)

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at Project Gutenberg Australia {{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, John 1755 births 1801 deaths Royal Navy officers James Cook People from the City of London