Alexander (1783 ship)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Great Britain
|
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| Name: | Alexander |
| Owner: | Walton & Company |
| Port of registry: | Hull |
| Builder: | Walton & Company, Hull |
| Launched: | 1783, or 1784 |
| Fate: | Last listed 1808 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Barque |
| Tons burthen: | 444 85⁄94, 452, or 468 |
| Length: | 114 feet (35 m) |
| Beam: | 31 feet (9.4 m) |
| Sail plan: | Ship rig |
| Complement: | 40 |
| Armament: | 1799: 4 × 6-pounder + 2 × 4-pounder guns |
Alexander was a merchant ship launched at Hull in 1783 or 1784. She was one of the vessels in the First Fleet, that the British government hired to transport convicts for the European colonisation of Australia in 1788. On her return voyage from Australia the British East India Company permitted her to carry a cargo from Canton back to Britain. Thereafter she traded out of London until 1809, when she is no longer listed.
Alexander was barque-built in Hull in 1783 with three masts and two decks. She was a plain-looking vessel, without galleries or figurehead. At 452 tons burthen, she was the largest transport in the Fleet and carried at least 30 crew. Her owners were Walton & Company, a firm of Southwark merchants headed by master mariner William Walton. Her master was Duncan Sinclair.
Lloyd's Register for 1786 gives her master as J. Metcalf, and her trade as Petersburg-London. An amendment to the entry gives the name of a new master as W. Hunter. Lastly, it shows her launch year as 1784, and her burthen as 650 tons (bm).
Lloyd's Register for 1787 shows her master as W. Hunter and her trade as London-St. Petersburg. However, a later addition to the entry shows her master as D. Sinclair, and her trade as London-Botany Bay. It does not report any armament, which is not surprising as Britain was not at war with anyone. It still shows her launch year as 1784 and her burthen as 650 tons (bm).
In early 1787, Alexander loaded her convicts at Woolwich Docks. The convicts came both from prison hulks on the Thames and directly from Newgate Prison. The ship then sailed to Portsmouth alongside Lady Penrhyn to meet the remainder of the Fleet.
Before Alexander left Portsmouth, a fever broke out on board that killed 16 men. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, carrying 195 male convicts. Fifteen more convicts died on the journey, the most for any ship in the fleet. The cause of the fever was likely inadequate management of the bilge, as reported by John White, the surgeon aboard HMS Sirius in June 1787: —
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