Frederick escape
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The ''Frederick'' escape was an 1834 incident in which the
brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
''Frederick'' was hijacked by ten
Australian convicts Between 1788 and 1868, about 162,000 convicts were transported from Britain and Ireland to various penal colonies in Australia. The British Government began transporting convicts overseas to American colonies in the early 18th century. When ...
and used to abscond to
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, where they lived freely for two years. Four of the convicts were later recaptured and returned to Australia, where they escaped the death sentence for
piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
through a
legal technicality The term legal technicality is a casual or colloquial phrase referring to a technical aspect of law. The phrase is not a term of art in the law; it has no exact meaning, nor does it have a legal definition. It implies that strict adherence to the ...
.


Construction and theft

''Frederick'' was the last vessel to be constructed in the shipyards at the
Macquarie Harbour Penal Station The Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, a former British colonial penal settlement, established on Sarah Island, Macquarie Harbour, in the former colony of Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, operated between 1822 and 1833. The settlement housed ma ...
on Sarah Island,
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
. In 1833 the penal station was being closed down and its convicts transferred to Port Arthur; in the closing months of the year only about a dozen convicts remained on Sarah Island, completing the construction of the brig. Four of the convicts were former sailors, and had been sent to Sarah Island (a prison colony within the larger prison colony of
Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...
) because of their history of previous failed escape attempts. Among them was Londoner James Porter, a former
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...
who had previously lived in Chile and left a wife and child there, before returning to England and then being transported to Australia for the theft of silks. On January 14, 1834, ten of the convicts, led by Porter, seized the opportunity to escape by hijacking the ''Frederick''. After overpowering their skeleton guard of jailers they left them on shore with provisions, cognizant of the fact that the ill-treatment of overpowered jailers during the ''Cyprus'' mutiny had been a factor in the harsh punishment of those mutineers when they were subsequently captured. The convicts then sailed across the South Pacific, arriving on February 25 near the mouth of the
Bueno River Bueno River (Spanish: ''Río Bueno'') is a river in southern Chile. It originates in Ranco Lake and like most of Chile rivers it drains into the Pacific Ocean at the southern boundary of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve. Its lower flow forms the bo ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. They scuttled the ''Frederick'' off-shore, travelled the remaining miles in the ship's tender, and passed themselves off in
Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...
as survivors of a shipwreck.


Chile

The governor of Valdivia was suspicious of the convicts' claims, and intended to have them executed as pirates before changing his heart after an impassioned speech by Porter—though both Robert Hughes and
Richard Davey Richard Innes Davey (4 November 1938 – 13 March 2013) was an Australian actor, director and writer. He was the founder of the Round Earth Company and advocate for the understanding of the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station on Sarah Island ...
cast doubt on this event, noting that Porter's account is the only record of it. The convicts were permitted to remain in Chile, though some left for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
or
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
.


Recapture

Two years later, in 1836, the governor of Valdivia was replaced. His successor was more suspicious of the British convicts and alerted the passing frigate HMS ''Blonde''. Four escapees—James Porter, William Shires, Charles Lyon and William Cheshire—were then arrested and shipped back to England, and subsequently
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
.


Trial and reimprisonment

The escapees arrived back in Hobart in March 1837 and were put on trial for
piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
—a hanging offence. This caused a considerable public spectacle in the settlement, and the court was packed for the trial. James Porter and William Shires argued that as the ''Frederick'' had not yet been officially launched, it was impossible for them to have committed piracy: "It was canvas, rope, boarding and trenails, put together shipwise—yet it was not a legal ship; the seizure might have been theft, but not piracy." The situation was further complicated by the ''Frederick'' having been taken in a harbour rather than on the high seas, a requisite for piracy. Ultimately Porter and the others were found guilty of piracy, but not sentenced to death. Porter later alleged that the trial took only half an hour. The convicts were imprisoned for two years in a Hobart jail, then transported to the notorious
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
penal colony, where Porter wrote his memoirs under the governorship of the prison reformer Alexander Maconochie. Porter's sentence on Norfolk Island was reduced after he rescued several officers when their boat capsized. He was later released from the harsh conditions of Norfolk Island and sent to
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
. In 1847 he again escaped, and this time was never heard from again.


Popular culture

The ''Frederick'' escape is the subject of ''The Ship That Never Was'', Australia's longest-running play, a
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
performed every evening by the
Round Earth Theatre Company The Round Earth Company, founded by the late Richard Davey, performs in Strahan, West Coast, Tasmania. Each night the company performs Australia's longest-running play, ''The Ship That Never Was''.Eaves, Rick.The Ship That Never Was: Play about ...
in
Strahan, Tasmania Strahan (pronounced "straw-n"), is a small town and former port on the west coast of Tasmania. It is now a significant locality for tourism in the region. Strahan Harbour and Risby Cove form part of the north-east end of Long Bay on the norther ...
.


See also

*
Catalpa rescue The ''Catalpa'' rescue was the escape, on 17–19 April 1876, of six Irish Fenian prisoners from the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison), a British penal colony in Western Australia. They were taken on the convict ship ''Hougoumont'' ...
*
Cyprus mutiny The ''Cyprus'' mutiny took place in 1829 off the British penal settlement of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia). Convicts seized the brig and sailed her to Canton, China, where they scuttled her and claimed to be castaways from anot ...


References

{{Convicts in Australia 1834 in Australia Convictism in Tasmania Escapes January 1834 events