HMS Investigator

Matthew Flinders' ship HMS Investigator was commissioned in Monkwearmouth, Durham, England in 1795 as a collier & working vessel called Xenophon. Her name was changed to Investigator on 19th January 1801 & Flinders was placed in command of her on 25th of that month. She eventually became condemned whilst she lay at moorings in Port Jackson and was used as a stores ship. In 1804, however, Governor King reported to the Admiralty in Britain, that on further examination, her hull had been found to be 'remarkably sound.' She was then repaired & re-rigged and she was used for short runs. In 1805, it was decided that she should return to England 'with despatches'. On arrival her there, a Captain Kent noted that a "more deplorable crazy vessel than the Investigator is perhaps not to be seen." In 1810, the Navy Board sold the Investigator into private service. She was once again the Xenophon, the wanderer, and she later wandered from Petersburg to the Mediterranean. On August 1st 1853, she arrived in Geelong, Victoria from Liverpool and spent her final years in the service of a company which later became the Melbourne Steamship Company. According to the last entry in the Register of British Ships records, the vessel was broken up and her registry closed 31st December 1872. So no suggestion of her being an actual shipwreck at all. She did, however, lose anchors in Australian waters. See later post for more details.