'Erebus' and 'Terror' in New Zealand, August 1841


This painting was by John Wilson Carmichael from 1847. It is an interpretation from the scientific expedition of James Clark Ross (1800-1862), to Antarctic waters, 1839-1842, with two ships: his own ship 'Erebus' and the 'Terror', under Commander Francis Crozier. Ross attempted to reach the South Magnetic Pole, also undertaking many scientific studies such as the first extensive series of deep-sea soundings. Influenced by the earlier discoveries of Dumont d' Urville and Charles Wilkes, Ross decided to sail further east before bearing south. He discovered the Ross Sea in January 1841, claimed Franklin Island, and named Mounts Erebus and Terror on Ross Island. His advance was finally stopped by the Ross Ice Shelf, which Ross called the Victoria Barrier. Knighted following his return to England in 1843, he published 'A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions' in 1847.


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