Patrons: Sir Ranulph Fiennes The Duchess of Northumberland President: Paul Rose
“Antarctica was discovered by a ship from Blyth Northumberland....”
Outline Almost 200 years ago Antarctica was discovered from a ship built in the small North East town of Blyth, Northumberland. The Williams was built and owned by a Captain William Smith a man born and raised in Blyth. On the anniversary of this British achievement in 2019 it is ‘The Williams Expedition’ aim to build a modern replica of the Williams in Blyth in almost the same location the original ship was built and to recreate the original expedition with a local crew sailing her south to Cape Horn and Antarctica 200 years after the original discovery. The expedition aims to showcase the North Easts talent, engineering and technology on a world stage and in conjunction with Newcastle University undertake meaningful marine science.
History William Smith was born in the small coastal village of Seaton Sluice, Northumberland on 11th October 1790. The village was famous throughout England for its glass making and manufacture of copperas. Meanwhile the nearby town of Blyth was beginning to become a critical port for coal, shipbuilding and rope making. Smiths father became a reputable joiner and the family moved north to the small town of Bedlington sending his son to be educated in Blyth nearby. William Smith was probably apprenticed to the sea at the age of 14 and certainly spent his formative years working in the East Coast coal trade. It is also possible that Smith served in the Greenland Whaling fleet and he may well have joined the ships that were known to have sailed from Newcastle to the east coast of Greenland during this period. In August 1811 Smith became owner and master of the Three Friends of Blakeney which shipped coal on the east coast and the following year he partnered with William Strangham (ropemaker from Blyth), William Sheraton (farmer from Dinnington), Edward Storey (farmer from Heaton Grange) and George Jeary (master mariner from King’s Lynn) to build a new ship the brig Williams. She was built in Blyth at the shipyard of Messers. Alexander and John Davidson and was registered in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the 21st January 1812. William Smith then began a series of merchant voyages beginning with a journey to Portugal, France and then three times to Buenos Aires. On his fourth voyage in 1818
he again set sail to South America carrying a substantial cargo from England and India that was ultimately bound for Valparaiso Chile; the cargo contained items such as musical instruments, hats, iron, books, confectionery and wine. Calling first at Rio De Janeiro he arrived at Buenos Aires where he resupplied and finalised the final leg of his trip. From Buenos Aires he sailed south in a bid to round Cape Horn and after sailing east past the Falkland Islands he found that the winds were not favourable to sail around Cape Horn and so he sailed much further south in search for winds that would take him west. In doing so on the 19thFebruary at latitude 62 degrees West and 40 degrees South he sighted new land which he named the New South Shetlands. The gale winds increased and Smith hauled off north for the night. The following day as the weather had calmed a little and visibility was fair he sailed again southward making for the sighted land and arrived at a prominent point – later named Williams Point. During this day Smith sighted Livingston and Greenwich Islands. His exploration however was limited by the amount ice sighted to the west and he rounded a large iceberg before resuming his voyage north to Valparaiso. On reaching Valparaiso on the 11th March 1819 Smith reported his discovery to Captain William Henry Shirreff a senior Royal Naval officer on the Pacific Coast of South America. Shirreff expressed doubts at the claim and thought that Smith had sighted ice instead. Smith was ridiculed in Valparaiso and determined to prove his sighting. He left on the 16th May 1819 and sailed south
to round Cape Horn once more bound for the east coast of south America with the intention of visiting his newly discovered land on the way. However with the onset of the southern winter it was difficult going and after a month he found sea ice that slowly began to hem the ship in. Smith quickly turned about and sailed north forgoing any chance of revisiting the New South Shetlands on the voyage. Once in Montevideo on the east coast he discovered that the sea ice had in fact stripped several sheets of copper from the ships bottom. He also learnt that news of the discovery had preceded him and that a sealing ship Espirito Santo was bound for the islands, and on Christmas Day 1819 the boat commanded by Joseph Herring landed at an unidentifiable place two months after Smith. Unfortunately this ship was the first of many sealing expeditions to visit the New South Shetlands over the coming decades. William Smith spent 3 months in Montevideo gathering enough cargo for a third voyage to Valparaiso and a visit to his new islands, he was offered considerable sums by American merchants to take a whaling ship south to the new lands, but Smith refused wanting only to land and claim the islands for the British. In September 1819 Smith sailed once more to Valparaiso and in cloudy conditions on the 15th October 1819 he sighted land and took soundings discovering 60 fathoms and fine black sand – the island was most probably Desolation Island. On the 17th October Smith sailed the coastline of King George Island, Nelson Island, Robert Island and Greenwich Island finally arriving once again at Williams Point. Smith had sailed 150 miles along the coastline and on 18th October he sighted new land to the WSW that was higher than yet discovered Smith Island which stands 2104m high.
Finally back in Valparaiso Smith’s claims were now believed by Captain Shirreff and Smith was prevented from any contact with the shore leading to the rumour that a great discovery had been made. Captain Shirreff chartered the Williams for the Royal Navy and installed Edward Bransfield (master of Captain Shirreff ’s boat the HBM Andromache) and three midshipmen C.E Paynter, Thomas Maine Bone and Patrick J Blake. Dr Adam Young an assistant surgeon in the sloop Slaney also joined the crew. The expeditions instructions were: 1. To ascertain whether Smith’s land was an island or part of a continent, and explore it to the eastward, southward or westward according to circumstances. 2. To explore the harbours and make charts and ascertain the latitudes and longitudes. 3. To note the sperm whales, otters and seals upon the coast, collect specimens of plants and ensure that Mr. Bone made drawings of every animal, bird, fish, insect and reptile. 4. To note the appearance of the land, and collect rock specimens. 5. To keep meteorological and magnetic records. 6. To observe the character of the inhabitants. 7. To take possession on each quarter of the land, separately. They were instructed that if the voyage should last more than six months they should sail direct to England and report to the Admiralty.
Smith and Bransfield sailed south and made land on the 19th December 1819 at Cape Sherriff on Livingston Island. They ran along the north shore of New South Shetland to North Foreland and Cape Melville. They then sailed on to Deception Island, sighted Trinity Island and behind that the mainland of the Trinity Peninsula the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and continent. This then was the first recorded sighting of the Antarctic continent in history. Following this the Williams sailed past Elephant Island (made famous by Shackletons incredible self rescue) and Clarence Island whereupon shortly afterwards they were halted by sea ice in the Weddell Sea. On their return voyage they ran alongside the north coast of the New South Shetland Islands before finally heading home for Valparaiso. Bransfield and Smith arrived back in Valparaiso on 15th April 1820. Bransfield rejoined Captain Shirreffs ship and the Williams was discharged from service. The name New South Shetland Islands was officially given to the islands. Smith made a final fifth journey to the area on his return home and arrived in Portsmouth England on 11th September 1821 via Rio De Janeiro and Lisbon. Upon arrival Smith discovered that his fellow owners were in financial difficulties and that he was in fact bankrupted as a result. The Williams was sold on the 13thJune 1822 firstly to merchants in Ratcliff then to a London coal merchant. The ship was re-registered in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1833 and was subsequently owned by a Newcastle/Jarrow shipbuilder and then a Darlington coal owner, a Bishopswearmouth and Monkwearmouth ship builder, a master mariner and eventually John Furness of West Hartlepool who owned and eventually had the ship broken up on the 12th December 1882.
William Smith lived in London after his bankruptcy working as a river pilot on the Thames. In 1827 James Weddell (who ventured to the New South Shetlands after Smith’s discovery and subsequently had the Weddell Sea named after him) recruited Smith who became master of a whaling ship out of Leith and spent some years working in the Davis Strait near Greenland. However after a bad season in 1830 he returned to London and presumably resumed working as a pilot. Increasingly destitute in 1838 he made an application to an almshouse but was rejected as he was under the required age. He then sought compensation from the Admiralty for his discovery. The Admiralty required confirmation from Captain Shirreff and a letter was sent but no record has been found from any outcome. Finally in 1840 Smith was allocated an almshouse and in 1847 he passed away leaving his household goods, effects and stocks to his wife Mary. Captain William Smith and the Discovery of the New South Shetlands A.G.E. JONES, The Geographical Journal, Vol 141, No. 3, Nov 1975 The Discovery of the South Shetlands: The Voyages of the Brig Williams 1819-1820 as Recorded in Contemporary Documents and the Journal of Midshipman C.W. Poynter
12 Objectives One
To purchase a Tall Ship as close as possible to the original Williams.
Two
Recreate the voyage of the Williams and arrive at the South Shetlands on the 200th anniversary of the discovery.
Three
Together with experts in their fields employ and use local apprentices and labour force.
Four
Showcase the engineering and technological potential of the North East on a world stage.
Five
Conduct scientific projects in cooperation with Newcastle University.
Six
Involve local schools and educational institutions through the ship build and expedition.
Seven
To train young people in the sailing techniques of a tall ship and to offer the opportunity to participate on the expedition voyage itself.
Eight
On expedition set up show case events at various ports in Southern Europe and South America to showcase British technology, business and talent specifically from England’s North East.
Nine
To gift to the people of Blyth a working replica tall ship that can continue to be used in educational practice and in enhanced experiences for young people of the North East over the next 50 years.
Ten
To have the Williams II as the centrepiece of a museum dedicated to the expedition, local shipbuilding and Antarctica and to highlight the history of the original Williams voyage and the England’s North East legend William Smith - the man who discovered the Antarctic land mass but who died in obscurity.
Eleven
To raise the Port of Blyth’s profile on a national and international stage encouraging investment and development into Blyth and the North East.
Twelve
To become the leading UK historical expedition project on the world stage by 2020.
Background
Exploring our future inspired by our past. Today Blyth is still suffering 3rd generation unemployment after the collapse of the coal and ship building industries with many young people struggling to identify with their future and aspire to the opportunities that are developing in the port. The light at the end of the tunnel is the emerging Off Shore and Renewable industry that is growing in the area, including Narec (New and Renewable Energy Centre), MTL (an off shore fabrication and engineering company), Tharsus (a bespoke metal fabricator), Alnmaritec (an aluminium boat builder) and The Port of Blyth all of whom are growing and taking on more people. Sadly there is a skills gap between those leaving formal education and these emerging businesses. Back in 2009 an innovative experiment was conducted by the extended services team from Northumberland County Council working with young people identified as likely to become ‘NEET’ (not in employment, education or training) to see if working on a project to build a small traditional sailing boat could impact the potential for continuing in education. It was a great success and we have extended this innovative and inspirational approach,
working with hands on traditional skills, boats and experienced craftsmen to engage a wider audience from 12 to 28 year olds through a variety of age appropriate inspirational experiences. The Blyth Tall Ship Project is now delivering 1 day schools experiences in traditional boat building through partners at the Woodhorn Archive for 10 to 14 year olds and foundation learning in engineering skills for 14 to 28 year olds through the medium of heritage boat building as a catalyst and inspiration for change. The project has already supplied newly trained young people as apprentices or in to full time jobs in the local engineering and offshore sector. The workshop and boat yard has been allocated as the site of the Williams II ship and will utilise the skills and apprentice resource to renovate the ship. Once completed the workshop and yard will provide a base for the boat and buildings will be converted into a museum of Antarctica at the Blyth Port.
The Habaat / Williams II
Expedition Team SUPPORTED BY
The Blyth Tall Ship Project
Newcastle University
LEAD PATRON
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
PRESIDENT
Paul Rose
PATRON
Duchess Of Northumberland
CHAIRMAN
Clive Gray
EXPEDITION DIRECTOR
Paul Cosgrove
DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE
Professor Richard Birmingham
HISTORICAL ADVISOR
Dr Hew Lewis Jones
Sir Ranulph Fiennes Patron of The Williams Expedition – Rediscovering Antarctica Probably one of the most remarkable British explorers to have ever lived and certainly the most remarkable alive today, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has had and continues to have a polar expedition career the envy of many. The Williams Expedition is honoured to have as its major patron Sir Ranulph Fiennes. His achievements include: • Joined SAS 1965/1966. Youngest Captain in the British Army • First to reach both Poles (with Charles Burton). • First to cross Antarctic and Arctic Ocean (with Charles Burton). • First to circumnavigate the world on the Transglobe expedition along its polar axis (with Charles Burton). • Led the first hovercraft expedition up the Nile in 1968/1969. • Achieved world record for unsupported northerly polar travel in 1990. • Led the team that discovered the lost city of Ubar on the Yemeni border in 1992 • Completing the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent (with Mike Stroud). The longest unsupported polar journey in history.
• In 2003, only 3½ months after a massive heart attack, completed seven marathons in seven consecutive days on all seven continents. • March 2005, climbed Everest (Tibetside) to within 300m of summit raising £2 million for the British Heart Foundations new research MRI scanner. • March 2007, Sir Ranulph climbed the North Face of the Eiger and raised £1.8 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Delivering Choice Programme • May 2008, climbed Everest (Nepal-side) to within 400m from summit raising £2.5m for Marie Curie Cancer Care Delivering Choice Programme • Successfully summited Everest in May 2009 with Thundu Sherpa making a total for Marie Curie of over £6.2m. The oldest Briton ever to summit. • In December 2012 undertook The Coldest Journey Expedition in an attempt to cross the Antarctic continent during the winter.
Paul Rose
President of The Williams Expedition – Rediscovering Antarctica Paul Rose is one of the UK’s leading explorers and a world diving authority. He is Vice President of the Royal Geographic Society and is deeply involved in the Council For Learning Outside the Classroom. Paul is actively involved in campaigning to clean up the earth’s lakes and oceans. He was Rothera base commander for 10 years with the British Antarctic Survey and was awarded the Queen’s Polar Medal. For his work with NASA and the Mars Lander project he was awarded the US Navy Polar Medal. He has completed 13 Antarctic seasons and regularly explores the Greenland icecap. He is also a prominent BBC documentary presenter and has won accolades for his acclaimed BBC ‘Oceans’ series and ‘Frank Wild – Antarctica’s forgotten hero’ documentary. The Williams Expedition is honoured to have Paul Rose as President and advisor.
Blyth London
Cape Verde
Panama Canal
Galapagos Islands
Rio De Janeiro
Montevideo Valaraiso
South Shetland Islands
North Tip Of The Antarctic Peninsula
The Voyage
to the South Shetlands‌.. The expedition aims to recreate the historic voyage of the Williams to the South Shetlands and Antarctica as accurately as possible, conducting meaningful science and showcasing UK northeast business, skills and enterprise on the way. The expedition will begin in Blyth UK 2018 and sail south past the Spanish and Portuguese coastline, south westerly across the Atlantic to Brazil and on down the Argentinian coastline before heading into the southern ocean and the South Shetlands for the 200th anniversary. Once at the South Shetlands the scientific and artistic programs will commence. Landfall will be made and the young people on board will undertake land surveys and attempt possible ascents of the prominent mountains. The Williams II will then sail north around Cape Horn and up the Chilean coastline to Valparaiso following the same route as Captain Williams. From there she will reside for the southern winter making a short journey to the Galapagos islands and back.
At the start of the summer in October 2019 once more the Williams II will journey south along the Chilean coastline and on to the South Shetlands. From there the expedition will recreate the exploratory voyage by Edward Bransfield and eventually arrive at the Antarctic Peninsula for the anniversary of the first sighting of Antarctica in 1820. The return journey will follow the Chilean coastline and on up the west coast of South America the east through the Panama canal before returning home to Blyth across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving back late 2020.
The Williams Expedition Rediscovering Antarctica
www.williams-expedition.com
info@williams-expedition.com
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