Young Lachlan
Encyclopedia
The Young Lachlan was a schooner
that was stolen and wrecked by convicts in 1819. Between 1812 and 1817 as the Henrietta Packet it provided passenger and cargo transport between colonial ports, and was possibly involved in exploration in the present-day Tasmania.
James Kelly
was employed by Thomas Birch as master in March 1814. Birch claimed to have discovered Port Davey on 22 December 1815 while on board the Henrietta Packet. This account is contradicted by a later published journal of James Kelly claiming to have discovered both Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour
in the whaleboat Elizabeth.
, Hobart
, Tasmania
. Around midnight a group of thirteen convicts, four of them seaman, boarded the ship and stole it. The ship was never seen again. Four sailors who were aboard at the time of the theft were found on Bruny Island by James Kelly who had pursued in the brig Sophia. Most of the convicts disappeared, but five turned up at Java
and were promptly imprisoned. Four were returned to Hobart for trial via Calcutta in 1821 and were found guilty of ship stealing. From evidence they provided it appears that the ship was wrecked off an island in Java and burnt to the waterline. It is unclear what happened to the remaining convicts.
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
that was stolen and wrecked by convicts in 1819. Between 1812 and 1817 as the Henrietta Packet it provided passenger and cargo transport between colonial ports, and was possibly involved in exploration in the present-day Tasmania.
Henrietta Packet
The schooner was originally constructed as the Henrietta Packet.James Kelly
James Kelly (Australian explorer)
James Kelly , Australian mariner, explorer and port official, was born on 24 December 1791 at Parramatta, New South Wales. He was probably the son of James Kelly, a cook in the convict transport Queen, and Catherine Devereaux, a convict transported for life from Dublin in the same ship.Kelly was...
was employed by Thomas Birch as master in March 1814. Birch claimed to have discovered Port Davey on 22 December 1815 while on board the Henrietta Packet. This account is contradicted by a later published journal of James Kelly claiming to have discovered both Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow, but navigable by shallow draft vessels inlet on the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia.-History:James Kelly wrote in his narrative "First Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour" how he sailed from Hobart in a small open five-oared whaleboat to discover...
in the whaleboat Elizabeth.
Young Lachlan
In October 1818 the schooner was purchased by a Captain Howard, who lengthened the ship and renamed it the Young Lachlan.Theft by convicts
On the night of 27 February 1818 the Young Lachlan was moored outside Captain Howard's residence on the Derwent RiverDerwent River (Tasmania)
The Derwent is a river in Tasmania, Australia. It was named after the River Derwent, Cumbria by British Commodore John Hayes who explored it in 1793. The name is Brythonic Celtic for "valley thick with oaks"....
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Around midnight a group of thirteen convicts, four of them seaman, boarded the ship and stole it. The ship was never seen again. Four sailors who were aboard at the time of the theft were found on Bruny Island by James Kelly who had pursued in the brig Sophia. Most of the convicts disappeared, but five turned up at Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and were promptly imprisoned. Four were returned to Hobart for trial via Calcutta in 1821 and were found guilty of ship stealing. From evidence they provided it appears that the ship was wrecked off an island in Java and burnt to the waterline. It is unclear what happened to the remaining convicts.