List of Indian indenture ships to Fiji
Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 42 ships made 87 voyages, carrying Indian indentured labourers to Fiji. Initially the ships brought labourers from Calcutta, but from 1903 all ships except two also brought labourers from Madras and Mumbai. A total of 60,965 passengers left India but only 60,553 (including births at sea) arrived in Fiji. A total of 45,439 boarded ships in Calcutta and 15,114 in Madras. Sailing ships took, on average, seventy-three days for the trip while steamers took 30 days. The shipping companies associated with the labour trade were Nourse Line and British-India Steam Navigation Company.
The most important man on these ships was the Surgeon-Superintendent, who supervised the medical care, ventilation, clothing, cleanliness and exercise of the passengers and his authority extended over the Captain. He inspected the stores before departure and reported on any defects during the trip. The Surgeon-Superintendent also intervened to prevent passengers from being mistreated by the crew. He was paid a bonus for each labourer landed alive.
List of ships
The table below provides details of the 87 voyages made by the 40 ships that brought Indian Indentured Labourers to Fiji. Of these ships, 27 were sailing ships and 13 were steam ships.
Name of Ship | Date of Arrival | Registered Numbers | Number of Arrivals |
---|---|---|---|
Leonidas | 15 May 1879 | 1–463 | 463 |
Berar | 29 June 1882 | 464–887 | 424 |
Poonah | 17 September 1882 | 888–1364 | 477 |
Poonah | 19 June 1883 | 1365–1860 | 496 |
Bayard | 20 August 1883 | 1861–2354 | 494 |
Syria | 14 May 1884 | 2355–2792 | 438 |
Howrah | 26 June 1884 | 2793–3287 | 495 |
Pericles | 3 July 1884 | 3288–3748 | 461 |
SS Newnham | 23 July 1884 | 3749–4323 | 575 |
Main | 30 April 1885 | 4324–5048 | 725 |
Ganges | 27 June 1885 | 5049–5571 | 523 |
Boyne | 26 April 1886 | 5572–6108 | 537 |
Bruce | 21 May 1886 | 6109–6566 | 458 |
Hereford | 24 April 1888 | 6567–7105 | 539 |
Moy | 3 May 1889 | 7106–7782 | 677 |
Rhone | 15 May 1890 | 7783–8367 | 585 |
Allan Shaw | 17 June 1890 | 8368–8940 | 573 |
Danube | 15 June 1891 | 8941–9531 | 591 |
Jumna | 27 June 1891 | 9532–9978 | 447 |
British Peer | 23 April 1892 | 9979–10505 | 527 |
Avon | 5 May 1892 | 10506–11025 | 520 |
Hereford | 15 June 1892 | 11026–11504 | 479 |
Moy | 14 April 1893 | 11505–11971 | 467 |
Jumna | 23 May 1893 | 11972–12281 | 310 |
Ems | 20 April 1894 | 12282–12851 | 570 |
Hereford | 28 June 1894 | 12852–13362 | 511 |
SS Vadala | 26 March 1895 | 13363–14109 | 747 |
SS Virawa | 26 April 1895 | 14110–14786 | 677 |
Erne | 24 April 1896 | 14787–15343 | 557 |
Elbe | 13 June 1896 | 15344–15958 | 615 |
Rhone | 11 May 1897 | 15959–16611 | 653 |
Clyde | 1 June 1897 | 16612–17281 | 670 |
Moy | 1 June 1898 | 17282–17849 | 568 |
Avon | 25 July 1899 | 17850–18316 | 467 |
Ganges | 3 September 1899 | 18317–18780 | 464 |
Ganges | 21 June 1900 | 18781–19334 | 554 |
Elbe | 26 July 1900 | 19335–19938 | 604 |
Arno | 23 July 1900 | 19939–20565 | 627 |
Rhine | 30 August 1900 | 20566–21056 | 491 |
SS Fazilka | 28 March 1901 | 21057–21860 | 804 |
SS Fultala | 12 May 1901 | 21861–22669 | 809 |
SS Fazilka | 18 June 1901 | 22670–23445 | 776 |
SS Virawa | 26 April 1902 | 23446–24163 | 718 |
SS Fazilka | 20 June 1902 | 24164–25003 | 840 |
Mersey | 13 June 1903 | 25004–25588 | 585 |
Elbe | 5 August 1903 | 25589–26178 | 590 |
Arno | 4 September 1903 | 26179–26812 | 634 |
Arno | 3 May 1904 | 26813–27443 | 631 |
Ems | 30 July 1904 | 27444–27969 | 526 |
SS Fultala | 10 April 1905 | 27970–28796 | 827 |
SS Virawa | 17 July 1905 | 28797–29411 | 615 |
SS Wardha | 28 July 1905 | 29412–30303 | 892 |
SS Fultala | 17 August 1905 | 30304–31093 | 790 |
SS Fazilka | 17 April 1906 | 31094–31974 | 881 |
SS Fultala | 28 April 1906 | 31975–32775 | 801 |
SS Wardha | 28 June 1906 | 32776–33609 | 834 |
SS Fazilka | 28 January 1907 | 33610–34484 | 875 |
SS Virawa | 23 March 1907 | 34485–35243 | 759 |
SS Fazilka | 25 April 1907 | 35244–36039 | 796 |
SS Sangola | 18 March 1908 | 36040–37171 | 1132 |
SS Sangola | 6 June 1908 | 37172–38257 | 1086 |
SS Sangola | 1 February 1909 | 38258–39409 | 1152 |
SS Sangola | 21 April 1909 | 39410–40076 | 667 |
SS Sangola | 7 March 1910 | 40077–41002 | 926 |
SS Santhia | 22 April 1910 | 41003–42023 | 1021 |
SS Sangola | 5 June 1910 | 42024–42892 | 869 |
SS Santhia | 8 July 1910 | 42893–43922 | 1030 |
SS Mutlah | 22 May 1911 | 43923–44756 | 834 |
SS Sutlej | 25 June 1911 | 44757–45606 | 850 |
SS Ganges | 22 July 1911 | 45607–46466 | 860 |
SS Mutlah | 18 August 1911 | 46467–47329 | 863 |
SS Sutlej | 4 October 1911 | 47330–48140 | 811 |
SS Sutlej | 27 April 1912 | 48141–48997 | 857 |
SS Indus | 8 June 1912 | 48998–49801 | 804 |
SS Ganges | 18 July 1912 | 49802–50644 | 843 |
SS Ganges | 8 November 1912 | 50645–51490 | 846 |
SS Ganges | 21 February 1913 | 51491–52261 | 771 |
SS Sutlej | 11 April 1913 | 52262–53069 | 808 |
SS Ganges | 29 May 1913 | 53070–53917 | 848 |
SS Ganges | 9 September 1913 | 53918–54701 | 784 |
SS Chenab | 24 March 1914 | 54702–55556 | 855 |
SS Chenab | 16 June 1914 | 55557–56273 | 717 |
SS Mutlah | 7 May 1915 | 56274–57125 | 852 |
SS Ganges | 21 June 1915 | 57126–57971 | 846 |
SS Mutlah | 1 August 1915 | 57972–58783 | 812 |
SS Chenab | 1 September 1916 | 58784–59665 | 882 |
SS Sutlej | 11 November 1916 | 59666–60553 | 888 |
Notes
- The number following the name of the ship denotes the voyage number (to Fiji).
- "SS" in front of the name of the ship denotes that it was a steam ship.
- From 1905 all ships were steam ships.