Norfolk (1798 sloop)

New South Wales colony sloop

For other ships with the same name, see Norfolk (ship).

A replica of Norfolk

History
Great Britain
Name| Norfolk
Launched| 1798
Fate| Wrecked 1800
General characteristics
Tons burthen| 25 (bm)

The Colonial sloop Norfolk was built on Norfolk Island in 1798. It was wrecked in 1800.

David Collins recorded in his Account of the English Colony in New South Wales: "The necessity of a vessel to keep up a more frequent intercourse with Norfolk Island, ...having been much felt by the want of various stores ...occasioned Captain Townson, the Commanding officer, to construct a small decked boat, sloop rigged, in which he sent His letters to this port..."[1][2] Cumpston describes Norfolk as, “A decked longboat built at Norfolk I[sland].”[3]

Governor Hunter put the Norfolk under the command of Matthew Flinders, the Sailing Master Peter Hibbs (seaman formerly on the "Sirius"). The vessel was to be used as a survey vessel and in that capacity was used by Flinders and Bass in 1798-99 to circumnavigate Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) – proving the existence of Bass Strait. Flinders also took Norfolk north to chart Cook's Morton's Bay (now Moreton Bay) and Hervey's Bay (Hervey Bay).[4][5]

It has been speculated that it was unlikely that they used Norfolk Island Pine as the timber was said to be useless in water, and that it was most likely constructed of timbers from existing boats on the island, perhaps also using surviving timbers from HMS Sirius, but Collins said: “The vessel that has the credit of having first circumnavigated Van Diemen’s land was built at Norfolk Island, on the fir of that country, which was found to answer extremely well”.[6]

Norfolk was then used to supply produce from the Windsor Area to Port Jackson, until 1800 when convicts seized her at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. Intending to sail her to Maluku, the convicts ran her aground at what was later called "Pirate Point" on the northern side of the mouth to the Hunter River. Today, the point is in the suburb of Stockton.

## Replica

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In 1998–99 Bern Cuthbertson OAM from Sandy Bay, Tasmania, re-enacted all of Norfolk's journeys in a replica vessel, constructed of Tasmania Huon and Celery Top pines. The replica Norfolk is now on display at The Bass and Flinders Centre in George Town on Tasmania's Tamar River.[7]

A limited amount of sterling silver and 18-carat gold medallions were hand-made to commemorate the voyages of Bern Cuthbertson's Norfolk. These medallions were mainly given to those that sailed with Bern.

In 2000 the Queensland Place Names Board named Norfolk Point (27°27′03″S 153°11′29″E﻿ / ﻿27.4508°S 153.1914°E﻿ / -27.4508; 153.1914﻿ (Norfolk Point)) which was on reclaimed land in the Manly boat harbour in Moreton Bay in honour of Matthew Flinders and the replica's visit. A plaque on the point commemorates the naming.[8][9][10]

## Affiliations

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* TS Norfolk, Australian Navy Cadets

## References

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1. ^ Collins, David (1802), An account of the English colony in New South Wales ..., vol. 2, London: T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies, p. 85, archived from the original on 28 December 2020, retrieved 20 January 2012 [Port Jackson 15 June 1798.]
2. ^ The Matthew Flinders Electronic Archive at the State Library of New South Wales.
3. ^ J.S. Cumpston, Shipping arrivals & departures Sydney, 1788-1825, Roebuck, Canberra, 1977, p.33.
4. ^ A Voyage to Terra Australis, with an accompanying Atlas. 2 vol. – London : G & W Nicol, 18. July 1814.
5. ^ The Early History of Tasmania, R.W.Giblin 1928
6. ^ David Collins, An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol.II, 1802, p.194; cited in Janelle Blucher, “The Norfolk”, Discover Norfolk, Volume 1 Issue 1, January 2017, at: https://www.norfolkisland.net/the-norfolk/ accessed 21 January 2025.
7. ^ "In the wake of Bass and Flinders : 200 years on : The story of the re-enactment voyages 200 years on... | National Library of Australia". Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
8. ^ "Norfolk Point – point in the City of Brisbane (entry 41473)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
9. ^ "Norfolk Point". Brown Signs. 2 July 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
10. ^ "Norfolk Point". Monument Australia. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.

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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1800

Shipwrecks|

* 5 Jan: HMS Mastiff
* 26 Jan: HMS Brazen
* January (unknown date): Argo
* February (unknown date): La Vengeance
* 10 Mar: HMS Repulse
* 13 Mar: Prince
* 17 Mar: HMS Queen Charlotte
* 15 May: HMS Cormorant
* 9 Jul: Queen
* July (unknown date): King George
* 8 Aug: USS Insurgent
* 10 Aug: HMS Dromedary
* 20 Aug: USS Pickering
* August (unknown date): Martha
* 26 Sep: HMS Hound
* 8 Oct: HMS Diligence
* 9 Oct: HMS Galgo
* October (unknown date): Earl Talbot, HMS Martin
* 3 Nov: HMS Marlborough
* 9 Nov: HMS Havick, Hired armed cutter Lion
* Unknown date: HMS America, Canada, Cornish Hero, Dublin, Norfolk, Recovery

Other incidents|

* 21 Jan: Sarah Ann
* 3 Feb: Sarah Ann
* 4 Aug: Concorde
* 22 Aug: Latona
* 7 Oct: Confiance, Kent
* December (unknown date): Iris
* Unknown date: Shah Ardaseer

1799 1801

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Shipwrecks and scuttled vessels of New South Wales

Shipwrecks by region

Richmond–Tweed|

* Adventure
* Agnes
* Enterprize
* SS Friendship
* Tassie III
* HMAS Waree
* SS Wollongbar

Mid North Coast|

* Abbey
* Ability
* Absalom
* Acielle
* Acme
* Ada and Ethel
* Admiral Gifford
* Adonis
* Advance (wr.1933)
* Agnes Irving
* SS Catterthun
* Edwin
* MV Fairwind
* SS Fingal
* Fitzroy
* Governor Hunter
* Jane
* HMAS K9
* Kalang
* Kooroongaba
* Titan
* Trial
* Wanganui
* SS Wollongbar

Hunter|

* Ability
* Active (1850)
* Active (1877)
* Ada
* Adelaide
* Adolphe
* Advance (1884)
* Agnes
* Alhambra
* Bee
* The Bluebell Collision
* SS Cawarra
* SS Colonist
* Contest
* Dundee
* Eleanor Lancaster
* Elizabeth Henrietta
* Estramina
* Excalibur
* Fido
* Francis
* Gertrude
* Governor King
* Grecian
* Hope
* SS Lindus
* Merksworth
* TSS Maianbar
* Norfolk
* SS Oakland
* Recovery
* MV Sygna
* Wendouree
* USS WST-1

Central Coast|

* Adelaide
* Advance
* HMAS Allenwood
* SS Bonnie Dundee
* Hazard
* Henri
* PSS Maitland
* MV Nimbin
* HMAS Paterson

Northern Beaches|

* Adelaide
* Aenid
* Argument
* Charlotte
* M24 Japanese Midget Submarine
* SS Myola
* Narara
* Queen Bee
* HMAS Swan
* Tuncurry
* Whale
* Windsor

Sydney Eastern Suburbs|

* Agnes
* Colonist
* Dunbar
* Edward Lombe
* HMAS Goolgwai
* Greycliffe
* PS Herald
* Hereward
* Iron Chieftain
* Iserbrook
* Itata
* HMAS Karangi
* SS Kate
* HMAS Kuttabul
* Martha
* Three Bees
* William Cossar
* HMAS Woomera

Southern Sydney|

* Adelphoi
* Advance (1872)
* Advance (1874)
* Koonya

Illawarra|

* Adele
* Adolphus
* Agnes
* SS Bombo
* Comboyne
* Hawkesbury Packet
* Queen of Nations
* Shockwave

Shoalhaven|

* Advance
* Aeolus
* Agnes
* Hive
* Koraaga
* Nancy
* HMAS Voyager
* Wandra

Far South Coast|

* Dureenbee
* George
* Iron Knight
* Ly-ee-Moon
* Olive Cam

Scuttled vessels

* HMAS Adelaide
* HMAS Anzac
* HMAS Australia
* SS Balgowlah
* SS Bantam
* SS Barcoo
* Bellubera
* Brighton
* HMAS Colac
* Curl Curl
* Dee Why
* HMAS Doomba
* HMAS Encounter
* HMAS Geranium
* HMAS Huon
* HMAS Kara Kara
* HMAS Kianga
* HMAS Kuramia
* HMAS Kookaburra
* HMS Lewes
* HMAS Marguerite
* HMAS Mallow
* HMAS Medea
* HMAS Mercedes
* USS Osborne
* HMAS Pioneer
* HMAS Stalwart
* HMAS Swordsman
* HMAS Tingira
* HMAS Torrens
* HMAS Vendetta
* HMAS Vigilant
* HMAS Yarra

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