HMS Hyena did not sail all the way to Australia, which is why she is often left out of simplified lists of the First Fleet. She accompanied the expedition through the area where British planners considered French interference most plausible and detached once the convoy was judged safe. Hyena also supplied personnel when a transport discovered that it was short of an officer. Her frigate-style armament was much heavier than the weapons aboard Sirius and Supply. An upper-deck battery of nine-pounders and additional quarterdeck guns made her the fleet's credible fighting escort. The contrast separates the ships sent to found and sustain the colony from the temporary naval protection required to start the voyage.
Notable Point · 32:35-34:10
HMS Hyena and the First Fleet's ocean escort
The often-overlooked twelfth ship shows that the First Fleet received a genuine naval escort through the waters judged most vulnerable to French interference.