She Was Chosen For Exploration Because Her Three
Sliding Centre-Boards Enabled Her Draught To Be Lessened In Shallow
Waters, For When Her Sliding Keels Were Up She Drew No More Than Six
Feet.
In 1799 the news reached London that the French were fitting out an
expedition to survey unknown portions of Australia; the Admiralty were
quickly stirred to renewed activity, and decided to send the Lady Nelson
to Sydney.
At first it was believed that Captain Flinders would be placed
in charge of her, but he was eventually given a more important command,
and Lieutenant James Grant was appointed to the Lady Nelson. She was
hauled out of Deadman's Dock into the river on January 13th, 1800, with
her full complement of men and stores on board. She carried provisions
for 15 men for a period of nine months, and enough water for three
months. Her armament consisted of only two brass carriage-guns.
On January 16th she sailed to Gravesend. So small did she look as she
made her way down the Thames that the sailors on board the ships in the
river ridiculed her appearance and ironically christened her "His
Majesty's Tinderbox." Grant says that many expressed a doubt that she
would ever make her port of destination.
A heavy gale was blowing when she reached the Downs, but from the first
she proved herself a good sea-boat, and it was found that lowering the
keels greatly steadied her. Grant now had a good opportunity for testing
her capabilities. A large convoy ready to sail for the West Indies lay at
anchor here, and on the evening of the 23rd, as the fury of the wind
increased, many signals of distress were seen flying in the offing.
Finding the Lady Nelson drag very much, her commander let go another
anchor, with the result that she rode out through the gale with ease,
although next morning six vessels were ashore dismasted, while two others
had lost both their masts and bowsprits. He then decided to take shelter
in Ramsgate, where he remained until the 7th, when he sailed to Spithead
and thence to Portsmouth. Here four more guns were placed on board and
some oak planking, which caused the brig to lie deeper in the water, so
that Grant writes "there were then only 2 feet 9 inches clear abreast the
gangway." He believed, however, that the consumption of coal and
provisions would soon bring her to a proper degree of buoyancy.
During her stay at Portsmouth the Lady Nelson lost two men, one through
illness, the other by desertion. On March 15th, when she was quite ready
for sea, Captain Schanck and Mr. Bayley* (* W. Bayley, formerly
astronomer on board the Adventure.) paid her a visit. Orders had been
given for her to leave port in company with H.M.S. Anson, Captain Durham,
who (as the Powers were at war) was to convoy a fleet of East Indiamen,
then on point of sailing, and with whom was H.M.S. Porpoise, bound to New
South Wales.
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