Lucy Ann

Lucy Ann(e) was built in Canada early in the 19th century and was brought to Australia in 1827. She was first employed as a trading vessel before purchase by the New South Wales government in 1828. In government service the ship was used to help establish a number of new coastal settlements. She was also used to transport descendants of the Bounty mutineers from Pitcairn Island to Tahiti in 1830. Sold out of government service in 1831, Lucy Ann served as a trading vessel and support ship for whaling stations in New Zealand. She was then converted into a pelagic whaler and in that role made 11 deep-sea whaling voyages from Sydney between 1835 and 1852. One of the crewmen who served aboard, in 1842, was American seaman Herman Melville, who later wrote about his time aboard. The vessel was taken to Melbourne in the 1850s, and ended her days there as a storage hulk in the Yarra River. Arrival in Australia Her Australian registration papers say Lucy Ann was a brig of 213 tons built at Frederickton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1817 or 1819. Another source, based on Canadian records, agree the vessel was built at Frederickston, but in 1810, and was initially called the William (236 tons). Yet another source says she was built at St Johns in 1809. What seems beyond dispute is that her length was 87 feet 3 inches, beam 23 feet 10 inches, with 5 feet 3 inches between decks. Lucy Ann departed London 19 January 1827 under the command of Captain Ranulph Dacre with a general cargo and a few passengers. After calls at Cork and St Jago the vessel arrived Hobart on 22 May. She departed Hobart and arrived Sydney 26 June. After completing several voyages between Sydney and Hobart, Captain Dacre offered the vessel for sale to the New South Wales colonial government in August 1827. The offer was accepted, the government paying £2,200.