The First Fleet Reenactment Voyage (also known as the Second First Fleet) was a project to assemble a fleet of tall ships to sail from England to Australia in a historical reenactment of the First Fleet that colonised Australia in 1788. The reenactment was first conceived in 1977 and organised to commemorate Australia's bicentenary of colonisation. Despite opposition and minimal funding from the Australian government, the project attracted the support of high-profile adventurers Thor Heyerdahl, Alan Villiers, and Sir Edmund Hillary, as well as former Australian political figures and the British royal family. Several corporations offered to sponsor the fleet as a whole or individual ships, and additional money was raised by selling "training crew" berths for the various legs of the voyage.
Seven ships—Søren Larsen, R. Tucker Thompson, Anna Kristina, Amorina, Tradewind, Our Svanen, and Bounty—sailed from Portsmouth in May 1987, following a fleet review by Queen Elizabeth II. Attempting to follow the route of the original First Fleet, the ships sailed for Australia via Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, and Mauritius. The initial funding ran out when the ships reached Rio de Janeiro, and the captains planned to call off the voyage until a radiothon on Australia's Macquarie Radio Network raised $900,000 and further corporate sponsorships were secured. The seven ships were joined by One and All off Rio de Janeiro. While crossing the Atlantic to Cape Town, Anna Kristinas first mate Henrik Bak Nielsen was lost overboard.
The fleet reached Fremantle in early December 1987, where it was joined by Eye of the Wind. It then continued along the Australian coast, arriving in Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1988, Australia Day. Eleven reenactment vessels participated in the final arrival, matching the number of ships in the original First Fleet, alongside visiting international tall ships and thousands of spectator craft. The project was later named the Bicentenary's "Best Event", but incurred a financial loss.
Background
In 1787, a fleet of eleven small sailing ships departed from England, carrying convicts, marines, and sailors.Clarke & Iggulden, Sailing Home, p. v The ships were heading for New South Wales, the territory claimed by James Cook during his first voyage of discovery in 1770, when he located and charted the eastern coast of New Holland (now Australia). The loss of the American penal colonies following the War of American Independence (and the resulting pressure it put on the British gaol system) combined with the need to secure this new territory against potential Dutch or French claims. The founding of a penal colony in New South Wales was approved by Prime Minister William Pitt, with Captain Arthur Phillip selected as the colonisation fleet's commander and the new colony's first Governor.
Eleven ships were acquired to be part of this voyage: the convict transports , , , , , and ; the storeships , , and ; and the naval vessels and . The fleet sailed from Portsmouth on 17 May 1787, and called at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town before using the Roaring Forties to cross the southern Indian Ocean and round Van Diemen's Land. The fleet arrived in Botany Bay, then relocated to the more suitable Port Jackson, where the colony was founded on 26 January 1788.King, Australia's First Fleet, p. 79 The First Fleet is considered remarkable because it was the longest migratory voyage ever attempted, with all eleven ships reaching their destination within three days of each other, while only 48 of the 1,350 embarked died during the nine-month voyage.
To commemorate the 1988 Australian Bicentenary, Jonathan King (descendant of Lieutenant Philip King, Arthur Phillip's aide-de-camp) proposed in 1977 that a reenactment voyage made up of square-rigged sailing vessels similar to those used by the First Fleet be made.Clarke & Iggulden, Sailing Home, p. vi The project was met with opposition from Australian individuals and organisations. There was concern that by emphasising the British colonisation of Australia, the reenactment voyage would negatively remind people of the nations' convict origins. Offending Aboriginal Australians, whose land was stolen from them by the colonisation, was also a concern. Indigenous Australians did criticise the bicentenary celebrations and the reenactment as commemorating invasion: on 26 January 1988, thousands marched in Sydney in protest and activists established an Aboriginal Tent Embassy at Mrs Macquarie's Chair.
Setup King created the First Fleet Venture as a Melbourne University-backed project in 1978, and approached the Australian Government for funding and assistance.King, Australia's First Fleet, p. 16 The government declined to support the project unless it was shown to be commercially viable. King dissolved the university project board in 1982, and created a commercial group. The assistance of entrepreneur Wally Franklin was secured in 1983. Franklin and King secured assistance from Hoyts/Michael Edgley Productions, as well as Australian Himalayan Expeditions.King, Australia's First Fleet, p. 17 Following this, Franklin founded the First Fleet Reenactment Company, and bought out King's group. Franklin, King, and solicitor Philip King sat on the board, along with representatives from Hoyts/Edgley and Australian Himalayan Expeditions. Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl joined the project as honorary president. New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and Australian mariner Alan Villiers became patrons of the reenactment. Further support came from former Australian prime ministers Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke, and from the British royal family.
Original plans called for a fleet of eleven 18th-century-styled replica ships to be constructed or chartered.King, Australia's First Fleet, p. 14 By 1980, this was scaled back to building just two replicas: flagship HMS Sirius and one of the convict transports. After the replica Bounty (which was a contemporary and very similar in design to Sirius) became available, the plans to construct replicas were abandoned, with the fleet to be made up of modern chartered vessels. Most of the vessels were British- or European-based tall ships chartered during 1985.
Funding was promised by the New South Wales Government, which provided a $230,000 seed grant for the project, followed by a later contribution of $500,000.King, Australia's First Fleet, pp. 17, 20 Sponsorship for the project was promised by entities including Fairfax Media, Westpac, Qantas and Australian Airlines, and the Portsmouth City Council. Other companies (including Coca-Cola, Australia Post, and Fuji/Hanimex) sponsored individual ships. Many of the sponsorship contracts stipulated that at least six ships had to be sailing in company at any time. Additional funding came through the sale of "training crew" berths for each leg of the voyage: these people were expected to supplement the professional crew on each vessel.King, Australia's First Fleet, p. 20 With the financial viability of the project appearing to be in hand, the Australian Bicentennial Authority loaned $500,000 to the First Fleet Reenactment Company, but refused to provide any further funding or support.
Ships involved
Søren Larsen: Flagship of the reenactment, Søren Larsen was built in 1949.Clarke & Iggulden, Sailing Home, p. vii The Danish-built, British-flagged vessel was chartered for the voyage in 1986, and joined the fleet in London. R. Tucker Thompson: Built during the 1980s in New Zealand as a modern square-rigged vessel with a steel hull and wood topsides. R. Tucker Thompson was the first of the fleet to assemble, berthing in London in early April. Anna Kristina: The oldest ship in the reenactment fleet, the galeas Anna Kristina was built in 1889 on a Norwegian farm. Anna Kristina joined the fleet in Portsmouth. Amorina: Originally built in 1934 as a lightship for the Swedish government, Amorina was sold into civilian service in 1977.Clarke & Iggulden, Sailing Home, p. viii She sailed with the fleet from London. Tradewind: The Netherlands-flagged schooner Tradewind was built in 1911, and had a long career as a fishing vessel and freighter before being converted for sail training and expedition charter in the 1980s. Departed from London. Our Svanen: A Danish barquentine built in 1922, Our Svanen served as a trade ship until the 1960s, then was sold to Canadian owners.Clarke & Iggulden, Sailing Home, p. 1 She joined the fleet at Portsmouth. Bounty: A replica of the 18th century , the vessel was built in New Zealand during 1978 and 1979. The full-rigged barque conforms externally to the original ship, but has a wood-clad steel hull and modern fittings. Bounty sailed from Portsmouth. One and All: An Australian-flagged brigantine, One and All was built during the 1980s, completed in 1987. Immediately after completion, she sailed for the Atlantic to intercept the rest of the fleet en route, meeting them off Rio de Janeiro. Eye of the Wind: A German-built schooner, Eye of the Wind was involved in cargo hauling and fishing from 1911 until she was re-rigged as a brigantine in 1969. She joined the fleet at Fremantle for the final legs. STS Leeuwin II: A three-masted barquentine, named after the Dutch galleon Leeuwin which mapped the south-west coast of Australia in 1622. She was built in Australia by Len Randell in 1986 and based in Fremantle. She joined the fleet at Botany Bay. Solway Lass: A Dutch-built two-masted schooner built in 1902 and based in Australia. She joined the fleet at Botany Bay.
Joined for Australia Day celebration in Sydney Asgard II: A brigantine, the Irish national sail training vessel, she was built for Coiste an Asgard in 1981. Capitán Miranda: A Uruguayan Navy sail training ship built by Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval in 1930. Dar Młodzieży: A Polish sail training ship built in 1981 at the Gdańsk Shipyard. Barque Eagle: A U.S. Coast Guard sail training ship built in 1936 by Blohm und Voß. Esmeralda: A Chilean Navy sail training ship built in Cádiz in 1953. Gorch Fock: A German Navy sail training ship built by Blohm & Voss in 1958. ARC Gloria: A Colombian Navy sail training ship built by Astilleros Celaya in 1967. BAE Guayas: An Ecuadorian Navy sail training ship built by Astilleros Celaya in 1977. Juan Sebastián de Elcano: A Spanish Navy sail training ship built by Horacio Echevarrieta in 1928. Kaiwo Maru: A Japanese sail training ship built by Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation in 1930 Nippon Maru: A Japanese sail training ship built by Sumitomo Heavy Industries in 1984. Shabab Oman: A Royal Navy of Oman sail training ship built by Herd & McKenzie in 1971. Spirit of New Zealand: A Kiwi sail training ship built by Thackwray Yachts Limited for Spirit of Adventure Trust in 1986. STS Young Endeavour: An Australian sail training ship built in 1987 by Brooke Marine in the UK for the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme. She was presented as a gift to Australia in honour of the Bicentenary by Prince Charles on 25 January, 1988.
Participated in the departure ceremony from the UK Johanna Lucretia: A British two-masted topsail schooner built at the Rhoos Shipyard in 1945. Kaskelot: A British three-masted barque built in 1948 for the Royal Greenland Trading Company STS Lord Nelson: A British sail training ship built by Coles Yard in Cowes for the Jubilee Sailing Trust in 1986. TS Royalist: A British sail training ship built by Groves and Guttridge for the Marine Society & Sea Cadets in 1971. HMS Sirius (F40): A modern Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy, namesake of the original HMS Sirius (1786), which served as the flagship of the First Fleet. Sirius (F40) served as Queen Elizabeth's flagship for the review and departure ceremonies.
Voyage