First years Discovery Expedition

1 first years

1.1 outward journey
1.2 winter quarters bay
1.3 southern journey

first years

a modern photograph of discovery s old anchorage in winter quarters bay, mcmurdo sound, alongside hut point hut in right background


outward journey

discovery left isle of wight on 6 august 1901, , arrived in new zealand via cape town on 29 november after detour below 40°s magnetic survey. quail island in lyttelton harbour used quarantine station expedition s dogs. after 3 weeks of final preparation ready journey south. on 21 december, ship leaving lyttelton cheers of large crowds, young able seaman, charles bonner, fell death top of mainmast, had climbed return crowd s applause. buried @ port chalmers, 2 days later.

discovery sailed south, arriving @ cape adare on 9 january 1902. after brief landing , examination of remains of borchgrevink s camp, ship continued southwards along victoria land coast. @ mcmurdo sound discovery turned eastward, touching land again @ cape crozier pre-arranged message point set relief ships able locate expedition. followed barrier eastern extremity where, on 30 january, land predicted ross confirmed, , named king edward vii land.

on 4 february, scott landed on barrier , unpacked observation balloon had acquired aerial surveys. scott climbed aboard , rapidly ascended above 600 feet (180 m) in firmly tethered balloon. shackleton followed second flight. either see unending barrier surface. wilson privately thought flights perfect madness .

winter quarters bay

general view of huts.

discovery proceeded westward in search of permanent quarters. on 8 february entered mcmurdo sound , later day anchored in spot near southern limit afterwards christened winter quarters bay. wilson wrote: realized our extreme fortune in being led such winter quarter this, safe ship, perfect shelter ice pressure. stoker lashly, however, thought looked dreary place. work began ashore erection of expedition s huts on rocky peninsula designated hut point. scott had decided expedition should continue live , work aboard ship, , allowed discovery frozen sea ice, leaving main hut used storeroom , shelter.

the vince memorial cross, erected on hut point promontory

of entire party, none skilled skiers , bernacchi , armitage had experience dog-sledges. results of men s efforts master these techniques not encouraging, , tended reinforce scott s preference man-hauling. dangers of unfamiliar conditions confirmed when, on 11 march, party returning attempted journey cape crozier became stranded on icy slope during blizzard. in attempts find safer ground, 1 of group, able seaman george vince, slid on edge of cliff , killed. body never recovered; cross simple inscription, erected in memory, still stands @ summit of hut point promontory.

during winter months of may–august scientists busy in laboratories, while elsewhere equipment , stores prepared next season s work. relaxation there amateur theatricals, , educational activities in form of lectures. newspaper, south polar times, edited shackleton. outside pursuits did not cease altogether; there football on ice, , schedule of magnetic , meteorological observations maintained. winter ended, trial sledge runs resumed, test equipment , rations in advance of planned southern journey scott, wilson , shackleton undertake. meanwhile, party under royds travelled cape crozier leave message @ post there, , discovered emperor penguin colony. group, under armitage, reconnoitred in mountains west, returning in october expedition s first symptoms of scurvy. armitage later blamed outbreak on scott s sentimental objection slaughter of animals fresh meat. entire expedition s diet revised, , trouble thereafter contained.

southern journey

scott, wilson , shackleton left on 2 november 1902 dogs , supporting parties. goal far south in straight line on barrier ice can, reach pole if possible, or find new land . first significant milestone passed on 11 november, when supporting party passed borchgrevink s farthest south record of 78°50′. however, lack of skill dogs evident, , progress slow. after support parties had returned, on 15 november, scott s group began relaying loads (taking half loads forward, returning other half), travelling 3 miles every mile of southward progress. mistakes had been made dogs food, , dogs grew weaker, wilson forced kill weakest food others. men, too, struggling, afflicted snow blindness, frostbite , symptoms of scurvy, continued southwards in line mountains west. christmas day celebrated double rations, , christmas pudding shackleton had kept occasion, hidden socks. on 30 december 1902, without having left barrier, reached furthest south @ 82°17′s. troubles multiplied on home journey, remaining dogs died , shackleton collapsed scurvy. wilson s diary entry 14 january 1903 acknowledged have slight, though definite symptoms of scurvy . scott , wilson struggled on, shackleton, unable pull, walking alongside , carried on sledge. party reached ship on 3 february 1903 after covering 960 miles (1,540 km) including relays, in 93 days travel @ daily average of on 10 miles (16 km).

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