James Weddell 1787-1834 James Weddell joined the Navy in 1796 and by 1815 had risen to the rank of Master earning him high marks from his superiors in the process. In 1819 he joined the Merchant Service and was introduced to a shipwright named James Strachan who, along with several other partners, owned a 160 ton brig. Weddell persuaded Strachan to give him command of the ship for a sealing expedition to the newly discovered South Shetland Islands. Even though Wedd ...

Jules-Sebastien-Cesar Dumont d'Urville 1790-1842 On January 20, 1840 Captain Dumont d'Urville was exploring the same seas as the United States Exploring Expedition when he and his crew sighted land about a hundred miles west of the first position reported by Senior Commander Wilkes of the USEE four days before. A landing party went ashore on a small, rock-covered island near the ice cliff and planted the French flag thus assuming possession of the region on January 22. T ...

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