HMS 'Investigator' is highly significant in Australian history as the ship , commanded by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders, that circumnavigated Australia and charted the entire coastline. Built in Sunderland Co. Durham in1795, she had a long and illustrious life as collier, naval warship, explorer ship, and finally trader ,until she was broken up in Port Philip in 1872.

The model was commissioned by the Museum in 1980. It was made by Roland Michel Laroche, Sydney, Australia in 1980.

The warship 'HMS Investigator' was built in1795 at Monkwearmouthshore, Sunderland, Co. Durham as a collier for the North-East English coal trade , and wasa given the name 'Fram'. As a collier, she was rated as a great load carrier, having a comparatively shallow draught, round bluff bows, broad deep centre section,and tapered stern, but was rather slow sailing. She was sold in 1796 to James Dunning, a coal fitter of Darlington Co. Durham, resold to George Wakefield of North Shields Co. Durham, before being sold to the Royal Navy in April 1998 for 2000 pounds, and renamed HMS 'Xenophon'. Although in relatively poor condition, the 'Xenophon' was refitted as a warship, and twenty gunports cut in her sides to accomodate twenty 32 pounder carronades, which reduced the integral strength of her hull. For the voyage of discovery to' Terra Australis' , her armament was reduced to two long 6 pounders, two 18 pound carronade stern chasers, six 12 pound carronades ,and two swivel guns. The ship was now renamed ' Investigator ', under the command of Lieutenant Matthew Flinders, along with botanist Robert Brown, botanical artist Ferdinand Bauer, and the landscape artist William Westall.
Matthew Flinders born 16/03/1774 in Lincolnshire, entered the Royal Navy in 1789 as a 15 year old midshipman. He first served under Captain Bligh on HMS ' Providence 'on a voyage taking breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies ,with the purpose of starting commercial breadfruit production there. In January 1795, he joined HMS' Reliance' along with another Lincolnshire native George Bass, to travel from the penal colony of Botany Bay and to carry out a coastal survey to the south. Bass and Flinders used a 2.4 m. sailing boat 'Tom Thumb' to explore the coast south from Botany Bay. Later, transferring to the sloop HMS 'Norfolk', they were the first to discover that there was a strait separating Tasmania from the mainland, and naming it ' Bass Strait '.
Flinders returned to England in 1800, and married Ann Chappell. He was given a new commission to return to the penal colony abort HMS 'Investigator' to conduct a thorough exploration of the continental coastline. His patron and benefactor was Sir Joseph Banks, who, with his considerable political influence, was able to ease Flinder's path to obtaining required provisions and refitting the ship. The circumnavigation and charting of the coastline was successfully completed between December 1801 and June 1803. The "Investigator ' was by then in poor condition with rotting timbers and was considered unseaworthy, so was left decommissioned as a storeship at Port Jackson.
Flinders next sailed as a passenger on HMS 'Porpoise ' ,but the ship was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef, whereupon he navigated the ship's cutter across open sea back to Sydney, and arranged for the rescue of the remaining marooned crew. He then took command of the 29 ton schooner 'Cumberland' to return to England. However, the poor condition of the vessel forced him to put in at French controlled Mauritius for repairs and provisions ,on 17th December 1803. He was unaware that war had broken out between France and England, such that he was seized, and detained in Mauritius for nearly seven years. He was released in June 1810 , and , now in poor health, eventually reached England 24th October 1810, receiving a promotion to Post-Captain. On 19th July 1814, the book ' A Voyage to Terra Australis' was published, and on the next day, Matthew Flinders died ,aged 40.
In 1804, Governor King ordered a survey of the 'Investigator '. which found the ship could be repaired ,rerigged , the front deck cut down, and the ship returned to active service. On 1805, the 'Investigator ' returned to England ,carrying Robert Brown and Ferdinand Bauer along with their collections. She continued in naval service until November 1810 and , then in poor condition, was then sold for scrap. However ,she was not broken up, but rebuilt ,her hull recoppered, fitted with a new quarterdeck and upperworks, rigged as a brigantine, reverting to her old name of ' Xenophen'. She traded to Canada, Russia, the Meditterranean, and in1853 arrived in Geelong from Liverpool during the Australian gold rush. She eventually completed her lifetime under sail finishing in Melbourne as a 2 masted hulk with one deck, and finally broken up in 1872 at Port Philip.

Ship model, HMS 'Investigator', brass / copper / various woods / flax / bamboo / bone, scale 1/8" to 1', made by Roland Michel Laroche, Sydney, Australia, 1980 (OS)

Scale model of H.M Sloop "Investigator". Scale 1/8" to 1'. Model is fully detailed, complete with running and standing rigging and full suit of sails. Comprehensive deck details include ivory figurehead, anchors, catheads and blocks, belaying rails and pins, capstan, bollards, deck rails and companionways, fire prevention netting, ship's wheel and binnacle, stern light and twenty brass cannons in carriages and open hinged gun ports. Ship's boat in davits with thwarts, rudder, tiller, anchor and interior detailing. Copper sheathed with black band and blue and gilt sterncastle. Materials used: pearwood, poplar and boxwood for the hull, Irish flax for the rigging. Also used brass, white ash, bamboo and bone. Plaque: '1801 H.M.S INVESTIGATOR 1803/Commander Matthew Flinders, R.N./Monsieur R.M. Laroche Fecit'.

Made: Laroche, Roland Michel; Australia; 1980


Used: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences; Sydney

Plaque: '1801 H.M.S. INVESTIGATOR 1803/Commander Matthew Flinders, R.N./Monsieur R. M. Laroche'.

B2371

1980

520 mm

220 mm

700 mm