The Royal Research Ship (RRS) Discovery is a vessel from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Launched in 1901, its primary fame comes from being the ship for Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first journey to Antarctica, the Discovery Expedition. It is important to distinguish this historic ship from the modern research vessel that shares its name. The three-masted wooden vessel was specifically constructed for its mission in the planet’s most remote continent.
A Ship Built for Antarctica
The RRS Discovery was conceived for the unique challenges of polar research and constructed in Dundee, Scotland, a city known for its robust whaling ships. It was the first ship built specifically for scientific purposes in the Antarctic and one of the last traditional wooden three-masted ships built in the United Kingdom. Its design was heavily influenced by a Dundee-built whaler, the “Bloodhound,” ensuring it could withstand the immense pressures of the Antarctic ice.
The vessel’s construction featured a hull made of multiple layers of wood, including oak, pine, and greenheart, making it exceptionally thick to resist being crushed by ice. This wooden construction was chosen over a metal hull because wood has more flexibility and reduced the risk of magnetic interference with scientific instruments. The ship was a barque, combining sail power with a 450-horsepower coal-fired steam engine for navigating both open oceans and dense pack ice.
The British National Antarctic Expedition
The British National Antarctic Expedition, from 1901 to 1904, secured the Discovery’s place in history. Led by Robert Falcon Scott, the expedition had dual objectives: to conduct scientific research and achieve geographical exploration. The crew included individuals such as Ernest Shackleton, the ship’s third officer, and Edward Wilson, the expedition’s junior surgeon, zoologist, and artist. The relationships formed during this journey would influence future Antarctic endeavors.
Upon reaching Antarctica in January 1902, Scott anchored the ship in McMurdo Sound. The vessel soon became trapped in the ice, where it remained for two full years, serving as the expedition’s winter quarters and laboratory. The team continued their work, conducting research in biology, geology, magnetism, and meteorology. The expedition made several discoveries, including the first sighting of the Antarctic Polar Plateau, the vast interior ice sheet where the South Pole is located.
The expedition’s scientific outcomes included the discovery of the Cape Crozier emperor penguin colony and the snow-free areas now known as the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Geologist Hartley Ferrar gathered fossil evidence that helped confirm Antarctica was a continent. A sledging party of Scott, Wilson, and Shackleton traveled farther south than anyone before them. The ship was freed from the ice in February 1904 with the help of relief vessels and controlled explosions.
Preservation and Legacy
After its Antarctic voyage, the RRS Discovery continued a life of service, including a period with the Hudson’s Bay Company and further research expeditions. In 1923, it was designated as the first Royal Research Ship and conducted investigations into whale populations in the Southern Ocean. By the mid-20th century, efforts were made to preserve the aging vessel from being scuttled.
The ship was returned to Dundee, the city of its birth, in 1986 and underwent extensive restoration to its 1901 appearance. Today, the RRS Discovery is the centerpiece of the Discovery Point museum in Dundee. It stands as a public monument and symbol of a defining era of scientific discovery and human endurance in the Antarctic.