Overview

In 1838 Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), a United States Naval officer, set sail on an exploratory mission to the far reaches of the southern seas with six small and barely adequate ships, 82 officers, 342 sailors, and nine scientists and artists. This expedition, the United States Exploring Expedition, was charged with exploring waters in the extreme south to learn more about weather, sea conditions, uncharted lands, and other information of scientific and economic interest. The Wilkes expedition succeeded in discovering the continent of Antarctica, mapping large sections of Australia, and gathering a wealth of scientific and commercial information.

Background

Although the existence of a southern continent had been proposed by the ancient Greeks, who felt a large southern landmass must exist to balance the land north of the equator, no confirmed sightings of the purported continent had...