| [[File:HMS Discovery (1874).jpg|300px|RRSDiscovery]] RRSDiscovery (foreground) andHMSAlert (background, right) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Bloodhound |
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Alexander Stephen & Sons, Dundee |
| Yard number | 53 |
| Launched | 2 August 1872 |
| Completed | April 1873 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSDiscovery |
| Acquired | Purchased 5 December 1874 |
| Commissioned | 13 April 1875 |
| Fate | Sold February 1902 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1247 tons[1] |
| Length | 166 ft (51 m) |
| Beam | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Draught | 16.5 ft (5.0 m) |
| Installed power | Indicated 312 hp (233 kW) |
| Propulsion | Greenock Foundry Company steam engine |
| Sail plan | Barque-rigged |
| Complement | 60[2] |
HMSDiscovery was a wood-hulled screw expedition ship, and later storeship, formerly thesealing shipBloodhound built in 1873 in Dundee. She was purchased in 1874 for theBritish Arctic Expedition of 1875–1876 and later served as a store ship.Discovery was sold in 1902, reverting to the nameBloodhound and her previous sealing trade. The ship was wrecked in Newfoundland in 1917.
The steambarqueBloodhound was built as Yard No.53 in their Panmure shipyard atDundee byAlexander Stephen & Sons for Newfoundlandsealing operations.[1][3] She was launched on 2 August 1872 and completed in March 1873.[4] She measured 556 gross register tons (GRT) and 378 net register tons (NRT), and was 166.0 feet (50.6 m) in length, 29.1 feet (8.9 m)beam and 18.3 feet (5.6 m) depth.[3] The ship was rigged as a 3-masted barque and herGreenock Foundry Company auxiliarycompound steam engine generated 312indicated horsepower and drove a singlescrew propeller.[1][3]
Bloodhound was launched for Bain & Johnston ofGreenock, whose previousBloodhound had recently been lost nearLabrador in the ice in April 1872.[5] She was registered on 12 March 1873 atSt John's, Newfoundland in the ownership of Walter B. Grieve of that port.[3]
In 1874, the Admiralty were seeking a suitable exploration vessel for the 1875British Arctic Expedition, and consideredBloodhound ideally suited. She was purchased on 5 December 1874[1] and converted for exploration, commissioning as HMSDiscovery on 13 April 1875.CaptainGeorge Strong Nares was placed in command of the 1875British Arctic Expedition, which aimed to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound, the sea passage betweenGreenland and Canada's northernmost island,Ellesmere Island. Contemporary geographers proposed that there could be anOpen Polar Sea, and that if the thick layer of ice surrounding it were overcome, access to the North Pole by sea might be possible. Ever sinceEdward Augustus Inglefield had penetrated Smith Sound in 1852, it had been a likely route to the North. Nares commanded the convertedsloopHMSAlert, and with him wentDiscovery, commanded by CaptainHenry Frederick Stephenson.[6]HMSValorous carried extra stores and accompanied the expedition as far asGodhavn.[2]
Despite finding heavier-than-expected ice, the expedition pressed on.[7] LeavingDiscovery to winter atLady Franklin Bay,Alert carried on a further 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) through theRobeson Channel, establishing her winter quarters atFloeberg Beach.[7] Spring 1876 saw considerable activity by sledge charting the coasts of Ellesmere Island and Greenland, butscurvy had begun to take hold, withAlert suffering the greatest burden.[7] On 3 April, the second-in-command ofAlert,Albert Hastings Markham, took a party north to attempt the Pole. By 11 May, having made slow progress, they reached their greatest latitude at 83° 20' 26"N.[8] Suffering from snow blindness, scurvy and exhaustion, they turned back.
The expedition returned to the UK in Autumn 1876 and was well rewarded; Nares was knighted, Markham was promoted to captain.[9] The geography of northern Canada and Greenland is littered with the names of those connected with the expedition; Cape Discovery (83°01′N77°29′W / 83.017°N 77.483°W /83.017; -77.483 (Cape Discovery)) on the northern edge of Ellesmere Island is named for the ship.
TheDiscovery saw no further seagoing service after her return from the Arctic. She was employed as a storeship in Portsmouth Harbour from 1880,[10] probably up until the time of her final disposal.
Discovery was sold to D Murray in February 1902.[1]
The 1901 research vessel, built for theBritish National Antarctic Expedition (1901–1904), incorporated many of the features ofDiscovery, as well as taking her name.RRSDiscovery was commanded byRobert Falcon Scott and took part in theDiscovery Investigations from 1924 to 1931. She is now on permanent display atDundee.
SubsequentRoyal Research Ships, launched in1929 and1962, have also borne the name, as hasSpace ShuttleDiscovery.
Media related toHMS Discovery (ship, 1874) at Wikimedia Commons| National | |
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