Australian History: The First Fleet
There were eleven ships in the First Fleet. They were all small ships that included two naval ships, six convict ships and three storeships for supplies. The six convict ships had specially built prisoners quarters below the decks. Guards and sentries stood watch around each ship. The decks were full of animal pens. Sheep, goats, poultry, dogs and cats were all taken to Botany Bay.
The storeships were loaded with enough supplies for two years. There were clothes, tools, building materials, plant seeds, furniture and even a portable canvas house for the governor. More than 1480 men, women and children sailed on the eleven ships of the First Fleet.
Most of the convict ships left from Portsmouth. The fleet was ready to leave on 12 May 1787 but the sailors on one ship demanded their pay and an extra night in town. So it was not until 13 May, at three o'clock in the morning, that the ships of the First Fleet left Portsmouth harbour.
Who were on the ships:
Officials - these included Arthur Phillip, his staff and servants, a judge, doctors, a surveyor and a chaplain.
Crewmen - there were 443 crewmen. Some of them were criminals themselves who had been lucky enough not to get caught.
Marines - these were soldiers who sailed on navy ships to protect them from enemy attacks. There were 213 marines on the First Fleet, with twenty-seven wives and nineteen children.
Convicts - the first convicts were put on board their ships in Janurary 1787. During the next three months 778 convicts were loaded on the convict ships. There were 586 men and 192 women. Before the fleet left, seventeen convicts died and two were freed.