Prince of Wales already had an unusually varied career when the Admiralty chartered her for the First Fleet. Before that voyage she had operated as a bark and at times as an armed privateer. After returning from Australia she served as a whaler, sailed under a letter of marque, made a voyage as a slave ship, passed through a period under French command, and resumed trade between Britain, the West Indies, and the Mediterranean. The records leave uncertainty over her origin and possible renaming, so her earlier identity cannot be stated with confidence. Ship broker William Richards selected her after consulting Marine officers George Johnston and David Collins, making her the last transport contracted for the expedition.
Notable Point · 2:04:06-2:08:13
Prince of Wales from privateer to First Fleet transport
Privateering, whaling, slave transport, capture, and merchant trade place the First Fleet charter within a much longer career.