 First Fleet

The First Fleet was the 11 ships that departed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 to found New South Wales, the penal colony that became the first European settlement in Australia.The Fleet consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports, carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 convicts, marines, seamen, civil officers and free people (accounts differ on the numbers), and a large quantity of stores.