THE IMPORTANCE OF HMS SIRIUS TO THE FIRST FLEET
The ship's background:
Built in 1780 as an 'East country man', a maritime term of the time referring to ships participating in the Baltic Sea trade, the ship was named the Berwick. It had a displacement of 540 tonnes. The ship was badly burnt in a fire, was bought and rebuilt by the Royal Navy in 1786, retaining its original name.
The newly purchased vessel was fitted out and coppered at Deptford Dockyard between December 1781 and April 1782, for a total sum of £6,152.11s.4d. When completed she carried 10 guns, four 6-pounder long guns, and six 18-pounder carronades (a short large-calibre cannon). She was commissioned for service under her first commander, Lieutenant Bayntun Prideaux in January 1782, and later that year went out to North America where she spent the last part of the American War of Independence, before transferring to the West Indies in June 1784. She was paid off in February 1785 and then temporarily laid up.
The First Fleet:
Between September and December 1786 the ship was re-fitted for service with the First Fleet. She was nominally rated as a sixth-rate, allowing her to be commanded by post-captain, though she retained an armament of only 10 guns. On 12 October 1786, Berwick was renamed HMS Sirius after the southern and brightest star visible from anywhere on Earth, located in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog. Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star.
As the guardian gunship and flagship of the First Fleet, HMS Sirius accompanied the 10 other ships during the seven month voyage from England to Australia under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. Finding Botany Bay unsuitable for the new settlement, Phillip sailed north, entered Port Jackson (named by James Cook) and was amazed to find 'the finest harbour in the world' ... in which 'a thousand sail of the line may ride in the most perfect security'. Phillip relocated the eleven ships from Botany Bay and by nightfall on Friday 25 January 1788 the entire First Fleet was assembled at Port Jackson. The arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove was one of the most important events in Australia’s history, the Foundation of Australia on 26th January 1788.
The Sirius became the main defence for the colony of New South Wales and was the primary supply line and communication link with Great Britain. At a time of approaching famine in the colony, the Sirius survived a treacherous six month trip circumnavigating the globe on an easterly route via Cape Horn, battling fierce storms and illness amongst the crew, returning with much needed supplies for the colony.
The subsequent shipwreck of the Sirius on Norfolk Island left HMS Supply as the only remaining ship supporting the Colony and its only lifeline to the outside world. The shipwreck of the HMS Sirius is located in Slaughter Bay, Norfolk Island, and its archaeological remains are the only known in-situ relic of a vessel of the First Fleet.
The HMS Sirius was inscribed on the National Heritage List in 97th place on 25 October 2011, the 225th anniversary of its commissioning and the appointment of Arthur Philip as Captain and commander of the First Fleet.
Seven ships of the Royal Navy have subsequently been named HMS Sirius; the name is also perpetuated in the Royal Australia Navy’s replenishment vessel HMAS Sirius.
Sources: Australian Government – Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
Web: www.heritage.gov.au; https://hmssirius.com.au/; Berwick and Sirius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Sirius_(1786)
Images from the internet: (L) The Fleet sailing into the Atlantic Ocean. (C) Painting by First Fleet purser John Palmer, HMS Sirius at Port Jackson entrance, 26 January 1788. Source: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/secrets-of-first-fleet-revealed/news-story. (R) image by John Alcott.
Side image: HMS Sirius, by Frank Allen, Naval Warship captained by John Hunter. Courtesy of Fellowship of First Fleeters.
© Arthur Phillip Chapter of Fellowship of First Fleeters 2023 -