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 | May 15, 1879 | 1–463 | 463 |
Berar | June 29, 1882 | 464–887 | 424 |
Poonah | September 17, 1882 | 888–1364 | 477 |
Poonah | June 19, 1883 | 1365–1860 | 496 |
Bayard | August 20, 1883 | 1861–2354 | 494 |
Syria | May 14, 1884 | 2355–2792 | 438 |
Howrah | June 26, 1884 | 2793–3287 | 495 |
Pericles | July 3, 1884 | 3288–3748 | 461 |
SS Newnham | July 23, 1884 | 3749–4323 | 575 |
Main | April 30, 1885 | 4324–5048 | 725 |
Ganges | June 27, 1885 | 5049–5571 | 523 |
Boyne | April 26, 1886 | 5572–6108 | 537 |
Bruce | May 21, 1886 | 6109–6566 | 458 |
Hereford | April 24, 1888 | 6567–7105 | 539 |
Moy | May 3, 1889 | 7106–7782 | 677 |
Rhone | May 15, 1890 | 7783–8367 | 585 |
Allan Shaw | June 17, 1890 | 8368–8940 | 573 |
Danube | June 15, 1891 | 8941–9531 | 591 |
Jumna | June 27, 1891 | 9532–9978 | 447 |
British Peer | April 23, 1892 | 9979–10505 | 527 |
Avon | May 5, 1892 | 10506–11025 | 520 |
Hereford | June 15, 1892 | 11026–11504 | 479 |
Moy | April 14, 1893 | 11505–11971 | 467 |
Jumna | May 23, 1893 | 11972–12281 | 310 |
Ems | April 20, 1894 | 12282–12851 | 570 |
Hereford | June 28, 1894 | 12852–13362 | 511 |
SS Vadala | March 26, 1895 | 13363–14109 | 747 |
SS Virawa | April 26, 1895 | 14110–14786 | 677 |
Erne | April 24, 1896 | 14787–15343 | 557 |
Elbe | June 13, 1896 | 15344–15958 | 615 |
Rhone | May 11, 1897 | 15959–16611 | 653 |
Clyde | June 1, 1897 | 16612–17281 | 670 |
Moy | June 1, 1898 | 17282–17849 | 568 |
Avon | July 25, 1899 | 17850–18316 | 467 |
Ganges | September 3, 1899 | 18317–18780 | 464 |
Ganges | June 21, 1900 | 18781–19334 | 554 |
Elbe | July 26, 1900 | 19335–19938 | 604 |
Arno | July 23, 1900 | 19939–20565 | 627 |
Rhine | August 30, 1900 | 20566–21056 | 491 |
SS Fazilka | March 28, 1901 | 21057–21860 | 804 |
SS Fultala | May 12, 1901 | 21861–22669 | 809 |
SS Fazilka | June 18, 1901 | 22670–23445 | 776 |
SS Virawa | April 26, 1902 | 23446–24163 | 718 |
SS Fazilka | June 20, 1902 | 24164–25003 | 840 |
Mersey | June 13, 1903 | 25004–25588 | 585 |
Elbe | August 5, 1903 | 25589–26178 | 590 |
Arno | September 4, 1903 | 26179–26812 | 634 |
Arno | May 3, 1904 | 26813–27443 | 631 |
Ems | July 30, 1904 | 27444–27969 | 526 |
SS Fultala | April 10, 1905 | 27970–28796 | 827 |
SS Virawa | July 17, 1905 | 28797–29411 | 615 |
SS Wardha | July 28, 1905 | 29412–30303 | 892 |
SS Fultala | August 17, 1905 | 30304–31093 | 790 |
SS Fazilka | April 17, 1906 | 31094–31974 | 881 |
SS Fultala | April 28, 1906 | 31975–32775 | 801 |
SS Wardha | June 28, 1906 | 32776–33609 | 834 |
SS Fazilka | January 28, 1907 | 33610–34484 | 875 |
SS Virawa | March 23, 1907 | 34485–35243 | 759 |
SS Fazilka | April 25, 1907 | 35244–36039 | 796 |
SS Sangola | March 18, 1908 | 36040–37171 | 1132 |
SS Sangola | June 6, 1908 | 37172–38257 | 1086 |
SS Sangola | February 1, 1909 | 38258–39409 | 1152 |
SS Sangola | April 21, 1909 | 39410–40076 | 667 |
SS Sangola | March 7, 1910 | 40077–41002 | 926 |
SS Santhia | April 22, 1910 | 41003–42023 | 1021 |
SS Sangola | June 5, 1910 | 42024–42892 | 869 |
SS Santhia | July 8, 1910 | 42893–43922 | 1030 |
SS Mutlah | May 22, 1911 | 43923–44756 | 834 |
SS Sutlej | June 25, 1911 | 44757–45606 | 850 |
SS Ganges | July 22, 1911 | 45607–46466 | 860 |
SS Mutlah | August 18, 1911 | 46467–47329 | 863 |
SS Sutlej | October 4, 1911 | 47330–48140 | 811 |
SS Sutlej | April 27, 1912 | 48141–48997 | 857 |
SS Indus | June 8, 1912 | 48998–49801 | 804 |
SS Ganges | July 18, 1912 | 49802–50644 | 843 |
SS Ganges | November 8, 1912 | 50645–51490 | 846 |
SS Ganges | February 21, 1913 | 51491–52261 | 771 |
SS Sutlej | April 11, 1913 | 52262–53069 | 808 |
SS Ganges | May 29, 1913 | 53070–53917 | 848 |
SS Ganges | September 9, 1913 | 53918–54701 | 784 |
SS Chenab | March 24, 1914 | 54702–55556 | 855 |
SS Chenab | June 16, 1914 | 55557–56273 | 717 |
SS Mutlah | May 7, 1915 | 56274–57125 | 852 |
SS Ganges | June 21, 1915 | 57126–57971 | 846 |
SS Mutlah | August 1, 1915 | 57972–58783 | 812 |
SS Chenab | September 1, 1916 | 58784–59665 | 882 |
SS Sutlej | November 11, 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.