What did Charles Wilkes do in Antarctica?

From 1838 to 1842 he commanded an exploring and surveying expedition that took him ultimately into the Antarctic Ocean and along the Antarctic barrier, where he reported land at a number of points in the region subsequently known as Wilkes Land.

What did Charles Wilkes contribute to marine science?

Lt. Charles Wilkes led the first U.S. Navy expedition to explore the Pacific Ocean in 1838. He surveyed Puget Sound and named dozens of landmarks, including Elliott Bay, in 1841. Wilkes’ obsessive behavior and harsh code of shipboard discipline reportedly shaped Herman Melville’s characterization of Ahab in Moby Dick.

Where did the Wilkes Expedition go?

Ex. or the Wilkes Expedition) would explore and map the Pacific, Antarctica, and the northwest coast of the United States. A tremendous feat of navigation, the expedition broadened knowledge of uncharted areas of the world and helped expand American commerce, industry, and scientific knowledge.

Where was Charles Wilkes born?

New York, New York, United States
Charles Wilkes/Place of birth
Administrative / Biographical History Charles Wilkes was born in New York City on 3 April 1798. He had his first experience of maritime life in merchant vessels between 1815 and 1817.

Who really discovered Antarctica?

Who first saw the continent is controversial. Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Baltic German officer in the Imperial Russian Navy; Edward Bransfield, an officer in the Royal Navy; and Nathaniel Palmer, an American sealing captain, all may have sighted Antarctica in 1820.

Who First Discovered Antarctica?

Americans weren’t far behind: John Davis, a sealer and explorer, was the first person to step foot on Antarctic land in 1821. The race to find Antarctica sparked competition to locate the South Pole—and stoked another rivalry. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen found it on December 14, 1911.

What did LT Charles Wilkes discover?

Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship’s captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838–1842….

Who Discovered Antarctica?

The race to find Antarctica sparked competition to locate the South Pole—and stoked another rivalry. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen found it on December 14, 1911. Just over a month later, Robert Falcon Scott found it, too. He turned back with disastrous results.

What was the impressive achievement of the Wilkes Expedition?

The expedition was to stay at sea for four years and number among its accomplishments the first defining of the reaches of the Antarctic continent and the first accurate charting of some 280 islands in the Pacific and great stretches of coastline along the shores of South America and the west coast of the US.

Did Polynesians discover Antarctica?

Polynesians may have discovered Antarctica in the early 600s. The first humans to discover Antarctica weren’t seafaring Westerners but rather Polynesians, who found the coldest continent 1,300 years ago, a new study suggests.

Did humans ever live on Antarctica?

Antarctica does not and has never had an indigenous population (there are no native human Antarcticans). The continent was once a part of a larger land mass called Gondwana that settled over the south pole and split from Australasia and South America long before humans evolved.

When did oceanography become a quantifiable science?

Oceanography began as a quantifiable science in 1872, when the Scots Charles Wyville Thompson and Sir John Murray launched the Challenger expedition (1872–1876). Other European and American nations also sent out scientific expeditions (as did private individuals and institutions).

What did Charles Wilkes do for a living?

American Naval Officer. Charles Wilkes spent his entire working life in the United States Navy. He is best known for leading a four-year voyage of exploration that circled the globe, mapped large parts of the Pacific and Australia, and charted over 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) of the Antarctic coast.

How old was Charles Wilkes when he joined the Navy?

Charles Wilkes was born on April 3, 1798, in New York City. He was educated mainly at home by tutors. He began a naval career at the age of 17 aboard the merchant ship Hibernia.

When did Charles Wilkes sail around the world?

He visited islands in the Pacific, explored the West Coast of the United States, then recrossed the Pacific and reached New York in June 1842, having sailed completely around the world. He was advanced to the rank of commander in 1843. From 1844 to 1861 he prepared the report of his expedition, writing himself 7 of its 19 volumes.