John Shortland (naval officer)

John Shortland (1739–1803), naval officer, was born near Plymouth, England, the son of Thomas Shortland. Serving in the Royal Navy between 1755–1790, he died in Lille, France in 1803.

He entered the Royal Navy in 1755 as a midshipman and served under Admiral Boscawen off Newfoundland, under Admiral Byng off Minorca and under Admiral Rodney in the West Indies. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1763, he was engaged in the transport service between England and America. He commanded a transport fleet taking reinforcements to the relief of Gibraltar in 1782 and after returning with troops from Halifax in 1786, he was appointed naval agent to the transports of the First Fleet. A large part of the credit for the success of the First Fleet voyage was due to the vigilance and efficiency with which Shortland discharged his responsibilities as Governor Arthur Phillip was detained in London until 11 May 1787, two days before the fleet sailed. He had also procured appointments on the expedition for his sons, John and Thomas George.

Shortland after leaving the Cape of Good Hope, with Phillip on HMS Supply with three of the fastest transports, Alexander, Friendship and Scarborough, sailed ahead of the rest of the fleet as an advance party arriving at Botany Bay, Australia on 17 January 1788. After remaining in Australia until 14 July, he sailed for England in the Alexander, carrying the first dispatches of Governor Phillip to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Francis Osborne, accompanied by the Borrowdale, Prince of Wales and Friendship.

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