First Fleet's Golden Grove: Fastest Return Journey to England

First Fleet & Botany Bay: the London Chronicle, June 2-4, 1789: This edition includes an 'Extract of a Letter from Botany Bay, received by the Golden Grove Transport, Captain Sharp, now at Corke. The Governor's commission....had so little effect on the convicts, that they soon found means to break open the King's stores and stole some articles thereout, for which a man of the name of Barret was executed on the 27th of February 1788.... Barret was the first person executed in Australia under British law. Golden Grove embarked upon her return journey to England in company with Fishburn on 19 November 1788, leaving only the naval escort HMS Supply at the disposal of the fledgling colony. The second naval ship HMS Sirius had left in October for the Cape of Good Hope to purchase supplies, and the six transports and third storeship, Borrowdale, had left in two groups, one in May, the other in July. Ignoring Governor Phillip's recommendation to avoid the route, the two ships sailed around Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro. They stopped at the Falkland Islands in mid-January for provisions and remained there for several weeks in order to take on fresh food and for stricken crew to recover from scurvy. After a journey of six months, Golden Grove landed her dispatches at Cork in Ireland on 16 May and arrived at Deptford on 9 June 1789. Along with Fishburn, Golden Grove is credited as having made the fastest return journey of any of the First Fleet ships.