DISCOVERY’S NEW VOYAGE.

Shannon News, 28 September 1923, Page 4

DISCOVERY’S NEW VOYAGE.

RESEARCH INTO WHALING. MIGRATIONS OF THE MAMMALS. Scott’s Antarctic ship Discovery was recently purchased by the Crown Agents for the Colonies, on behalf of the Government of the Falkland Islands to be employed principally in research into whaling in South Georgia and the South Shetlands, which are dependencies of the Colony (states the “Morning Post”) There is a. very large whaling industry in these dependencies, and the present amount of scientific knowledge regarding the number and habits of the whales is insufficient to enable the industry to be controlled in such a way as to afford security against depletion of the stock.

The principal task,' for which tho Discovery will be employed is to ascertain the geographical limits of the stock of whales, to trace their mlgra. tions, and to form someidea of their numbers and the rate of reproduction. But the expedition will also afford opportunities for adding to scientific knowledge in many other directions, and particularly in oceanography meteorology and magnetism. The work .will be generally on the lines recommended in the report of the Interdepartmental Committee on Research and Development in the dependencies.

The Discovery will require exten. sive reconstruction, and it is not anticipated that she will be ready to sail before next year. The enterprise will be carried out under the instruction of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the Duke of Devonshire is taking steps for the appointment of an executive committee to undertake the management.

It is proposed that the Colonial Office, the Admiralty, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the British Museum (Natural History), and the Royal Geographical Society should .be represented upon the executive committee. The committee will keep in close touch with other institutions and Individuals who are interested in Antarctic research.

The Discovery was specially built for the first national Antarctic Expedition under Captain Scott, at a cost of £51,000. She was a woodden vessel, with frame of solid oak, and some difficulty was experienced in arranging for her construction, which was eventually undertaken by the Dundee Shipbuilding Company. The architect was Mr W. E. Smith, Chief Naval Con. structor, and no pains were spared to make her as perfect as possible for the work contemplated. Captain Scott described her as ''‘the finest vessel which, was ever built for exploring purposes.” Her registered tonnage was 485, length between perpendiculars 172 feet, and breadth 34 feet. She was fitted with two cylindrical boilers, arranged to work at a pressure of 150 pounds per square inch, and a set of triple expansion engines designed to give 450 indicated horse power. A large area of the hull was kept entirely free from any magnetic metal so that the most delicate magnetic observations could be made on board. Her keel was laid in March, 1900, and in March, 1901, she was launched and named the Discovery by Lady Markham, wife of Sir Clement Markham, president of the Royal Geographical Society. She sailed from Cowes in August, 1901, and in February, 1902. took up her quarters in the Antarctic in*McMurdo Sound at the western end of Ross’ Great Ic.e Barrier. There she remained for the next two years, serving as the base for the extensive explorations which were carried out by the expedition till its return in 1904. Afterwards she was offered to the Admiralty, to be kept for scientific exploration, but the offer was refused, and she was sold to the Hudson Bay Campany for £IO,OOO.