James Grant (navigator)

James Grant was a British naval officer in the early nineteenth century. He made several voyages to Australia and Tasmania, and was the first to map parts of the Australian coast.As a Lieutenant he took command of the "Lady Nelson" and sailed from the River Thames for Port Jackson on the 18th of March 1800. A brig of 60 tons, she carried a crew comprising the commander, two mates and twelve seamen.He sailed into Table Cape, South Africa on the 8th of July 1800. Here Grant recieved dispatches from the Duke of Portland advising him of the discovery of a strait between New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land and he was to sail through it on his way to Port Jackson, instead of sailing around Van Dieman's Land.Thus his was the first ship to sail through Bass Strait from west to east, charting the then unknown coastline. The "Lady Nelson" entered the heads at Port Jackson at six in the evening of December 16th after a passage of seventy-one days from Capetown.