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''Borrowdale'' was a three-masted,
square rig Square rig is a generic type of sail plan, sail and rigging arrangement in which a sailing ship, sailing vessel's primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spar (sailing), spars that are perpendicular (or wikt:square#Adjective, square) to t ...
ged
merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
, launched in 1785, that served as a storeship of the
First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...
, a convoy of 11 ships taking settlers and convicts to establish the first European colony in Australia. She was wrecked in 1789.


Career

''Borrowdale'' was built in
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
in 1785. She was one of three colliers (the others were and ) owned by George and William Leighton, coal shippers of Sunderland, that the British government contracted to carry stores and provisions to Australia. Previously, the three vessels had carried coal from
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
to London. ''Borrowdale'' was one of 11 vessels that made up the First Fleet of settlers to
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...
, departing Britain in 1787. She first appeared in ''Lloyd's Register'' in 1786, with obsonReed, master, Leighton, owner, and trade London-Botany Bay. She left
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on 13 May 1787, and arrived at
Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal language, Dharawal: ''Kamay'') is an open oceanic embayment, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point a ...
,
Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...
, on 20 January 1788. Along with most other ships of the First Fleet, ''Borrowdale'' sailed on to Port Jackson arriving 26 January 1788, after the colonists found Botany Bay unsuitable for settlement. She left Port Jackson on 14 July 1788, to return to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
via
Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...
. The crew was so badly affected by
scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...
that the
master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
, (Readthorn) Hobson Reed, took her to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, where the harbour master and his men had to bring the ship to its berth. Five of the crew died on the homeward voyage. One of the five was the captain's father, Joseph Reed, a former
master mariner A master mariner is a licensed mariner who holds the highest grade of licensed seafarer qualification; namely, a master's license. A master mariner is therefore allowed to serve as the captain (nautical), master of a merchant ship for which natio ...
in the coal trade. ''Borrowdale'' arrived at Plymouth from Botany Bay on 25 March 1789.


Career per ''Lloyd's Register''

After returning to England ''Borrowdale'' served as a collier. Unfortunately, information is only as correct and up-to-date as the information vessel owners provided.


Fate

A violent storm developed off the coast of
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
on 30 October 1789, that damaged many vessels and sank some. On 31 October 1789, ''Borrowdale'' sank off
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...
, taking Reed and all but one man of his crew with her.


Post-script

An
Urban Transit Authority The Urban Transit Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, was responsible for the operation and maintenance of buses and ferries in Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle from July 1980 until Janu ...
First Fleet ferry was named after ''Borrowdale'' in 1985.Sydney Ferries Fleet Facts
Transport for NSW ''Borrowdale'' remains in operation and is run by
Sydney Ferries Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government ...
to date (2022).


See also

*
First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...
*
Journals of the First Fleet There are 20 known contemporary accounts of the First Fleet made by people sailing in the fleet, including journals (both manuscript and published) and letters. The eleven ships of the fleet, carrying over 1,000 convicts, soldiers and seamen, le ...


Citations


References

* *


External links

* {{cite web , url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/artefact/borrowdale , title = Borrowdale , accessdate = 2 October 2015 , author = Penny Edwell , date = 2015 , work= Dictionary of Sydney CC-By-SA">Creative_Commons_license.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA/nowiki> 1785 ships Ships built on the River Wear Ships of the First Fleet Maritime incidents in 1789