Person

Blackwood, Francis Price (1809 - 1854)

Born
25 May 1809
London, United Kingdom
Died
22 March 1854
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Occupation
Marine surveyor and Naval officer

Summary

Francis Blackwood was a naval officer and surveyor who made two extended visits to Australia on surveying voyages off the north east coast. The first was in command of H.M.S. Hyacinth to which he was appointed in 1833. Between 1841 and 1845 he commanded H.M.S. Fly, his principal orders relating the survey of a safe passage through the Great Barrier Reef. He charted successfully large tracts of the Reef, including mapping its outer lines. To mark the Blackwood channel he erected the beacon on Raine Island. Endeavour Reef was charted by Lieutenant Charles Yule, commanding the accompanying tender H.M.S. Bramble. Scientists in Fly were zoologist John MacGillivray and geologist J. Beete Jukes, whose large natural history collections were deposited in the British Museum. During the latter part of the voyage Blackwood surveyed the southeast coast of New Guinea, discovering the Fly River.

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Details

Chronology

December 1821
Career event - Joined the Royal Navy
1828
Career event - Promoted to Lieutenant, Royal Navy
1833
Career position - Commander of H.M.S. Hyacinth on first visit to Australia
1838
Career event - Promoted to Post Captain, Royal Navy
1841 - 1845
Career position - Commander, H.M.S. Fly

Published resources

Books

  • Blackwood, F. P., Directions for the outer passage from Sydney to Torres Strait (London: British Library, 2011), 28 pp. Details
  • Wellbank, I., compiler, Complete sailing directions for the various passages to and through Torres Straits: comprising the inner passage of the late Admiral King, and the outer routes by Raine Island: and by the north eastern entrance, by Captain Blackwood (...) (Sydney: Reading & Wellbank, 1864), 47 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Ann Mozley, 'Blackwood, Francis Price (1809 - 1854), naval officer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1:1788 - 1850 A-H, Pike, Douglas, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1966), pp. 110-1. Details

Journal Articles

Theses

  • Jensen, Sophie Alice, 'On such a full sea: John MacGillivray (1821 - 1867)', PhD thesis, Australian National University, 2010, 339 pp. Details

See also

  • Bowen, James; Bowen, Margarita, The Great Barrier Reef: History, Science, Heritage (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 454 pp. Details
  • Jukes, J. B., Narrative of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Fly, commanded by Captain F. P. Blackwood, R.N., in Torres Strait, New Guinea, and other islands of the Eastern Archipelago, during the years 1842 - 1846, 2 vols (London: T. and W. Boone, 1847). Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 29 March 2022

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