HMS Guardian ( 1784 ) HMS " Guardian " was a 44 - gun " Roebuck " - class fifth - rate two - decker of the Royal Navy , later converted to carry stores . She was completed too late to take part in the American War of Independence , and instead spent several years laid up in ordinary , before finally entering service as a store and convict transport to Australia , under Lieutenant Edward Riou . Riou sailed the " Guardian " , loaded with provisions , animals , convicts and their overseers , to the Cape of Good Hope where he took on more supplies . Nearly two weeks after his departure on the second leg of the journey , an iceberg was sighted and Riou sent boats to collect ice to replenish his water supplies . Before he could complete the re - provisioning , a sudden change in the weather obscured the iceberg , and the " Guardian " collided with it while trying to pull away . She was badly damaged and in immediate danger of sinking . The crew made frantic repair attempts but to no apparent avail . Riou eventually allowed most of the crew to take to the " Guardian " s boats , but refused to leave his ship . Eventually through continuous work he and the remaining crew were able to navigate the ship , by now reduced to little more than a raft , back to the Cape , a nine - week voyage described as ' almost unparalleled ' . Riou ran the " Guardian " aground to prevent her sinking , but shortly afterwards a hurricane struck the coast , wrecking her . The remains were sold the next year , in 1790 . Construction and commissioning . She was ordered from Robert Batson , Limehouse on 11 August 1780 and was laid down in December that year . " Guardian " was launched on 23 March 1784 , too late to see service in the American War of Independence and was instead fitted out at Deptford Dockyard for ordinary . The builder was paid £12 , 322 . 12 . 11d for her construction , with the Admiralty paying another £4 , 420 to fit her out . After five years spent laid up she was fitted out at Woolwich in 1789 to serve as a store and convict transport , commissioning under Lieutenant Edward Riou in April . Voyage to Australia . Riou was tasked with delivering the stores consisting of seeds , plants , farm machinery and livestock , with a total value of some £70 , 000 , and convicts to the British settlement at Botany Bay . Also aboard the " Guardian " was a young midshipman named Thomas Pitt , the son of politician Thomas Pitt , and nephew of Prime Minister William Pitt . With over 300 people aboard his ship , Riou left Spithead on 8 September , and had an uneventful voyage to the Cape of Good Hope , where he arrived on 24 November and loaded more livestock and plants . After competing his re - provisioning Riou sailed from the Cape in mid - December , and picking up the Westerlies began the second leg of his voyage to New South Wales . On Christmas Eve , twelve days and 1 , 300 statute miles ( 2100 km ) after his departure from the Cape , a large iceberg was spotted at , and Riou decided to use the ice to replenish his stocks of fresh water , that were quickly being depleted by the need to supply the plants and animals he was transporting . Riou and the iceberg . Riou positioned himself near the iceberg , and despatched boats to collect the ice . By the time the last boats had been recovered night had fallen , when a sudden fogbank descended , hiding the iceberg from view . Riou found himself in a dangerous situation . Somewhere to leeward lay a large mass of ice , concealed in the darkness and fog . He posted lookouts in the bows and rigging , and began to edge slowly forward . After sometime the danger seemed to be past , and the iceberg left behind , when at 9 o ' clock a strange pale glow was reported by the lookout in the bows . Riou ordered the helm to turn hard a starboard , turning into the wind as a wall of ice higher than the ship ' s masts slid by along the side . It briefly appeared that the danger had been avoided , but as she passed by the " Guardian " struck an underwater projection with a sudden crash . Caught in a sudden gust of wind the ship reared up and swung about , driving the stern into the ice , smashing away the rudder , shattering her stern frame and tearing a large gash in the hull . Despite the seriousness of the situation Riou remained calm , using the sails to pull clear of the ice , and then taking stock of the damage . Now clear of the immediate danger of the ice , Riou found himself in a desperate situation . There was two feet of water in the hold and more was rushing in , while the sea was rising and a gale had sprung up . The pumps were manned , but could not keep up with the ingress of water , and by midnight there was 6 feet of water in the hold . At dawn on Christmas Day an attempt was made to fother the hull by lowering an oakum - packed studding sail over the side to cover the gash in the hull and slow the flooding . This was temporarily successful and by 11 o ' clock the pumps had been able to reduce the water to a level of 19 inches . The respite was short - lived , when the sail split under the pressure of the water and the water level began to rise again . At this a number of seaman requested permission to take to the ship ' s boats . Riou convinced them to stay , but another attempt to fother the hull with another sail failed when the sail immediately ripped . By nightfall on 25 December the water in the hold had risen to 7 feet , and the ship was rolling violently , allowing water to pour over the ship ' s side . Riou ordered the stores , guns and livestock to be thrown overboard in an attempt to lighten the ship , but was injured when his hand was crushed by a falling cask while trying to clear the bread - room . By morning the next day the ship was settling by the stern , while the sails had been torn away in the gale . Again the seamen , this time joined by the convicts , requested to be allowed to take to the boats . Riou at last agreed to this , well aware that there were not enough boats for everyone , and announced ' As for me , I have determined to remain in the ship , and shall endeavour to make my presence useful as long as there is any occasion for it . ' ' I have determined to remain in the ship ' . While the boats were prepared , Riou wrote a letter to the Secretary to the Admiralty ; Riou gave the note to Mr Clements , the master of the " Guardian " , who was given command of the launch . A total of 259 people chose to join the five boats , leaving Riou with sixty - two people ; himself , three midshipmen , including Thomas Pitt , the surgeon ' s mate , the boatswain , carpenter , three superintendents of convicts , a daughter of one of the superintendents , thirty seamen and boys and twenty - one convicts . The " Guardian " was nearly awash by now with 16 feet of water in the hold , but a bumping noise on the deck attracted attention , and on investigation was found to be a number of casks that had broken free and were floating in the hold , trapped under the lower gundeck . Realising that this was providing extra buoyancy Riou had the gun deck hatches sealed and caulked , while another sail was sent under the hull to control the flooding . Having now created a substitute hull out of his deck Riou raised what little sail he could and began the long journey back to land , with the pumps being continuously manned . For nine weeks Riou and his small crew navigated the " Guardian " , by now little more than a raft , across the 400 leagues to the Cape of Good Hope . The Cape of Good Hope was sighted on 21 February 1790 , and whalers were despatched from Table Bay to help the battered ship to safety . On 15 March Riou sent a letter from Table Bay expressing his intent to try reach Saldanha Bay , there to moor close to the shore to preserve what he could of the vessel and cargo . The letter also included a list of the 61 men and one woman ( Elizabeth Schafer , daughter of one of the Superintendents of Convicts ) on board " Guardian " . A gale on 12 April drove " Guardian " on the beach . The wreck was sold on 17 February 1791 . Aftermath . J . K . Laughton , writing in the Dictionary of National Biography , described the voyage as ' almost without parallel ' . Those who remained with the " Guardian " were among the few survivors of the accident . Of the boats sent out on 25 December only the launch , with 15 people , survived , having been rescued by a French merchant . The launch had witnessed the sinking of the jolly - boat , before losing contact with the two cutters and the long - boat . The 21 convicts that survived went on to New South Wales . However , Riou ' s report of their conduct resulted in 14 of the convicts being pardoned . The remains of the " Guardian " were sold on 8 February 1791 . The replacement cargo of European plants for New South Wales , arranged by Sir Joseph Banks , was shipped in 1800 on . Post - script . The loss of the " Guardian " was used by Patrick O ' Brian as the basis for his novel " Desolation Island " .