Name/TitleModel of the ship LA BOUSSOLE
About this objectReplica model of the ship LA BOUSSOLE.
In 1785 the French government sent an expedition to the Pacific, with King Louis XVI himself taking a hand in drafting the itinerary. With his two ships, LA BOUSSOLE and L'ASTROLABE, La Pérouse reached Botany Bay on 24 January 1788 but bad weather prevented his entering the bay for two days.
By then Governor Arthur Phillip had sailed to Port Jackson, but John Hunter had remained with the Sirius and the transports, and assisted La Pérouse to anchor. He established a camp on the northern shore, now called after him and maintained good relations with the English during his six-week stay.
MakerThe Model Shipyard - Model maker
Maker RoleModel maker
Date MadeModern reproduction
Period21st century
Place MadeAustralia
Medium and MaterialsWood and canvas
Object TypeShip Models
Object numberSF001641
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
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The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
Delta was a ship-rigged vessel with two decks and three masts. It was built in Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1839 at the shipyard of Jan Schouten and registered in the same port. Its hull was constructed of oak and sheathed in ‘yellow metal’. Delta was owned by H. van der Sande at the time of its loss and was engaged as a cargo trader.
The Delta carried 29 crew and passengers, while sailing from Melbourne to Batavia in ballast when wrecked at Kenn Reefs on 30 May 1854 whilst under the command of Captain J.G. Kunst. This vessel loss supports the pattern of shipwrecks located on a well-travelled shipping route that was poorly charted until the mid-nineteenth century. The crew of the Delta could see four other shipwrecks at Kenn Reefs at the time of their vessel’s loss.
Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art