Show on mapTwo boats from Whitby the Fishburn and the Golden Grove were part of the First Fleet that set out for Botany Bay in Australia on 13th May 1787, both arriving on 20th January 1788 (less that 8 years after the discovery by Captain Cook)
The fleet consisted of six convict transports carrying over 700 prisoners to the penal colony, three food and supply transports which included the Fishburn and Golden Grove, two Naval escorts the HMS Sirius and HMS Supply.
The plaque was unveiled by Sir Donald Barron on 25th June 1988 as part of the bicentenary.
The History Australia website gives more details. See below copy and paste.
I assume that the Master would have been a Whitby man
The First Fleet Stores Ships – The Fishburn
The Fishburn was built as a storeship at Whitby in 1780. It had a burthen of 378 tons and was 94 deet in length with a breadth at it’s widest point of 26 feet. It departed Port Jackson on 19 November 1788 in company with the Golden Grove until 11 April 1789 when she had to lay anchor at the Falklands for several days while a number of sick crew members recovered their health.
The Fishburn arrived back in England and was discharged from HM service at Deptford on 25 May 1789. The Fishburn disappears from the records after this time so her eventual fate is unknown.
The Fishburn carried no convicts. The following four people have been identified as arriving on the Fishburn.
ENTRY NAME STATUS
8526 Armstrong, Archibald 2nd Mate
1482 Brown, Robert Ship’s Master
1483 Dane, George Seaman
1484 Robinson, Andrew Ship’s Cook