Captain William Smith and the Discovery of New South Shetland

Captain William Smith, master of the brig Williams of Blyth, discovered New South Shetland in February 1819 by accident. His second attempt to reach the new land, in June 1819, was unsuccessful. On his third voyage, in October 1819, he made a sketch chart of the land. Captain Shirreff, RN, sent him on a fourth voyage with Edward Bransfield, Master, RN, three midshipmen and a surgeon. In the course of this voyage, Bransfield prepared a better chart of the land, and also sighted the Antarctic mainland. Smith's fifth voyage, which was a sealing voyage, was moderately successful. These voyages are examined critically and Smith's tracks have been worked out as far as the data allow. For the first time his life is traced from his birth in Northumberland, through his years at sea, to his death in London at the age of 56. Like so many of the early Antarctic explorers, he spent his last days in comparative poverty

Geography · Shetland · Geology · History · Oceanography · Polar Research and Ecology

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