Nelson's Arctic Voyage

The Royal Navy’s first polar expedition 1773

Nelson's Arctic Voyage cover

Nelson's Arctic Voyage

The Royal Navy’s first polar expedition 1773

Description

A detailed account of the Royal Navy's near fatal expedition into the polar regions in 1773--with the young Horatio Nelson on board.

In the summer of 1773 the 14-year old Horatio Nelson took part in an expedition to the Arctic, which came close to ending his naval career before it had begun. Two bomb vessels, HMS Racehorse and Carcass, were fitted out and strengthened under the command of Captain Hon. Constantine Phipps for an expedition to find the Northwest Passage. It was an extremely cold Arctic summer and the ships became locked in ice unable to cut their way out for days until the wind changed and the ice broke up. The ships were eventually extricated and sailed home, and the legend of Horatio Nelson began.

During the voyage, the young Nelson had command of one of the smaller boats of the ships, a four-oared cutter manned by twelve seamen. In this he helped save the crew of one of the Racehorse's boats from an attack by a herd of enraged walruses. He also had a more famous encounter with a polar bear while attempting to obtain a bearskin as a present for his father, an exploit that later became part of the Nelson legend.

Drawing on the ship's journals, and expedition commander Phipps' log from the National Archives, Nelson's Arctic Voyage creates a fascinating picture of the expedition and life on board. Using the ships' muster books it also details the ship's crews, explaining the different roles and ranks aboard. Nelson's Arctic Voyage is illustrated using the ship's drawings, charts, as well as objects used aboard, accompanied by a navigational chart of the route taken.

Nelson's Arctic Voyage also examines the concept of naval exploration as put forth by Joseph Banks and the Royal Society. The near failure of the expedition as a result of poor planning--with potentially tragic results--demonstrates the difficulties and uncertainties of such expeditions. Nelson's Arctic Voyage also provides a unique glimpse at a great naval commander at the earliest stage of his career, analyzing how the experience might have shaped his later career and attitudes. Other great captains and voyages are discussed alongside Nelson, including Captain Cook and his exploration of the south seas and the later ill-fated northern journeys of Franklin and Shackleton.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Royal Society Mission for Exploration
3. Captain James Cook and the South Seas
4. The Quest for the North-west Passage
5. Admiralty Planning and Organization
5. Ships: Carcass and Racehorse
6. The Commanders
7. Preparing and Equipping the Expedition
8. Manning the Ships
9. Young Nelson enters into the Carcass
10. The Voyage Commences
11. Robin Hood Bay
12. Svalbard and the Norwegian Archipelago
13. "Seahorses" Flora and Fauna
14. Nelson and the "Incident of the Polar Bear"?
15. Ice-bound and Abandoning Ship
16. Failure and Return
17. Conclusions

Product details

Published Jul 16 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 416
ISBN 9781472954176
Imprint Adlard Coles
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Peter Goodwin

Peter Goodwin is widely acknowledged as one of the…

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