John Shortland (naval officer)
Encyclopedia
John Shortland naval officer, was born near Plymouth
, England
, the son of John Shortland. Serving in the Royal Navy
between 1755–1790, he died in Lille
, France
in 1803.
He entered the Royal Navy in 1755 as a midshipman
and served under Admiral Boscawen
off Newfoundland
, under Admiral Byng
off Minorca
and under Admiral Rodney
in the West Indies. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
in 1763, he was engaged in the transport service between England and America
. He commanded a transport fleet taking reinforcements to the relief of Gibraltar
in 1782 and after returning with troops from Halifax
in 1786, he was appointed naval agent to the transports of the First Fleet
. A large part of the credit for the success of the First Fleet voyage was due to the vigilance and efficiency with which Shortland discharged his responsibilities as Governor Arthur Phillip
was detained in London
until 11 May 1787, two days before the fleet sailed. He had also procured appointments on the expedition for his sons, John
and Thomas George.
Shortland after leaving the Cape of Good Hope
, with Phillip on HMS Supply with three of the fastest transports, Alexander
, Friendship
and Scarborough
, sailed ahead of the rest of the fleet as an advance party arriving at Botany Bay
, Australia
on 17 January 1788. After remaining in Australia until 14 July, he sailed for England in the Alexander, carrying the first dispatches of Governor Phillip to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Francis Osborne
, accompanied by the Borrowdale
, Prince of Wales
and Friendship.
During the voyage via Batavia, Shortland discovered and charted many islands and reefs. He named the Treasury Islands
, named a strait Shortland Strait
, an island Shortland Island
, and island group Shortland Islands
after himself. During the trip to Batavia, the Friendship was scuttled near Borneo
. Shortland arrived back in England in May 1789. He strongly urged the Admiralty to have the eastern coast of Australia properly charted and as a result the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs dispatched Matthew Flinders
in the HMS Investigator.
Shortland was promoted to Commander
in 1790 and after further active service retired to Lille, France where he died in 1803. He was survived by his widow, two sons and two daughters. John Shortland is often confused with his son John Shortland
, also a fine seaman. First on the celebration of the son's discovery of the Hunter River
, and second, on the 150th anniversary of the same event, when Australia Post
issued a stamp which showed the face of the father instead of the son.
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of John Shortland. Serving in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
between 1755–1790, he died in Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1803.
He entered the Royal Navy in 1755 as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
and served under Admiral Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
off Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, under Admiral Byng
John Byng
Admiral John Byng was a Royal Navy officer. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to Vice-Admiral in 1747...
off Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
and under Admiral Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
in the West Indies. Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1763, he was engaged in the transport service between England and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He commanded a transport fleet taking reinforcements to the relief of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in 1782 and after returning with troops from Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in 1786, he was appointed naval agent to the transports of the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
. A large part of the credit for the success of the First Fleet voyage was due to the vigilance and efficiency with which Shortland discharged his responsibilities as Governor Arthur Phillip
Arthur Phillip
Admiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
was detained in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
until 11 May 1787, two days before the fleet sailed. He had also procured appointments on the expedition for his sons, John
John Shortland
John Shortland was a naval officer, the eldest son of John Shortland. Shortland joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and went to Quebec in a transport commanded by his father. From 1783 to 1787 he served in the West Indies. In 1787 he was master's mate in the Sirius when the First Fleet sailed...
and Thomas George.
Shortland after leaving the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, with Phillip on HMS Supply with three of the fastest transports, Alexander
Alexander (ship)
The Alexander was a First Fleet transport of 452 tons, barque-built with quarterdeck, built at Hull in 1783. She was the largest transport ship in the First Fleet. Before leaving England, fever broke out on board, and sixteen men died. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, carrying 195 male convicts....
, Friendship
Friendship (ship)
Friendship was an Australian First Fleet transport ship, built in Scarborough, England, in 1784.A brig of 278 tons, she was among the smallest of the transports. Her master was Francis Walton and surgeon Thomas Arndell. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, carrying seventy-six male and twenty-one...
and Scarborough
Scarborough (ship)
'Scarborough' was a transport ship of 430 tons, built at Scarborough in 1782. She formed part of the First Fleet, which commenced European settlement of Australia in 1788....
, sailed ahead of the rest of the fleet as an advance party arriving at Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 17 January 1788. After remaining in Australia until 14 July, he sailed for England in the Alexander, carrying the first dispatches of Governor Phillip to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Francis Osborne
Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds
Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds KG, PC , styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician...
, accompanied by the Borrowdale
Borrowdale (ship)
The Borrowdale was a First Fleet storeship of 272 tons, built in Sunderland in 1785. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, and arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney, Australia on 26 January 1788. She left Port Jackson on 14 July 1788 to return to England via Cape Horn...
, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales (ship)
The Prince of Wales was a First Fleet transport ship of 350 tons, built on the River Thames in 1786. She was 31.4 metres in length. She was built by the firm Christopher Watson and co. of Rotherhithe, who are also thought to have built HMS Sirius in 1786...
and Friendship.
During the voyage via Batavia, Shortland discovered and charted many islands and reefs. He named the Treasury Islands
Treasury Islands
Treasury Islands are a small group of islands a few kilometers to the south of Bougainville and 24 kilometers from the Shortland Islands. They form part of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. The two largest islands in the Treasuries are Mono Island and the smaller Stirling Island...
, named a strait Shortland Strait
Bougainville Strait
Bougainville Strait separates Choiseul Island from Bougainville Island, the next to the northward. It was first passed through in 1768 by Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who christened it. A Lieutenant John Shortland of the Royal Navy sailed through it in 1788, giving the name of Treasury Islands...
, an island Shortland Island
Shortland Island
Shortland Island is the largest island of the Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, at . Named by John Shortland....
, and island group Shortland Islands
Shortland Islands
The Shortland Islands are group of islands belonging to the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, at . Named by John Shortland, they lie in the extreme northwest of the country's territory, close to the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Shortland Island...
after himself. During the trip to Batavia, the Friendship was scuttled near Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. Shortland arrived back in England in May 1789. He strongly urged the Admiralty to have the eastern coast of Australia properly charted and as a result the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs dispatched Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
in the HMS Investigator.
Shortland was promoted to Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in 1790 and after further active service retired to Lille, France where he died in 1803. He was survived by his widow, two sons and two daughters. John Shortland is often confused with his son John Shortland
John Shortland
John Shortland was a naval officer, the eldest son of John Shortland. Shortland joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and went to Quebec in a transport commanded by his father. From 1783 to 1787 he served in the West Indies. In 1787 he was master's mate in the Sirius when the First Fleet sailed...
, also a fine seaman. First on the celebration of the son's discovery of the Hunter River
Hunter River
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port....
, and second, on the 150th anniversary of the same event, when Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
issued a stamp which showed the face of the father instead of the son.