Prince of Wales (1786 ship)

For other ships with the same name, see Prince of Wales (ship) and Prince of Wales (EIC ship).

History
Great Britain
NamePrince of Wales
NamesakeGeorge, Prince of Wales
OwnerJohn Mather
Port of registryLondon
Builder
  • Originally: Sidmouth
  • Rebuilt 1786: Christopher Watson and Co, Rotherhithe
Launched1779
FateLast listed 1810
General characteristics
TypeBarque
Tons burthen296,[1] or 300,[2][3] or 310,[4] or 318,[5][6] or 333,[7] or 335,[8] or 350,[9][10] (bm)[a]
Length103 ft (31.4 m)[11]
Beam29 ft 3 in (8.9 m)[12]
PropulsionSails
Sail planShip rig
Boats & landing
craft carried		longboat
Complement
  • 1788:25
  • Privateer:100[1]
  • Letter of Marque:40[1]
Armament
  • Privateer:20 × 6 & 9-pounder guns[1]
  • Letter of marque:18 × 6-pounder guns (later 10 × 6-pounder guns[1]
  • 1799: 6 × 4-pounder guns
  • 1801: 6 × 3-pounder guns
  • 1806: 6 × 6-pounder guns

Prince of Wales was a transport ship in the First Fleet, assigned to transport convicts for the European colonisation of Australia. Accounts differ regarding her origins; she may have been built and launched in 1779 at Sidmouth, or in 1786 on the River Thames. Her First Fleet voyage commenced in 1787, with 47 female convicts aboard, and she arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. On a difficult return voyage in 1788–1789 she became separated from her convoy and was found drifting helplessly off Rio de Janeiro with her crew incapacitated by scurvy.

After Prince of Wales' return to Britain her owners deployed her as a whaler in the South Seas fisheries. She was later used as a privateer under a letter of marque, before performing a voyage as a slave ship. After a period under French control, she returned to Britain and was used to carry trade goods between London, the West Indies and the Mediterranean. The last records of her existence date to 1810; her fate thereafter is unknown.

  1. ^ a b c d e Letter of Marque, p.82, [1] Archived 9 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine - accessed 14 May 2011.
  2. ^ Lloyd's Register (1787).
  3. ^ Hackman (2001), p. 175.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference LR1787H446 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Lloyd's Register (1799)
  6. ^ Keneally 2005, p. 58
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gillen429 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Hackman (2001), p. 241.
  9. ^ Bateson (1959), p. 81.
  10. ^ Cavanagh (1999), p. 9.
  11. ^ Hill (2009), p. 54.
  12. ^ Bateson (1959), p. 275.


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