have purchased this and had it engraved before the fleet sailed. Fate Friendship sailed from Port Jackson on 14 July 1788 in company with , , and , although a storm separated the latter two soon after all three had set sail. Alexander and Friendship were to make their way through the East Indies and return home direct. Not having had fresh provisions since October 1787, when they were at the Cape, both crews were suffering badly from scurvy, and over the following months, Alexander lost 10 men (out of 30), and Friendship, one (out of 17), with many of those remaining being too sick to work. In late October, off the south-east coast of Borneo, having exhausted themselves in negotiating the sandbanks of the Balabalagan Islands, and concerned about an attack by pirates, the decision was made to scuttle Friendship, the smaller of the two ships, and concentrate the remaining men on Alexander. On the evening of the 27 October (28 October by sea time), four holes were bored in both bows below the water mark, and she was cut adrift. The coordinates provided for her whereabouts were 2°36’ South, 117° East. Formal Protest On their return, the owners lodged a formal protest with the Navy Board, seeking to recover the cost of the ship and its furnishings. The government resisted making compensation and the outcome of the matter is unknown. Commemoration An Urban Transit Authority First Fleet ferry was named after Friendship in 1986. See also List of convicts on the First Fleet Journals of the First Fleet Citations References External links [CC-By-SA] 1784 ships Ships built in England Ships of the First Fleet Shipwrecks in the Celebes Sea Maritime incidents in 1788