HMS Discovery (1789)

HMS "Discovery" was a Royal Navy ship best known as the lead ship in George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his 1791-1795 expedition.

"Discovery" was built at the Randall & Brents shipyard in London in 1789. Originally intended for a round-the-world voyage focussing on the South Seas whaling groundscite book
author=Naish, John
title=The Interwoven Lives of George Vancouver, Archibald Menzies, Joseph Whidbey and Peter Puget: The Vancouver Voyage of 1791-1795
publisher=The Edward Mellen Press, Ltd.
year=1996|id=ISBN 0-7734-8857-X] , she was named after the previous HMS "Discovery", one of the ships on James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific Ocean, on which Vancouver had served as a midshipman. She was ship-rigged, of 330 tons displacement, and had a standard complement of 100, including a widow's man.cite web
url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mymhiwe:@field(DOCID+@lit(mymhiwef897p9m4div13))
title=Muster Table of His Majesties Sloop The Discovery
year=1791
accessdate=December 15|accessyear=2006
publisher=Admiralty Records in the Public Record Office, U.K.]

The Voyage

"(See also: Vancouver Expedition)"

"Discovery" was built for a voyage of exploration to the Southern whale fisheries. Her Captain was Henry Roberts and Vancouver his 1st Lieutenant.

However, the Nootka Crisis lead Roberts and Vancouver to be posted elsewhere. "Discovery" was used as a depot ship for processing victims of the press gang. When the Nootka Sound Convention ended the crisis, Vancouver was given command of "Discovery" and ordered to take possession of Nootka Sound, and related exploratory tasks.

In 1791, "Discovery" set out in company with "HMS Chatham". They stopped at Cape Town, and then explored the south coast of Australia. In King George Sound, her naturalist and surgeon Archibald Menzies collected various plant species including the "Banksia grandis" the first recording of the Banksia genus in Western Australia. [For People & Plants Quarterly journal Issue 55 published by Friends of Kings Park] . Proceeding to Hawai'i, "Discover" helping impress Kamehameha I with the reach of British power; in 1795 he allied himself to Britain, according to Vancouver's report, although there is some dispute whether Kamehameha's side of the story would be the same.

Over the course of the next four years, Vancouver surveyed the northern Pacific Ocean coast in "Discovery" and wintered in Spanish California and Hawai'i. Vancouver named many features after friends and associates, including:
* Mt. Baker, named after 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker, the first on the expedition to spot it
* Mount St. Helens, named after Alleyne Fitzherbert, 1st Baron St Helens
* Puget Sound, after "Discovery's" lieutenant Peter Pugetcite book
author=Wing, Robert and Newell, Gordon
title=Peter Puget: Lieutenant on the Vancouver Expedition, fighting British naval officer, the man for whom Puget Sound was named
publisher=Gray Beard Publishing
year=1979|id=ISBN 0-933686-00-5] , who explored its southern reaches.

"Discovery"'s primary mission was to assert British control of the Northwest Coast, with the hand-over of the Spanish Fort San Miguel at Nootka Sound; exploration in co-operation with the Spanish as an important secondary objective. The explorations were successful and relations with the Spanish went well; resupply in California were especially helpful. Vancouver and the overall Spanish commander Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra were on the most friendly terms until the latter's untimely death. Indeed, they initially gave the name "Vancouver and Quadra's Island" to what is today known as Vancouver Island.

However, Vancouver and Quadra had conflicting instructions about the disposition of Nootka Sound. Four years of dispatches with their home governments failed to bring a resolution, so in a purely formal sense, "Discovery"'s mission failed. However, that mission is scarcely notable today and is greatly eclipsed by its successes.

It is remarkable that during "Discovery"'s five-year voyage, only six sailors were lost, all in accidents; none died from scurvey or violence.

Afterwards

"Discovery" suffered severe wear on its long voyage, returning to England in 1795 seriously in need of a refit, but with her home country more in need of war vessels than of exploration ships. In 1799, she was converted to a bomb vessel. She took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801. "Discovery" was converted to a convict ship in 1818 and broken up in 1834.

Among the notable persons who served on "Discovery"'s great voyage:
* Captain George Vancouver
* 1st Lieutenant Zachary Mudge (promoted to admiral in 1849)
* 2nd Lieutenant Peter Puget (promoted to rear admiral in 1821)
* 3rd Lieutenant Joseph Baker (Post Captain in 1809)
* Master Joseph Whidbey (later a naval engineer noted for the breakwater at Plymouth)
* William Robert Broughton, initially in command of "Chatham", later a Rear-Admiral
* Archibald Menzies, naturalist and surgeon
* Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford, sent back to England in disgrace.

References

External links

* [http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/ships/html/sh_027300_hmsdiscover2.htm Ships of the World entry]