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List of Indian indenture ships to Fiji

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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

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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
LeonidasLeonidas 14 May 1879 000011–463 463
BerarBerar 29 June 1882 00464464–887 424
PoonahPoonah 17 September 1882 00888888–1364 477
PoonahPoonah 19 June 1883 013651365–1860 496
BayardBayard 20 August 1883 018611861–2354 494
SyriaSyria 14 May 1884 023552355–2792 438
HowrahHowrah 26 June 1884 027932793–3287 495
PericlesPericles 3 July 1884 032883288–3748 461
NewnhamSS Newnham 23 July 1884 037493749–4323 575
MainMain 30 April 1885 043244324–5048 725
Ganges IIGanges 27 June 1885 050495049–5571 523
BoyneBoyne 26 April 1886 055725572–6108 537
BruceBruce 21 May 1886 061096109–6566 458
HerefordHereford 24 April 1888 065676567–7105 539
MoyMoy 3 May 1889 071067106–7782 677
RhoneRhone 15 May 1890 077837783–8367 585
Allan ShawAllan Shaw 17 June 1890 083688368–8940 573
DanubeDanube 15 June 1891 089418941–9531 591
JumnaJumna 27 June 1891 095329532–9978 447
British PeerBritish Peer 23 April 1892 099799979–10505 527
AvonAvon 5 May 1892 1050610506–11025 520
HerefordHereford 15 June 1892 1102611026–11504 479
MoyMoy 14 April 1893 1150511505–11971 467
JumnaJumna 23 May 1893 1197211972–12281 310
EmsEms 20 April 1894 1228212282–12851 570
HerefordHereford 28 June 1894 1285212852–13362 511
VadalaSS Vadala 26 March 1895 1336313363–14109 747
VirawaSS Virawa 26 April 1895 1411014110–14786 677
ErneErne 24 April 1896 1478714787–15343 557
ElbeElbe 13 June 1896 1534415344–15958 615
RhoneRhone 11 May 1897 1595915959–16611 653
ClydeClyde 1 June 1897 1661216612–17281 670
MoyMoy 1 June 1898 1728217282–17849 568
AvonAvon 25 July 1899 1785017850–18316 467
Ganges IIGanges 3 September 1899 1831718317–18780 464
Ganges IIGanges 21 June 1900 1878118781–19334 554
ElbeElbe 26 July 1900 1933519335–19938 604
ArnoArno 23 July 1900 1993919939–20565 627
RhineRhine 30 August 1900 2056620566–21056 491
FazilkaSS Fazilka 28 March 1901 2105721057–21860 804
FultalaSS Fultala 12 May 1901 2186121861–22669 809
FazilkaSS Fazilka 18 June 1901 2267022670–23445 776
VirawaSS Virawa 26 April 1902 2344623446–24163 718
FazilkaSS Fazilka 20 June 1902 2416424164–25003 840
MerseyMersey 13 June 1903 2500425004–25588 585
ElbeElbe 5 August 1903 2558925589–26178 590
ArnoArno 4 September 1903 2617926179–26812 634
ArnoArno 3 May 1904 2681326813–27443 631
EmsEms 30 July 1904 2744427444–27969 526
FultalaSS Fultala 10 April 1905 2797027970–28796 827
VirawaSS Virawa 17 July 1905 2879728797–29411 615
WardhaSS Wardha 28 July 1905 2941229412–30303 892
FultalaSS Fultala 17 August 1905 3030430304–31093 790
FazilkaSS Fazilka 17 April 1906 3109431094–31974 881
FultalaSS Fultala 28 April 1906 3197531975–32775 801
WardhaSS Wardha 28 June 1906 3277632776–33609 834
FazilkaSS Fazilka 28 January 1907 3361033610–34484 875
VirawaSS Virawa 23 March 1907 3448534485–35243 759
FazilkaSS Fazilka 25 April 1907 3524435244–36039 796
SangolaSS Sangola 18 March 1908 3604036040–37171 1132
SangolaSS Sangola 6 June 1908 3717237172–38257 1086
SangolaSS Sangola 1 February 1909 3825838258–39409 1152
SangolaSS Sangola 21 April 1909 3941039410–40076 667
SangolaSS Sangola 7 March 1910 4007740077–41002 926
SanthiaSS Santhia 22 April 1910 4100341003–42023 1021
SangolaSS Sangola 5 June 1910 4202442024–42892 869
SanthiaSS Santhia 8 July 1910 4289342893–43922 1030
MutlahSS Mutlah 22 May 1911 4392343923–44756 834
SutlejSS Sutlej 25 June 1911 4475744757–45606 850
GangesSS Ganges 22 July 1911 4560745607–46466 860
MutlahSS Mutlah 18 August 1911 4646746467–47329 863
SutlejSS Sutlej 4 October 1911 4733047330–48140 811
SutlejSS Sutlej 27 April 1912 4814148141–48997 857
IndusSS Indus 8 June 1912 4899848998–49801 804
GangesSS Ganges 18 July 1912 4980249802–50644 843
GangesSS Ganges 8 November 1912 5064550645–51490 846
GangesSS Ganges 21 February 1913 5149151491–52261 771
SutlejSS Sutlej 11 April 1913 5226252262–53069 808
GangesSS Ganges 29 May 1913 5307053070–53917 848
GangesSS Ganges 9 September 1913 5391853918–54701 784
ChenabSS Chenab 24 March 1914 5470254702–55556 855
ChenabSS Chenab 16 June 1914 5555755557–56273 717
MutlahSS Mutlah 7 May 1915 5627456274–57125 852
GangesSS Ganges 21 June 1915 5712657126–57971 846
MutlahSS Mutlah 1 August 1915 5797257972–58783 812
ChenabSS Chenab 1 September 1916 5878458784–59665 882
SutlejSS Sutlej 11 November 1916 5966659666–60553 888

Notes

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  • 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.

See also

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