Nautical voyages conducted and captained by men such as James Cook, Charles Darwin and John Ross were some of the main driving forces that helped the scientific community to map and geographically understand the world as we see it today. One explorer in particular, James Clark Ross, and his southern artic expedition of 1839 resulted in the charting of much of the continents coastline as well as the southern seas. All of the great voyages during this time period held their own discoveries and accomplishments, however it was explorers such as James Clark Ross who pushed the boundaries of nautical expedition to new lengths. Beginning in 1839, Sir James Clark Ross was given command of the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror. These two ships were designed
…show more content…
Upon their departure from Tasmania, Ross not wanting to follow in Wilkes footsteps took a more easterly route in his search for the southern magnetic pole. The crew sailed down the Derwent River and continued south to the arctic. Roughly a week later the crew sailed by the Auckland Islands which had previously been marked by Wilkes, then the Campbell Islands where more measurements were recorded. On December 27th the crew recorded seeing their first icebergs and whales and on New Year’s Day 1841, they crossed into the Arctic Circle. Not long after they began their battle with the sea ice, it was recorded in notes that Ross’s compass continued to act strangely the closer the ships got to the pole. The ships continued on through the Ross Sea until Ross due to conditions and time constraints decided to call off the voyage until next season. With a similar outcome the following year, the voyage was extended into its 3rd and final season where Ross eventually met impenetrable pack ice that doused his hopes of actually reaching the southern magnetic
Upon their departure from Tasmania, Ross not wanting to follow in Wilkes footsteps took a more easterly route in his search for the southern magnetic pole. The crew sailed down the Derwent River and continued south to the arctic. Roughly a week later the crew sailed by the Auckland Islands which had previously been marked by Wilkes, then the Campbell Islands where more measurements were recorded. On December 27th the crew recorded seeing their first icebergs and whales and on New Year’s Day 1841, they crossed into the Arctic Circle. Not long after they began their battle with the sea ice, it was recorded in notes that Ross’s compass continued to act strangely the closer the ships got to the pole. The ships continued on through the Ross Sea until Ross due to conditions and time constraints decided to call off the voyage until next season. With a similar outcome the following year, the voyage was extended into its 3rd and final season where Ross eventually met impenetrable pack ice that doused his hopes of actually reaching the southern magnetic