| Interesting
facts |
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Ross
was an experienced polar explorer
who spent 15 years in the Arctic
between 1818 and 1833. He discovered
the position of the north magnetic
pole in 1831. |
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Ross
left England, sailing down the
River Thames, for Antarctic waters
on the 25 September 1839. His
expedition stopped at the following
places on its way to the Antarctic:
Madeira, the Cape Verde islands,
St Helena Island, Capetown, Kerguelen
Island, Tasmania, the Auckland
Islands and Campbell Island. |
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Because
he had so much experience in extremely
cold climates Ross knew he had
to have the right equipment and
food on board. He had huge amounts
of soups, cranberries, vegetables,
pickles and preserved meats packed
to ensure his crew didn't suffer
from scurvy. |
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He
decided to take a different approach
to the Antarctic from Wilkes or
Dumont d’Urville and when he set
out from Hobart, Tasmania, he
headed in a more easterly direction,
which led him to be the first
person to sail through the Ross
Sea and see the Ross Ice Shelf. |
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Ross
also named Antarctica's only active
volcano, Mt Erebus, after his
ship. When he and his crew sighted
the mountain for the first time
it was erupting smoke and flame. |
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Ross
and his ships spent a total of
4 years and 5 months at sea, and
made three separate attempts to
reach the south magnetic pole
during that time. |
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He
also named the Admiralty Range
and Victoria Land. |
