The oldest and smallest First Fleet ship. Built in 1759 as an armed tender of 175 tons it became the colony's only link with the outside world after the loss of the HMS Sirius in 1790. Often mistakenly referred to as the HMS Supply.
Phillip described the transportation of convicts to New South Wales as a voyage 'to the extremity of the globe'. Having successfully managed both the ships and the convicts, the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove brought Phillip new challenges: how to keep men and women, convicts and alcohol, camp and fleet, apart.
HMAT Supply was the smallest and fastest ship in the First Fleet. A naval vessel, she carried 16 marines and accompanied the flagship HMS Sirius on the voyage to Sydney Cove. Over the next three years she made 11 more voyages, the last causing her so much damage that she was ordered back to England. She reached Plymouth on 21 April 1792.