Neptune (1785 ship)

The Neptune was a three-masted ship launched in 1785. It is most notable for its role in the Second Fleet to Australia in 1790. This fleet was notorious for its high mortality rate amongst the convicts transported, largely due to disease and mistreatment.

The Neptune, chartered by the British East India Company, carried over 500 convicts on the voyage. Conditions aboard were reportedly horrific, with overcrowding, inadequate food and water, and brutal discipline contributing to widespread sickness and death. The ship arrived in Port Jackson with a significant number of convicts dead or critically ill.

Following its voyage to Australia, the Neptune continued in service, though its later history is less well-documented than its involvement in the Second Fleet. Details on its ownership, routes, and eventual fate are subject to ongoing historical research. The Neptune remains a symbol of the harsh realities and often brutal conditions of convict transportation to Australia.