Surprize

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The British Surprize was one of the infamous Second Fleet ships to Port Jackson in Australia. At 400 tons , she was the smallest ship in the fleet and a vehicle unsuitable for such a long voyage that allowed water to penetrate even when the weather was bad. In rough seas and strong gusts, the convicts were "considerably above their hips in the water", according to a report by the commanding officer. She had been chartered for the return voyage from the British East India Company to load tea in Canton .

Together with the Neptune and the Scarborough , she ran out of England on January 19, 1790 with 254 male convicts on board. Their captain was Nicholas Anstis , the first mate on the Lady Penrhyn during the journey of the First Fleet , ship's surgeon was William Waters. She arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on April 13, 1790 , where she spent 16 days taking supplies. She was separated from the other two ships in heavy weather and arrived off Port Jackson on June 23. However, adverse winds blew them out to sea again, so that they did not reach the port until June 26th after a total of 158 days of voyage. During this trip 36 (14%) of the convicts died, another 121 (48%) were sick on landing.

On August 1, 1790, the Surprize took off with D'Arcy Wentworth and Catherine Crowley to Norfolk Island . Before the Surpize got there in August, their son William Charles Wentworth was born, one of the discoverers of the crossing of the Blue Mountains . Wentworth began working as a doctor on the island.

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