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.
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.
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