Cultural Object
H.M.S. Discovery (1901 - )
Royal Navy
- From
- 1901
- Functions
- Antarctic exploration, Maritime exploration and Ship
- Alternative Names
- Discovery, H.M.S. (Also known as)
Summary
H.M.S. Discovery was a steam barque built by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company for the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901 - 1904. Funded jointly by the British Government and the Royal Geographical Society, and crewed largely by Royal Navy personnel, the Expedition was commanded by Robert Scott. Discovery sailed from Lyttleton, New Zealand, in December 1901, not returning until April 1904. The Expedition explored the Ice Barrier (now known as the Ross Ice Shelf) until, in February 1902, the ship became ice-bound. She remained so until February 1904. In the interim expedition members pursued their scientific agenda. On her return to the United Kingdom in 1905, Discovery was purchased by the Hudson Bay Company for use in the fur trade. During WWI she transported war materials between Britain and Europe. From 1925 to 1927 she was involved in expeditions in the south Atlantic Ocean, followed by her last Antarctic expedition, Douglas Mawson's British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition of 1929 to 1931. Discovery is now berthed in Dundee, Scotland, as part of a heritage precinct.
Details
Chronology
- 21 December 1901
- Event - Departed Lyttleton, New Zealand
- February 1902 - February 1904
- Education - Frozen in the ice off the Ross Ice Shelf
- 1905
- Event - Purchased by the Hudson Bay Company
- 1914 - 1916
- Operational event - Engaged in the transportation of war materials in Europe
- 1923
- Education - Purchased by Discovery Investigations and renamed R.S.S. Discovery
- 1925 - 1927
- Operational event - Explored south Atlantic Ocean and Southern Ocean
- 1929 - 1931
- Education - Expedition ship for British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Savours, A., The voyages of the Discovery: the illustrated history (London: Virgin, 1992), 384 pp. Details
- Scott, Robert, The voyage of the "Discovery", 2 vols (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1905). Details
See also
- Bernacchi, L. C., Saga of the "Discovery" (London, Glasgow: Blackie and Son, 1938), 240 pp. Details
- Rice, A. L., British oceanographic vessels 1800 - 1950 (London: Ray Society, 1986), 193 pp. Details
- Wilson, Edward, Diary of the Discovery Expedition to the Antarctic regions 1901 - 1904 (London: Blandford, 1966), 416 pp. Details
- Yelverton, David E., Antarctica unveiled: Scott's first expedition and the quest for the unknown continent (Boulder, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 2000), 472 pp. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 24 September 2024