ePub Sea of Glory: The Epic South Seas Expedition 1838-42 by Nathaniel Philbrick in History

Description

The dramatic story of the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world -- and the last such all-sail convoy. Headed by the controversial Lieutenant Charles Wilkes; and consisting of six sailing vessels and 346 men; the 'Ex. Ex. ' (the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838--42) represented the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world. Four years later; after losing two ships and seventy-one men; the expedition had logged 87;000 miles; surveyed 280 Pacific islands; and created 180 charts -- some of which were still being used as late as World War II. The Expedition's scientists collected 4000 zoological specimens; including 2000 new species; and thousands of ethnographic artifacts that would become the basis of the Smithsonian Institution. The Expedition also mapped 800 miles of coastline in the Pacific Northwest; providing the federal government with the information it needed to stake its claim on the Oregon Territory. The Expedition's crowning achievement was the discovery of a new southern continent that Wilkes would name Antarctica. The Expedition ended in a dramatic series of court martials; with Wilkes and his crew levelling accusations of misconduct against each other.