The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 10

1986 - 2000. Arrival Dundee, Restoration and Relocation

How to get the ship from Dundee was the first major obstacle. Could she be towed? The risks involved in such an operation were considered and, while it was possible, the stresses she would endure in the event of bad weather provided food for further thought. The Oil Industry in the North Sea and elsewhere had revolutionised the method of carriage of large structures at sea. Ships had been built to carry ships! Offshore oil rigs were being assembled in giant modules, built onshore and transported to the offshore rig site where they were assembled like a 'Lego' toy. Mammoet Shipping had offices in London and was contacted by those involved in the relocation of the Discovery. Mammoet owned and managed specialised heavy lift ships, ideal for the task of transporting Discovery to Dundee, and from the first contact were keen to be involved. The Happy Mariner, a ship designed to behave like a floating dry-dock, was made available and Discovery, stripped bare for the journey, was floated on board.

Happy Mariner about to pass under Tower Bridge, London en route to Dundee, April 1986.

Arriving in the River Tay, Dundee, to a great welcome.

The delicate task of floating Discovery off the Happy Mariner before moving her to her berth in Victoria Dock, Dundee, took place during the 3rd and 4th of April 1986.

Easy does it! Discovery being floated off the Happy Mariner April 1986

Discovery moored at Victoria Dock, Dundee upon her arrival from London, April 1986.

When the dust had settled and a complete survey of the ship had been completed, only then was the tremendous restoration and conservation liability confirmed to Dundee Heritage Trust. Undaunted, it set about an extensive program of repairs and restoration. Local businesses and individuals, excited by the prospect of having Discovery home, were generous in their contributions both in cash and in kind. Her masts were again raised, her spars and rigging set up, her underwater hull inspected and repaired in dry-dock.

Discovery entering dry-dock (Note: masts and rigging in place).

Discovery in dry-dock awaiting repairs.

This was not all, many of her inner hull spaces had been restored and made 'visitor friendly'. Asbestos was found and systematically removed. Many of her internal features were brought back to life by and one got the feeling that the 'Old Girl' was now enjoying the attention that was being lavished upon her.

While all this was going on her new permanent home was being constructed at Discovery Point. This consisted of a purpose built dock and support facilities, including an Antarctic Museum and Conference Centre. It was completed in 1992 and Discovery was moved and installed there on the 27th of September 1992.

Discovery in her new home at Discovery Point about 1994

Work continues as finances allowed until in 1996 Dundee Heritage Trust finally became the sole owner of the ship when it purchased the Discovery from the Maritime Trust for the princely sum of £1.00 sterling. Do not be misled! Although this must seem like a ridiculous sum of money, it is very likely that the Maritime Trust was happy to be rid of the liability. While work continued, finances became tight and work nearly ground to a halt. That is another story and one that may caution those who might consider historic ship restoration to think carefully before embarking on such a project.

Discovery at Discovery Point, Dundee in the mid 1990s

From the year 2002, although having had a 'hands off' involvement previously, I became active on a voluntary basis in the restoration and conservation of Discovery. Now this story will attempt to tell of the work, background and detail of what took place between 2002 and 2010 and is still on-going. There are still many more parts to write before this series is complete and I do hope that you will tell your friends to visit my site from time to time and learn about the wonderful ship 'Discovery'

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 9.

London 1932 to 1986

When Discovery arrived back from the Antarctic in August 1931 she would have looked work-worn and badly in need of a thorough overhaul. Alas this was not to be. Finally she had reached the end of her working life, and what a life it had been! She was regularly inspected when lying in West India Dock in London on the off-chance that she might be used again for another Antarctic expedition, however the Discovery Committee now had the Discovery II and the William Scoresby, so the Discovery was indeed redundant. There was a rumour that she would be sold by the Crown Agents and two of the Committee's staff started to raise funds to secure her for a National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, describing her as 'a National asset and should be preserved for the Nation'. Their efforts, unfortunately, came to nothing.

Then, in 1936, she was accepted for use by the Boy Scouts Association by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, who was Commodore of the Sea Scouts at the time. Moored alongside the Embankment in Kings Reach on the River Thames she was used as a training ship. Between 1936 and 1939 and 1946 to 1955, thousands of Sea Scouts from all over the country took part in week long or week-end training courses on board. Many Scout Leaders were trained and the local Scout Troops kept their boats on Discovery's moorings, or used her boats.

All wars wreak misery and decisions are taken where valuable, historical items become lost forever. Such was the fate of the Discovery. Between 1940 and 1945 courses were run on board for men to enter the Royal Navy. She was the Headquarters of the River Emergency Service. Sadly, her engines and all machinery on board were dismantled and broken up for scrap in the War Effort; her yards were taken down for safety reasons. All of this is understandable in times of war but irreversible in times of peace.

Left: Discovery in West India Dock about 1934.   Right: Moored at Victoria Embankment in the 1950s

In 1955 Discovery was transferred to the Admiralty and used by the Royal Navy Reserve and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service as an additional drill ship, although she still continued to be used by the Sea Scouts.

Now comes a period when she would be brought properly back to the general public's attention. It may be that the Admiralty no longer had any use for her, or that the financial burden of keeping her was considered too heavy, nevertheless, on the 2nd of April 1979 Discovery was handed over by the Ministry of Defence to the Maritime Trust in London for restoration and display. The Trust had been formed in 1969 'to do for Historic Ships what the National Trust does for Buildings'. It had agreed to take charge of the ship's structure and the National Maritime Museum to mount displays and provide some staff. First she was taken to Sheerness where essential under-water repairs were made. Then she was taken to St Katherine's Dock, near the Tower of London, to lie with the Trust's collection of historic ships.

Discovery moored in St Katherine's Dock, London, about 1985.

She spent nearly seven years in St Katherine's Dock, during which time many features were repaired and restored. An earlier decision had been taken to restore her to her 1924/5 condition and the same decision continues to be honoured today. It was never the intention that Discovery should remain in St Katherine's Dock and a number of alternative berths in London were considered. As with all things, other forces were at work! Forces that were both persuasive and convincing. The City of Dundee, in Scotland, had embarked on an ambitious program of regeneration. It needed a focal point! Discovery had been built in Dundee, so why not bring her back to the city of her birth? Why not adopt the slogan 'City of Discovery'? Frantic negotiations took place until finally an agreement was reached where the Maritime Trust would lease Discovery to Discovery Quay Developments for a period of years, with the caveat that she would continue to be restored to her 1924/5 condition. The Agreement was signed on the 29th of November 1985.

Discovery being manoeuvred out of St Katherine's Dock prior to her departure for Dundee in 1986

This story continues when Discovery arrives at Dundee and begins a new chapter in her life, one that would allow her to be enjoyed by many generations to come.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 8.

British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition 1929-1931

Before telling about the above expedition it may be better if I recap a little. On her voyage to the Antarctic during 1925/27, Discovery had carried out the first biological and hydrographical survey of the whaling grounds in the South Atlantic. A great deal of the research done related to the study of Plankton and its predator the Krill, which is principal in the food chain of the whale and therefore valuable to the whaling industry. Regulations were framed for shore stations in order to introduce conservation measures to protect the whale population, and these were enforced. But the industry had moved on. Large whale factory ships with stern slipways had been built and, because these ships operated on the high seas, the regulations controlling the whale catch for shore stations could not be applied. Despite this the 1925/27 Discovery voyages had been a great success; she had occupied 200 official stations; gathered extensive echo-sounding data and recorded some 2,300 miles of plankton records.

Given the scope of work still to be done it soon became obvious that Discovery was far from being ideal for that future work. Her accommodation was inadequate; her fuel capacity too small; her engines were old; and, because she was basically a sailing ship, her standing rigging greatly hindered the operation of research equipment. It seemed the end of an era when the Discovery Committee decided to replace her with a new steel steamship - Discovery II- which sailed on her first commission in December 1929. 

Politics came to the rescue of our Discovery. An Australian Antarctic Expedition, led by Sir Douglas Mawson from 1911 to 1914, had conducted research and survey work in the Antarctic and in 1928 it was decided it was time to continue that work. This time it would be a joint Commonwealth approach, funded by the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This gave birth to the acronym BANZARE, the British, Australia and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition. Discovery was lent to the Expedition by the British Government and she left London in August 1929 bound for Cape Town where she would pick up Mawson, who had been appointed to lead the Expedition, along with his scientific staff. So the Old Girl had been given a new lease of life.

Generally speaking, the voyages were seen to be ones that resulted in the acquisition of lands on the Antarctic Continent. Of course the work was curtailed during the Antarctic winter, roughly April through to September each year, Therefore, when she arrived in Cape Town in October 1929 she was able to go directly to the Antarctic and start work during the summer of 1929. She was joined by a Norwegian ship called Norvegia to assist in the work to be done. The Expedition was well organised and reasonably adequately funded to carry out extensive surveys and research voyages around the South Atlantic and Antarctica. Several other ships were called upon to supply the Expedition, unlike those that had gone before and suffered untold hardships for want of supplies.

It is worth mentioning that the photographer who was commissioned during the voyage was Frank Hurley whose images of the Antarctic wastes are still considered among the best of that time. The following photographs he took of the Discovery, the first while at sea under sail and taken when Hurley climbed out to the very head of the bowsprit. The second while she was berthed in Cape Town before sailing South. (Note she is flying the Australian Flag, probably only flown in courtesy to Mawson and only for the time it took to take the picture.) Yet again my thanks go to Dundee Heritage Trust for permission to use these images from its archives.

During the Antarctic winter of 1930 Discovery spent time in both Port Adelaide in Australia and Hobart in Tasmania. By the time she returned to the Antarctic in 1930/31 she was feeling her age. After all, apart from a complete makeover during 1924/25, she was an old woman in ship terms.  Over 30 years she had spent mainly coping in the harshest conditions on Earth but still she persevered! During her two BANZARE voyages she worked 115 stations; 40 of these were complete hydrographic and plankton stations similar to earlier voyages. Over 20,000 miles of echo-sounding records were charted and an extensive series of bottom samples were taken using a variety of trawls and dredges. The biological collections were later taken to the University of Adelaide but were later shared widely. The British Museum of Natural History in London hold the fish samples taken in its collections.

Two other important facts shed light on the purpose of the Expedition. The first is that Mawson made proclaimations of British Sovereignty over Antarctic lands, later to be included in Australian Antarctc Territory. The second, and quite amazing, was that Discovery carried a small sea-plane that assisted in conducting the surveys of the Antarctic lands visited. Those airmen involved must now be looked upon as pioneers themselves, since the risks they took to gather the vital information from above must be considered nothing short of heroic. Certainly the results confirm that. The following photograph shows the sea-plane being prepared for another reconnaissance flight:



Mawson and his scientists left the Discovery in Melbourne in April 1931. She left for London on the 18th of April 1931, calling at Wellington, then crossing the Southern Ocean to round Cape Horn, call at Montevideo before finally returning to London on the 1st of August 1931.

Next. A new life? Perhaps!

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 7.

Resurrection and the Oceanographic Expedition 1925 - 1927

In the penultimate paragraph of Part 6 of this true story I used the word 'resurrected', I did so because in fact that is just what happened to Discovery during the latter part of 1924 and the first half of 1925, she was resurrected.

Over-fishing is a huge subject in today's world but the subject was very much alive in 1917 when discussions took place regarding whaling in the Southern Ocean. The number of whales it was feared had been dramatically reduced by over-fishing and the possibility of sending a Whaling Research Expedition to the Antarctic to study the problem, especially around the Falkland Islands, was aired. An Interdepartmental Government Committee was set up early in 1918 but its report was not published until April 1920. Briefly, the Committee recommended that the whole environment of the whale needed to be studied in order to evolve ways and means to protect it. However, it was not until 1924 that an Executive Committee was appointed to deliver the recommendations contained in the April 1920 report. Now, that's seven years after the initial discussions had taken place and although it is said that 24 hours is a long time in politics, I think you would agree that seven years is an unforgivable long time!

Two ships were needed. Discovery was purchased from the Hudson Bay Company by the Crown Agents, and a decision was taken to build a small steamship, the William Scoresby with an auxiliary sailing rig of a foresail, jib and spanker, to act as Discovery's tender. So far as the Discovery was concerned, this meant that she had to be transformed from a cargo ship back to a research ship. No mean task! Her hull had to be substantially re-built and the refit was extensive, as can be seen in the following photographs:

Discovery entering dry-dock at Vospers Shipyard in
Portsmouth, prior to her re-fit 1924/5. (Note that her upperworks had all been stripped down).

The picture above shows the severity of the 1924/5 refit.

The positions of the fore and mainmasts were moved, a wardroom was again provided with cabins for officers, scientists and crew space, all on the main deck. The re-fit was so substantial that when the Maritime Trust in the London took over the ship in the 1970s, a decision was taken that all future restoration and conservation of Discovery should be based upon her condition immediately after the Vospre's refit of 1924/5.

A lovely photograph of the Discovery under full sail, taken in the Solent when she
was on trials immediately after the Vosper's refit in 1925. 

The refit took longer than anticipated and it was not until the 5th of October 1925 that she finally set sail on her Expedition but not before she was formally appointed a Royal Research Ship for the first time. Two of the main elements of the research were to be the study of the anatomy and embryology of whales, based on a shore laboratory at Grytviken, South Georgia, and observations made at sea of the food supply and the habitat of the whale.
Her voyage South was via the Canary Islands and Ascension Island to Cape Town in South Africa. From there she proceeded to what was to become her home port for the next two years, Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Today she still proudly carries the name 'Port Stanley' painted around her stern as her registered port.

Throughout the two years she undertook a number of research voyages around the Southern Ocean calling at South Georgia and the South Shetlands among others, only visiting Simonstown in South Africa to have bilge keels fitted for the first time. The decision to make this modification was taken because the scientists on board complained that she rolled so heavily that it made their research near impossible at times. Before arriving back in England on the 29th of September 1927 after calling at a number of West African Whaling Stations on her way home, she had covered a distance of more than 37,000 miles during the course of her wanderings in the Southern Ocean. The map below plots her travels during that historic voyage. (Again my thanks to Dundee Heritage Trust for allowing me to use the image).

 

Discovery's 1925/27 adventures were to lead to further involvement in the Antarctic. That story will continue to reveal her important role in Antarctic research during 1929 and 1930 and will be told in the next part of Discovery's remarkable life.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 6.

The First World War and Beyond

Where I left off in Part 5 was when Discovery set sail for New York on the 25th of April 1915, under the continied ownership of the Hudson Cay Company in Canada, who were acting as Agents for the French Government.

The voyage acrossthe Atlantic was not without incident, bad weather dominated the journey and it was not until the 9th of JUne, 45 days after leaving Falmouth, that she eventually arrived in New York having made a brief stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for coal. The outward voyage took its toll since her rigging had to be renewed or repaired, her decks re-caulked and repairs made in the engine-room before she left New York on the 21st of June 1915 with a cargo of caustic soda, corduroy and empty bags. She was bound for Rochelle in France where she discharged her cargo and returned to Falmouth on the 30th of July 1915. Her hull again leaked badly and was repaired before she set off on a supply mission to Archangel in Northern Russia. On that voyage she carried munitions from Brest, arriving at Archangel on the 22nd of October 1915 before loading and returning to Brest with a cargo of 557 barrels of white spirit. After discharging that cargo she returned to London.

Ernest Shackleton and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition



Discovery being re-fitted at Devonport 1916



Captain James Fairweather and Discovery Officers
immediately before sailing on the rescue mission 1916.

The ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914 is a story in itself but I mention it here for two reasons. The first is that Shackleton was a member of Scott's expedition between 1901 and 1904 and was later to become a legend in his own right. Second, Shackleton's ship Endurance became trapped in the Antarctic ice, crushed and sank on the 21st of November 1915. No one knew of the whereabouts of Shackleton and his men and on the 19th of May 1916, despite the war, the Government approved sending a ship to search for Shackleton. Discovery was that ship! She was borrowed from the Hudson Bay Company, who provided the ship free of charge. Refitted at Devonport and equipped for a six month voyage she finally set sail on her voyage South on the 16th of August 1916, initially towed by the SS 'Polesey'. The plan was that she would be towed to the Falkland Islands to preserve coal, then proceed under her own power to the Antarctic to begin the search. When the tow reached Montivideo on the journey South, a message awaited telling them that Shackleton and his crew had been rescued, and that had happened on the 30th of August 1916, only two weeks after Discovery had left Devonport.

Discovery then went to Buenos Aires where she loaded a cargo of grain and returned to Plymouth on the 29th of November 1916 and was handed back to the Hudson Bay Company on the 18th of December 1916.

The First World War continued and Discovery played her part by serving in a series of convoys transporting grain and other supplies to the smaller ports in France. It was in 1918 she was to make her very last voyage to Hudson Bay and Newfoundland, something she had begun in 1905.

Now comes a period of her life when she was in Turkey, albeit briefly. Nevertheless it is worth recording. In 1919 the Powers that Be decided that she should take part in a goodwill trade mission to the Black Sea. She left Hull on the 25th of July 1919 accompanied by a ship called Pelican and they both sailed to Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. On arrival Discovery discharged 100 tons of boots, clothing and linen. The civil war in Russia was raging at this time and Novorossiysk was one of the main headquarters of Denekin's White Army, so again Discovery was doing her duty but this time in a different part of the world, and not the safest of parts either. She loaded again and sailed for Rostov on the Sea of Azov but discharged on the 9th of October 1919 in Taganrog nearby. Back in Novorossiysk she went where she loaded 3,936 barrels of cement, this took five days before she sailed for Constantinople (Istanbul) on the 15th of November 1919.

Whatever happened on her arrival in Constantinople, or shortly before her arrival, is vague. The result was that she did not discharge in Constantinople but was sent to Piraeus, the Port for Athens, Greece and arrived there on the 1st of December 1919 where she discharged the cement.

She returned to Constantinople empty and between the 26th of January and the 8th of February, 1920, loaded a general cargo of nuts, rugs, carpets, copper, caviar, mohair and other goods, which were scarce in Britain due to the ravishes of war. She left Constantinople on the 11th of February and arrived back in East India Dock in London on the 11th of March 1920.

The above diagram shows the track taken by Discovery during her time in the Black Sea in late 1919 and early 1920. Again I am indebted to Dundee Heritage Trust, Dundee, Scotland, for allowing me to use the above historical material.

After her return to London in March 1920, the Hudson Bay Company tried to find work for her but without success. She was laid up in West India Dock, London and remained there until 1923 when she would be resurrected again to lead a full life doing what she was designed to do.

That is yet another story. It is a story that involved countries on the opposite side of the World but with the same purpose, Antarctic Exploration! Watch this space!

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 5.

Life after the Antarctic Expedition

The Discovery arrived and berthed in the East India Dock, London from Portsmouth on the 15th of September 1904 and the National Antarctic Expedition as it had been named, was brought to a conclusion at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on the 7th of November of the same year. Captain Robert Falcon Scott, who then had become known as Scott of the Antarctic, delivered a lecture on his expedition's experiences. He became the cult figure of the day but would never sail on the Discovery again.

The reason for this is sadly simple. The Joint Committee of the British Antarctic Expedition had no money, and, in 1905, on the 17th of January of that year to be precise, Discovery was sold to the Hudson Bay Company for a sum far below what she was considered to be worth. Now, today, that company is the oldest corporation in Canada, having been founded in the year 1670. In 1905 it was, more or less, confined to outlets in Hudson Bay on the East Coast of Canada where ships could not visit during the long winter months because that Bay was iced in. No great icebreakers then to keep the navigation channels open for as long as was possible!!

It may be that because of her design to cope with Antarctic ice, Discovery was seen as a valuable acquisition at the time. Indeed, she was soon converted to a cargo vessel and began a series of return voyages from London across the Atlantic Ocean to Hudson Bay.

Discovery's routes to and from the Hudson Bay area 1905 - 1911

Her outward bound cargo would have been varied and apart from the usual foodstuffs, she would have carried a quantity of gunpowder and ammunition. On the return voyage, furs would have made up the bulk of her cargo. What is certain is that she again endured ice-infested waters, only this time it was at the other end of the globe. To give the reader some idea of how long these voyages lasted, in 1905 Captained by one Alexander Grey, she left London on the 15th of June arriving in Hudson Bay on the 27th of August where she discharged and loaded again, then  departed for London on the 8th of September before the Bay iced up, arriving at her destination on the 3rd of November 1905. So it was only possible to complete one voyage per year. One cannot imagine the hardships that the officers and crew experienced during the five months of the voyage. The North Atlantic is a dangerous enough ocean and it was made doubly so by the presence of ice. Think about waking up in the morning to find yourself surrounded by enormous ice-bergs, each looming high above the main-mast head. Awe inspiring? Frightening? Intimidating? Or just another day at the office, as I'm sure it turned out to be for those brave sailors.

The two photographs above show Discovery as a cargo ship. The upper one is from a painting by Thomas G Purvis, and now with the Hudson Bay Company, while the other shows her barque rigged; both are dated 1911.

The Discovery served the Hudson Bay Company for 18 years of her life with some interruptions. In 1912 she was replaced by a new steamship specially constructed for Arctic navigation and laid up in London. Next year, 1913, a British Antarctic Oceanographic Expedition was planned for 1914-15 and a deposit was paid to the Hudson Bay Company for the use of the Discovery on that expedition. However, the purchase was never completed and she remained in the ownership of the Hudson Bay Company.

Then, of course, in 1914 the First World War began and, in 1915, Discovery became one of about 300 ships managed by the Hudson Bay Company on behalf of the French Government. These ships were used to transport war materials, food and manufactured goods for the French Army, and later, for civilian needs. After having been laid up in London for four years she would have been in no fit state to put to sea. She had to be refitted and, in wartime, cost takes a back seat, so she underwent an extensive re-fit, including all her rigging. After this work had been completed in London, she left Falmouth in ballast for New York on the 25th of April 1915.

Since the next five years or so is another particularly interesting time in the Old Girl's life it is best I lump it together in the next part of this true story of the RRS 'Discovery'.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Part 4.

Trapped in the Ice

When the Discovery was frozen in at the head of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica on the 8th of February 1902 it had been pre-planned that that should happen. The expectation was that the ship would remain frozen in until the end of the Antarctic winter and sometime during the month of September ice conditions would return to a state where Discovery could, once again, float free and resume her voyage of exploration.

The scientists and crew settled down to a regular routine while at the same time fighting against the elements as winter took hold. Observations and experiments, recording what had been done to date, eating, sleeping and generally working together as a team. It is difficult to visualise the hardships they faced day after day. The Antarctic winter is long with more than a hundred days without the sight of sunshine. Imagine a night that lasts more than a hundred days! It takes a particular type of person to survive in such conditions, but survive they did. To recall all that happened during this time is not the purpose of this story but there are many, many books to provide a detailed account of Discovery's time stuck in the ice: among these are the works of Scott, 1905; Armitage, 1905 and Bernacchi, 1938.

The above photograph is of Able Seaman James Dell and his team of six dogs born during the first winter in the Antarctic 1902.

During the latter part of the winter when the ice starts to thaw, a great movement of the surface takes place. This movement causes massive pressures to be exerted upon the hull of a ship, especially one that is stuck hard. The noise within the hull would have been deafening at times as Discovery fought to remain intact, when many a lesser wooden ship had been crushed and lost forever. Indeed records show that many were and it is another feather in the cap of those who designed and built her that she lived and allowed her crew to tell the tale.

Morning departs 2nd March 1903

The winter of 1902 was particularly severe and when the time came for Discovery to break free from the ice she remained stuck fast. Despite determined efforts by everyone on board she did not move and the prospect of spending another winter trapped became increasingly real. A relief ship, named Morning, loaded with supplies had left London on the 9th of July 1902 and arrived at McMurdo Sound, via Lyttelton, on the 24th of January 1903 and made contact with Discovery. What a glad sight she must have been to Scott and his crew and how their hopes of breaking free must have surged. However, following failed, frantic attempts to release Discovery the relief supplies were transferred from the Morning and that ship left McMurdo Sound on the 2nd of March 1903, leaving Discovery to her fate. One can but imagine the thoughts of Discovery's men as they watched Morning disappear from view; devastated and depressed may well have been the reaction. No matter. Scott and his crew tried valiantly for the next ten days to free her from her ice shackled, but to no avail. They gave up on the 13th of March 1903 and made preparations to spend a second winter in the clutches of Antarctica.

Discovery's state frozen in 1902 - 1904



The second winter passed as the first with sledge journeys inland for surveying and scientific research until the second relief expedition by the Morning, this time accompanied by the Terra Nova, entered the Sound on the 5th of January 1904. Discovery by this time was still frozen in solid some 20 miles from open water. Over the next five weeks strenuous efforts efforts, using every possible means available, including explosives, were made to break up the ice, which was up to seven feet thick. A decision was taken that the relief ships would depart not later than the 25th of February 1904. It looked as if Discovery would have to be abandoned and left to her fate, so supplies and equipment were transferred from her to her relief ships ready for their departure. On the 8th of February Discovery was still six miles from open water and the relief ships. Then came a monumental change! The ice began to break up allowing the relief ships to move in closer to Discovery and it was at 10;30 pm on the 14th of February that the Terra Nova finally broke through the last of the ice pack and freed Discovery, when a short time before all had been considered lost.

Morning and Terra Nova approaching Discovery 14th February 1904





On the 17th of February 1904 Discovery raised steam and set her sails and, with her companion ships, left McMurdo Sound bound for Portsmouth via Lyttelton in New Zealand. She arrived back home on the 10th of September 1904 to great celebration.

Next. Discovery continues her adventures but in another role.

The Royal Reasearch Ship 'Discovery' Part 3

Lyttelton, New Zealand and Arrival Antarctica

When Discovery arrived at Lyttelton Harbour on the 29th of November 1901 she had sailed over 7,000 miles from Cape Town at an average speed of 8.5 mph, or in nautical terms about 7.5 knots. However, during the voyage she had made a number of record daily runs, the best being 223 nautical miles, an average of 9.3 knots over the 24 hour period, which means that her headway during the times she encountered bad weather must have been reduced to a little more than a slow walking pace.

The welcome she and her crew received on arrival was both generous and curious. Generous, because that's what New Zealanders are like, curious because her reasons for calling at the port, apart from the voyage repairs that had to be done, were unlike any ship that had called before. She was a modern equipped exploration ship and, as such, the small community was intrigued by her construction and equipment.

The repairs that had to be done to the hull in order to stop the leaks were carried out at a furious rate, both by the crew and shore contractors. The detail of those repairs and overhaul was such that it would blunt the flow of this story if it were to be included. Suffice it to say that all was completed by Christmas Eve 1901 when she sailed from Lyttelton to call briefly at Port Chalmers in Dunedin to load the maximum of coal that she could take before departing for Antarctic waters.

The first iceberg was sighted on the 2nd of January 1902, then, under engine power and sail she slipped through a 270 mile belt of pack-ice in just five days.

The above reproduces Discovery's track from Cape Town to the Ross Sea via Lyttelton, New Zealand 1901-02.

First Discovery anchored in Robertson Bay where there was a hut and stores left by a previous expedition some time before. Letters were left to be collected by her relief ship. She resumed her voyage of discovery and on the 21st of January 1902, turned East to follow Ross's 'Great Barrier Reef' where scientists did some survey work before she turned Westward again on the 1st of February. Her purpose then was to set up winter quarters in a small ice-filled bay, which became known as 'Winter Harbour' and was located at the head of the McMurdo Sound, near the tip of Ross Island. Securely berthed using her anchors, Discovery became frozen in on the 8th of February 1902. A hut was built on solid ground that became known as 'Hut Point' and the ship herself was made ready for wintering.

Little did Scott and his crew realise that the intention to spend one winter at that location would not come to pass. Further hardships awaited them and the stories of these have been told in many volumes, including Scott's own in 1905. I diversify! The next part of this story will attempt to give the reader an indication of what did happen after the 8th of February 1902.

 Discovery at her winter quarters in McMurdo Sound February 1902

RRS 'Discovery' Part 2.

Preparations and Departure to Antarctica

During the building of the Discovery in Dundee a great deal of discussion within the Ship Committee took place on who should lead the expedition. Eventually Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott (later to become Captain) was chosen, not only to lead the expedition but to captain the ship as well. It was a shrewd appointment, he was a clever man with command experience and, as it was to prove, a born explorer. Scott of the Antarctic as he would later become known, was appointed in June 1900 and set bout gathering a team around him, officers, scientists and Dr Edward Wilson, a surgeon and accomplished artist who later became his close friend.

The National Antarctic Expedition was headquartered in Burlington House, Piccadilly. London and it was from there that the expedition was organised. Provision lists for three years, not two as had been earlier suggested, were drawn up and ordered: clothing, both tropical and polar; sledges; tents; furs; and a great amount of other equipment had to be selected and purchased. In order to keep costs down donations in kind were solicited. The coming Expedition came to the attention of the public and manufacturers of all sorts of items and foodstuffs clamoured to get their names on the list of benefactors.

On the 20th of May 1901 the Aims of the Expedition were issued and the principal objectives as issued to Scott were as follows:

• to determine, as far as possible, the nature, condition, and the extent of that portion of the South Polar Lands which is included in the scope of your expedition; and

to make a magnetic survey in the southern regions to the south of the 40th parallel, and to carry out meteorological, oceanographic, geological, biological and physical investigations and researches. Neither of these objectives is to be sacrificed to the other.

Reading these objectives today seems a trivial exercise but back in 1901 Discovery was about to sail for uncharted waters with little or no information of what might be found there. Luckily, long before that year, the world was no longer considered to be flat, so the only certainty that existed among those on board regarding their destination was that they were unlikely to sail over the edge and be lost forever. 

The beginning of June 1901 found the ship in East India Dock in London where final preparations and loading for the epic voyage were completed. At the end of July she sailed from London to spend a short time berthed at Cowes on the Isle of Wight during the highlight yachting meeting of the year, Cowes Week. \the importance of the Expedition was underlined when King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra visited the Discovery on the 5th of August 1901, a moment recorded by the Illustrated London News by the following photograph:



The day after the King's visit, 6th August 1901, Discovery set sail extremely heavily loaded with every last ounce of stores that could be carried. The route Scott planned to follow to Antarctica took Discovery first to Cape Town in South Africa, onwards to New Zealand before arriving in Antarctica in the Ross Sea at the beginning of the summer of 1902, in order to have a full season there after penetrating the ice pack from the North.

On her voyage South from Cowes she anchored off Funchal, Madeira, for a short spell to send mail and take on some fresh produce. Scott felt a little concerned at the slow progress she was making but in her fully loaded state her engines had stood up very well to those first 33 days at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Discovery arrived at Cape Town on the 3rd of October 1901, replenished her coal and other necessary supplies before departing for Lyttelton in New Zealand on the 27th of October. She reached that port on the 29th of November 1901 after having endured a succession of gales and very heavy seas that tested her seaworthiness to the utmost. The stresses on her heavily laden hull as she pitched, tossed and rolled in the extreme conditions would have set up a continuous complaint by the ship's wooden structure in the form of loud creaks and groans as the timbers were forced to fight off the forces of the wind and sea. Living conditions would have stretched human endurance, hammocks slung from the beams would have taken the sleeping occupant through an angle of more than 60 degrees at times as the ship rolled greater than 30 degrees on either side of upright. Because of the way she was loaded the rolling cycle would have been quick, taking her from 30 degrees on one side to 30 degrees on the other in less than 20 seconds. Imagine the pendulum of a great clock, ticking away, day after day, night after night; that was how the Discovery behaved except, rather than it being regular, it would have been punctuated by the violent climbing up a wave only to come crashing down its other side.

Spare a thought for the cook in these conditions, because the crew needed food to provide the body with the strength and energy to cope with the rigours of sailing in such wild and turbulent waters. Somehow food was always available at the appointed times and the heroics of the cook remained unmentioned. Those were hard times and they were hard men.

'The Roaring Forties', as that line of latitude is known, constantly lives up to its name and along its line lies many a valiant sailing ship, miles down on the seabed, struck down by the wrath of the waters above.

Discovery did not come through the voyage to Lyttelton unscathed however, she leaked and she leaked badly. It was all the crew could do in the latter stages of the voyage to keep the incoming water under control. In the years afterwards the condition was to become known as 'The Dundee Leak' and the shipwrights in Dundee were none too happy about that. Many theories have been put abroad concerning the leak, my own humble opinion is that it was caused by the great burden of stores, coal and scientific material that were near too much for her bones to carry in the sea conditions she had endured. To my mind it is a great tribute to the skill of the shipwrights in Dundee that she reached New Zealand in the first instance where her wounds could be healed before she embarked to her ultimate destination -Antarctica.

The photographs that have appeared already in my articles and will appear in future ones are either ones held in the archives of Dundee Heritage Trust, from whom I have permission to reproduce, or they are my own. The quality of the reproduction of the older photographs I may be able to improve in due course, even so, they lend a little to providing a vision of times gone by.

Next: Antarctica and its problems.

The Royal Research Ship 'Discovery' Part 1.

Introduction

The story begins right at the end of the 19th century, 1899 to be exact, when a group of individuals met at the Royal Geographic Society's offices in London. Discussion turned to Antarctic exploration, or the lack of it, for many years before. It was a fact that knowledge of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica was sparse, with little known about that cold continent's habitat. Previously, in 1875/76, a converted Dundee trawler with Sir George Nares on board had made a successful historic research voyage to the Arctic and her name had been 'Discovery'.Why not plan to build a ship along the same lines as the original but strengthened and modified to cope with Antarctic conditions? Why not indeed! A prestigious Ship Committee was set up specifically and a decision to build was taken on the 26th of April 1899. Discovery proved to be one of the last wooden, three-masted sailing ships to be built in Britain; though she had an auxiliary engine; she was the first ship to be constructed entirely for Antarctic research. Research ships previously had been modified versions of old Royal Navy ships and, except for the 1875 Discovery, quite unfit for the purpose intended.

In drawing up the final design, W.E. Smith (Later to become Sir William Smith), the Naval Architect, decided on one major design change from that of the old Discovery. The new-build would be ten feet longer than the old in order to provide that the Captain's accommodation was located in the mid-ships main block. Traditionally on Royal Naval ships the Captain's accommodation would have been separate at the stern of the ship where he enjoyed better living conditions as befitted his rank. In the case of the new Discovery it was recognised that in adverse weather or in snow and ice conditions the Captain could be cut off from the rest of his officers and men, leaving them leaderless. Money was found with some difficulty and the project was put out to tender.

Construction

The speed of change in modern technology in recent years is well known but back in the year 1900 when the tender documents for the building of the Discovery were sent out to a number of shipyards around the United Kingdom, the Industrial Revolution that had swept through the Western World during the past 50 years of the 18th century had created changes as never before. Since the 1860s steel and steam had taken over the shipbuilding industry in the UK and elsewhere and, as a result, only two completed tender documents were received by the Ship Committee. Most shipyards had stopped building wooden ships and of the two tenders received, only one satisfied the Committee's  criteria, Dundee Shipbuilders Company in Scotland. Even then there was a great deal of negotiation and modification in order to get to the original budgeted build cost. However, the Dundee shipbuilder had the capacity to build such a specialist ship due to its long tradition of whaler construction, which required knowledge of the use of wood in Arctic conditions.
The keel was laid in the Panmure Shipyard in Dundee on the 16th of March 1900 and Discovery was completed and launched on the 21st of March 1901 at a cost of £34,050 (US$53,800) plus another £10,322 (US$16,310) for the engines.

Apart from the exceptionally strong wooden construction the ship had other ground breaking features incorporated in her design. 43 officers, scientists and crew had to be accommodated and she had to carry two years supply of food. Provision for scientific research included a laboratory room and a magnetic observatory with no magnetic metals within a 3o feet radius of it in all directions. This latter innovation proved to be problematic for a Mr E. Bate, a retired Inspector of Shipwrights, formally of Portsmouth Dockyard, who had been appointed to oversee the construction of the hull of the Discovery. The story goes that as the hull was nearing completion and furniture fitted in the accommodation, tests showed the presence of magnetic metals within the 30 feet radius of the magnetic laboratory. Checks were carried out without identifying the guilty source. Perplexed, Bate sat down on a leather cushioned bench in the accommodation and, during his deliberations, he absentmindedly turned one of the leather covered studs that held the cushion together. It came away in his fingers to reveal a little steel core. He picked at it without realising he had the culprit in the palm of his hand, then it dawned slowly like the sunrise in the morning; he looked down at the small button of steel and immediately ordered that all of the leather cushions, wherever they were on the ship, be removed immediately and the steel studs replaced by brass ones. Such was the detail that went in to the construction of the Discovery.
Her hull was built entirely of wood except for a full steel bulkhead between the officer's quarters and the boiler-room, and a partial steel bulkhead between the boiler-room and the engine-room. The keel and false keel were of English Oak and measures 46 cms wide and 43 cms deep. From this keel rose massive frames of English Oak, 30cms wide and up to 35 cms thick. The thickness of the timbers at the water-line was not less than 66 cms.
Outside the frames the lowest part of the hull was planked using English Elm, 15 to 18 cms thick and doubling planks, 10 cms thick of Greenheart, that magnificent hardwood and near indestructable timber protected her outer hull from the ravages of the ice that she would endure in due course.

Next, preparations for her first voyage down to the Southern Ocean.

Historical Wooden Ship Conservation and Restoration

The conservation of historic wooden ships throughout the world is a fascinating subject allowing people like myself to delve into history in order to get the facts right before advising others how to bring a particular historic ship back to its original or former condition. There are many pitfalls. First and foremost is how does one determine what constitutes a historic wooden ship? The answer lies in how important a role did the particular ship play in local, national or international maritime history, it should be more than 50 years old, over 35 metres in length and in reasonable condition. This brings about great debate since the ship may have played an important role in local maritime history but be unknown nationally and internationally. In which case the burden of future restoration and conservation will fall upon the local community and it is entirely likely that the idea of promoting the local ship to historical status in the first place came from a handful of local enthusiasts. The local project may get started but records show that the majority are doomed to fail.

National recognition is therefore a must. The ship must be significant in terms of a nation's maritime history but even then the future of the ship will greatly depend upon the support it receives from the local and national community.

International recognition of a historic wooden ship's status will result in its long term survival but even then it needs a carefully planned and managed support structure.

The official voice of National Historic Ships in the United Kingdom records 1,091 ships on its Register; 210 of these comprising the more important and are included as part of the Historic Ships Fleet.

As is always the case in this world of ours it all comes down to money. Restoration and conservation requires big money support and a few recent examples of historical ship projects in the United Kingdom provides an insight into how important it is to be aware of the cost burden before embarking on such ambitious works. The period comered by the following figures is 2000 - 2010.

'Cutty Sark'    exceeded £45m (US$72m)

'Mary Rose'    exceeded £35m (US$56m)

'Great Britain' exceeded £15m (US$24m)

The above are, perhaps, extreme examples but the average ordinary project cost is rarely less than £1m (US$1.6m). With so many ships registered the struggle for financial assistance to keep many of the ships in existence in the longer term seems nigh impossible and it is likely that many will not survive.

Waterfront development sites are big business in many parts of the world and often the facal point in many of these developments is a historic ship. London with its SS 'Cutty Sark' and HMS 'Belfast', to name but two; Bristol with the SS 'Great Britain; Hartlipool with 'Trincomalee'; Glasgow with 'Glenlee' and Dundee with the RRS 'Discovery' and HMS 'Unicorn', are examples of this. It also illustrates that the survival of each historic ship depends upon how much money can be generated for its on-going upkeep and maintenance. It is well known that this cannt be achieved by revenues generated by the ship alone but depends to a great extent on its support infrastructure. In the current hard financial climate it has become more difficult to fund even small restoration and conservation historic ship projects and this is where people like me and media outlets such as Google can create awareness of the historic side of our International Maritime Heritage, which many people throughout the world take for granted, ignorant of the hard work and dedication that goes into the education and enjoyment that a visit to a grand old ship provides.

Over the next few weeks or months I would like to tell the story of the RRS 'Discovery', including a recent restoration nd conservation project tha I had the great fortune to manage. It is a story that begins in th year 1899 and continues to the present day tracing the ship's working life from the day she was launched in Dundee, Scotland, to the Antarctic and Southern Oceans, to Canada's Hudson Bay, to Europs and, would you believe the Black Sea.

A picture of the RRS 'Discovery' as she is today:

      

Bad Start

Tried to start blog yesterday, got confused and now will start again.
I currently am a columnist in the SunExpress newspaper in Fethiye, Turkey, writing an article every two weeks or so about the Royal Research Ship 'Discovery'. Problems with the internet connection of the newspaper have meant that when my articles are published on its site on the internet comments from readers are not shown, or are shown incompletely. I thought therefore I would try to reach a wider audience through Google - so, hopefully, watch this blog site