Thomas Gilbert was a British sea captain.[1][2]The Republic of Kiribati and the constituentGilbert Islands are named after him.
Thomas Gilbert andJohn Marshall were thecaptains of twoEast India Company vessels of theFirst Fleet, theCharlotte and theScarborough, returning from carrying convicts toBotany Bay in 1788, when they sailed through theGilbert Islands and describedAranuka,Kuria,Abaiang andTarawa.
The vessels had been part of theFirst Fleet carrying convicts toAustralia. They had sailed in a convoy under the command ofpost-captainArthur Phillip,New South Wales' first Governor.
The two vessels encountered their first island in the Gilberts on 17 June 1788.[2]In a 1944 article inLifeSamuel Eliot Morison wrote that this Island was told to beAbemama, but might have beenAranuka.[3] Gilbert visitedTarawa on 20 June 1788. Sketches he made survive.
The First,Second and Third Thomas Shoals in theSpratly Islands are named after Gilbert. They, along with theScarborough shoal, were discovered during theScarborough's voyages through theSouth China Sea.[4]
The modern country ofKiribati and its national language are also named after Gilbert, "Kiribati" being the pronunciation of his surname in the nation's indigenous language ofGilbertese.
A character called Captain Paul Gilbert is portrayed byJames Mason in the 1953 filmBotany Bay.[5]
Being now abreast of this island, the extremity ending in a beautiful clump of trees, I hauled up to look at the bay. It appeared to be safe and commodious, sheltered by a long reef running parallel with the island, with two large inlets into the bay. The reef is about 3/4 of a mile from the beach, and has several small islands which appear like flower pots.
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