On 18 August 1786 the decision was made to send a colonization party of convicts, military, and civilian personnel to Botany Bay, Australia under the command of Admiral Arthur Phillip who was to be the Governor of the new colony. There were 775 convicts on board six transport ships. They were accompanied by officials, members of the crew, marines, the families thereof and their own children who together totaled 645. In all, eleven ships were sent in what became known as the First Fleet. Other than the convict transports, there were two naval escorts and three storeships. The fleet assembled in Portsmouth and set sail on 13 May 1787. The fleet arrived at Botany Bay on 20 January 1788. It soon became clear that it would not be suitable for the establishment of a colony due to insufficient fresh water; Phillip also believed the swampy foreshores would render any colony unhealthy. Phillip decided instead to move to the excellent natural harbour of Port Jackson to the north. Back home in Great Britain, the threat of penal transportation to Botany Bay lingered as a warning to would-be criminals. In the 19th century, criminals were transported to Tasmania (then known as Van Dieman's Land. That situation is the subject of the song "Van Dieman's Land" in this section. There are a number of tunes used for several sets of lyrics about Botany Bay. The tune given here is a variant of this tune is known as "King's Lynne" which is listed in the Tunes section. Note the similarity of lyrics between this song and the American "Louisville Burglar" which is listed in this section.