What were the convict ships called?
Vessels chartered for convict transport were mainly square rigged ships or barques, with the exception of a few brigs, the majority being small to moderate tonnage.
What did convicts do on the ships?
Many were skilled carpenters, blacksmiths or cobblers (shoemakers). , convicts worked to turn large wooden logs into smaller timber planks for buildings. They also made doors, window frames, shutters and roof shingles. Down at the edge of Sydney Harbour, convicts built boats and made rope and sails for ships.
What did prisoners do on prison hulks?
With the ship in good order, men were mustered out of the hulks in gangs and rowed out to work in the dockyards. They were received on shore by officers, quartermasters and guards. Old and infirm convicts stayed behind to cook, clean and repair worn out shoes and clothes.
What was the purpose of a hulk ship?
A sheer hulk (or shear hulk) was used in shipbuilding and repair as a floating crane in the days of sailing ships, primarily to place the lower masts of a ship under construction or repair.
What did Borrowdale carry?
As one of three designated storeships with the First Fleet, Borrowdale’s supplies included such items as canvas beds (200), pickaxes (50), wooden bowls (700), flour (448 barrels), Crown glass (5448 squares), sets of bedding (800), fishing nets (14), carpenters’ axes (80), padlocks (60), smiths’ tools (five sets).
What were the names of the convict ships in the First Fleet?
Ships of the First Fleet
- Alexander.
- Borrowdale.
- Charlotte.
- Fishburn.
- Friendship.
- Golden Grove.
- Lady Penrhyn.
- Prince of Wales.
What did convicts eat on ships?
Convicts ate bread,hardtack,salted beef or pork,peas,oatmeal,butter,cheese. They also ate rise,fruit,vegetables.
What could of been used instead of prison hulks?
Convict Sydney website Convicts sentenced to transportation were sent instead to hulks, old or unseaworthy ships, generally ex-naval vessels, moored in rivers and harbours close enough to land for the inmates to be taken ashore to work.
What were the conditions like on prison hulks?
The poor sanitation and cramped conditions meant that infection could spread particularly quickly. From the first introduction of the hulks, diseases such as Cholera, Dysentery and Typhus were rife. The convict mortality rate was exceptionally high – about a third perished in the first few years.