What is Prince of Wales (ship)?
{{italictitle}} The '''''Prince of Wales''''' was a [[convict]] transport ship in the [[First Fleet]]. The First Fleet carried the [[convict]]s and [[soldier]]s to [[Australia]] to start a [[penal colony]]. The ships left England in May 1787 and arrived in Australia in January 1788. This was the start of [[Europe]]an settlement of Australia. The ''Prince of Wales'' was a ship of 350 tons under the command of John Mason. <ref name=aust>{{cite encyclopedia | title =First Fleet | encyclopedia =Australian Encyclopaedia | volume = IV| pages =72–76 | publisher =Angus and Robertson | date = 1958| id = | accessdate = }}</ref> She was built on the [[Thames]] in 1786.<ref name=os>{{cite web|url= http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/historical/pow.html|title= Prince of Wales|accessdate= 2009-01-02|format= |work= Other ships named the Prince of Wales|archive-date= 2008-12-05|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081205031400/http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/historical/pow.html|url-status= dead}}</ref> She was {{convert|103|ft|m|0|lk=on|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|29|ft|m|0|lk=on|abbr=on}} wide.<ref>{{cite book | last =Crago | first =Tony | authorlink = | title =The First Fleet and year of Settlement | publisher =Woollahra Sales and Imports | date =2004 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =1876553286 }}</ref> The ship had a [[contract]] with the British Government to carry convicts. The owners were paid at a rate of 10 shillings per ton per month until the ship got back to [[Deptford, London|Deptford]]. They had to agree to keep the prisoners secure and safe.<ref name=aust/> This was the last ship to be chosen for the voyage after the Navy realized that they did not have enough space for the extra people, equipment, and supplies on the ten ships. There was one male convict and forty-nine female convicts which meant that there were only fifty convicts on the ship. The ''Prince of Wales'' was still sailing around England up until 1797. In 1797 she was moved to Fort Royal, [[Martinique]].<ref name=os/> Th