British Convicts Land at Botany Bay (1788)
18th January 1788, the first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.
Read a complete article on Historic UK.
British vessel burned off Rhode Island (9 June,1772)
In an incident that some regard as the first naval engagement of the American Revolution, colonists board the Gaspee, a British vessel that ran aground off the coast of . . .
Captain Blood Steals Crown Jewels (9 May 1671)
In London, Thomas Blood, an Irish adventurer better known as “Captain Blood,” is captured attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
Blood, a Parliamentarian . . .
Captain Cook killed in Hawai’i – Happy Valentine’s Day!
On February 14, 1779, Captain James Cook, the great English explorer and navigator, is killed by natives of Hawaii during his third visit to the Pacific island group.
In . . .
Captain Cook Reaches Hawaii
On January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days . . .
Captain Cook Reaches Hawaii 18 Jan, 1778
On January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days . . .
Captain Kidd Dies (1701)
At London’s Execution Dock, British privateer William Kidd, popularly known as Captain Kidd, is hanged for piracy and murder.
Born in Strathclyde, Scotland, Kidd established . . .
Captain Kidd Dies (23 May 1701)
On May 23, 1701 the infamous English Pirate, Captain Kidd, dies.
Kidd’s early career is obscure. It is believed he went to sea as a youth. After 1689 he was sailing as . . .
Cargo ship suddenly sinks in Lake Superior (1975)
On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members on board. It was the worst single accident in Lake Superior’s history.
The . . .
Cargo ship suddenly sinks in Lake Superior (1975)
On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members on board. It was the worst single accident in Lake Superior’s history.
The . . .
Charles Darwin sets sail from England (27 Dec 1831)
British naturalist Charles Darwin sets out from Plymouth, England, aboard the HMS Beagle on a five-year surveying expedition of the southern Atlantic and Pacific . . .
Charles Darwin sets sail from England (27 Dec 1831)
British naturalist Charles Darwin sets out from Plymouth, England, aboard the HMS Beagle on a five-year surveying expedition of the southern Atlantic and Pacific . . .
Charter granted to the East India Company (31 Dec 1600)
On December 31, 1600, . . .
Charter granted to the East India Company (31 Dec 1600)
On December 31, 1600, . . .
Christmas Tree Ship Sinks (1912)
On this day (23 Nov) in 1912, the schooner ROUSE SIMMONS, better known as the Christmas Tree Ship, foundered in Lake Michigan near Two Rivers, Wisconsin. There were no survivors.
The . . .
Congress authorizes privateers to attack British vessels (1776)
Because it lacked sufficient funds to build a strong navy, the Continental Congress gives privateers permission to attack any and all British ships on April 3, 1776.
In a . . .
Construction on the Erie Canal begins 4 July 1817
On July 4, 1817, workers break ground on the Erie Canal at Rome, New York. The canal, completed in 1825, links the eastern seaboard with the Midwest and transforms New York . . .
Continental Congress Creates a Continental Navy (1775)
On Friday, December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress creates a Continental Navy, naming Esek Hopkins, Esq., as commander in chief of the fleet.
Congress also named four . . .
Cook Begins his third voyage (12 July 1776)
James Cook’s third and final voyage took the route from Plymouth via Tenerife and Cape Town to New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, and along the North American coast to the Bering Strait.
At . . .
Cornish Songs & Sea Shanties
St Swithin’s Church Launcells presents Cornish Songs & Sea Shanties featuring the Bencoolen Wreckers. This concert will be on Sunday 8th June 2025 at 3:00 pm, in church.
Enjoy . . .