Phoenix (1798)
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Phoenix |
| Namesake: | Phoenix |
| Owner: | Hibbert & Co. (1798)[1] |
| Launched: | 1798, Thames |
| Fate: | Broken up, 1837 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 589[1] (bm) |
Phoenix was a three-decker merchant ship built on the Thames in 1798. On a voyage in 1824 she was damaged on the Sow and Pigs Reef inside Port Jackson Heads, New South Wales, Australia. She was condemned and turned into a prison hulk, and then broken up in 1837.
Lloyd's Review for 1799 gives the name of Phoenix 's master as "Stimpson", and her trade as London-Jamaica.[1]
Final voyage
On 21 July 1824, the Phoenix arrived in Hobart, Tasmania with a load of convicts from England. Under the command of Captain Robert White, the Phoenix picked up a pilot just outside Sydney Heads but on entering the harbour struck the Sow and Pigs Reef.[2] The ship was refloated with the assistance of HMS Tamar. On inspection her keel was determined to be so damaged that she could not be repaired in New South Wales.[3]
Prison hulk
The New South Wales Colonial Government bought Phoenix for ₤1000 and converted her to a prison hulk for convicts awaiting transportation to Norfolk Island and Moreton Bay. She was moored in Hulk Bay (now Lavender Bay).[4] She was considered a much better place to be imprisoned than on shore, with her being described as cleanly wholesome and ...spacious. She could hold up to 200 prisoners.[5] By 1837 the ship was described as being in a sinking state and was grounded and auctioned[6] for ₤145.[7] The prisoners were temporarily housed on Goat Island.[8]
Fate
Thomas Hyndes broke her up in Cockle Bay in December 1837.[9]
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lloyd's register (1799)
- ↑ Charles Bateson (1972). Australian Shipwrecks - vol 1 1622-1850. Sydney: AH and AW Reed. p. 66. ISBN 0-589-07112-2.
- ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 16 Sep 1824, p2
- ↑ Charles Bateson (1972). Australian Shipwrecks - vol 1 1622-1850. Sydney: AH and AW Reed. p. 66. ISBN 0-589-07112-2.
- ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 20 July 1827, p2
- ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser 7 Nov 1837, p2
- ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 23 Nov 1837, p2
- ↑ The Sydney Herald, 9 Nov 1837, p.3.
- ↑ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser 21 December 1837, p.2.