Benjamin Slack

Benjamin Slack was transported on the Claudine, departing 20th May 1821 and arriving 15th Dec 1821 with 160 passengers.

The 'Claudine' was an East Indiaman built in Calcutta in 1811 from teak wood with a tonnage of 452 tons. In 1820 she ran from London to Hobart Town, Sydney, Batavia and back to England. After leaving Sydney on 10 May 1820 under the command of John Welsh, she discovered the Claudine Reef in the Coral Sea, before making her way past Murray Island in Torres Strait on her way to Batavia. The Claudine made two voyages to Australia as a convict transport. Departing Woolwich 24 August 1821 mastered by John Crabtree with Henry Ryan as ship's surgeon. She arrived in Port Dalrymple, van Diemen's Land after a passage of 113 days via Teneriffe, on 15 December, landing 40 convicts. She then sailed on to Hobart Town and landed the remaining 119 male convicts, one prisoner having died en route . On 24 August 1829 the Claudine departed London, arriving in Sydney on 6 December 1829 after a voyage of 104 days; her Master was William Heathorne, the surgeon William H Trotman. On this voyage she sailed with 180 prisoners and their guard; two prisoners died en route. she then sailed on to Madras on 30 December. The Claudine returned to merchant service and on Monday 21-22 November 1840 under the command of captain Brewer was deliberately beached with another East Indiaman 'Westminster' during a storm off the Kent coast near Margate. This stranding was the subject of a famous engraving by William Henry Bartlett and a pencil and chalk sketch by J.M.W. Turner. The 'Westminster' successfully unloaded 6000 chests of tea into two steamers which delivered it to the East India Docks and was refloated on 7 December. 'Claudine' which was beached onshore unloaded into 200 carts the following day 23rd November and was then refloated on a spring tide after 7 December. Both ships having been dismasted in the storm, were repaired and put back into the trade. The Claudine appears to have been sent to the wreckers in 1849.