Nelson's Arctic Voyage

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In the summer of 1773 Midshipman Horatio Nelson took part in an expedition to the Arctic, which came close to ending his naval career before it had begun. The expedition was to find a navigable northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific. Supported by the Royal Society and King George III command of the expedition was given to the Hon. Constantine Phipps. This book looks at the detailed preparations made for the expedition and the technical developments that it embraced, including the chronometer, various scientific instruments and a device for distilling fresh water from sea water. It dicusses the fitting out of the ships and the naval skills needed for the extreme conditions they encountered. It also considers Nelson the great naval commander at this early stage of his life and how this experience might have influenced his later career and attitudes. Drawing from the ship's journals, muster books, Commander Phipps's official record of the voyage and other private accounts, this book vividly creates a picture of the expedition, life on board and the multiracial crewmen who served in the ships.