Douglas Clavering facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Charles Clavering
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|---|---|
| Born | 8 September 1794 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | June 1827 (aged 32–33) Off the coast of West Africa |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1808–1827 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | Pheasant Griper Redwing |
| Battles/wars | Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 |
Captain Douglas Charles Clavering (born September 8, 1794 – died mid-1827) was an officer in the British Royal Navy. He was also an Arctic explorer, known for his scientific voyages.
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Douglas Clavering was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, at Holyrood Palace. He was the oldest son of Henry Mordaunt Clavering, a Brigadier-General, and Lady Augusta Campbell. His family had a strong military background.
Even with his family's army history, Douglas chose to join the Navy. He started at a young age as a midshipman. He served under Sir Philip Broke on the ship Shannon. Clavering showed great bravery during a battle with the American ship USS Chesapeake in June 1813. His actions were even mentioned in Broke's official report.
Later, he became a lieutenant on the ship Spey in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1821, he was made commander of the ship Pheasant. This ship operated off the coast of Africa.
While traveling to join his ship, Clavering became good friends with Captain Edward Sabine. Sabine was going to Africa to study how a seconds pendulum swung at different places. Clavering asked for the Pheasant to be used to help Sabine with his important observations.
They made these observations in many places, including Sierra Leone, St Thomas, Ascension Island, Bahia, Maranhão, Trinidad, Jamaica, and New York City. During this journey, Clavering also carefully studied the direction and strength of ocean currents, like the equatorial current and the Gulf Stream.
When the Pheasant returned to England, Sabine's findings were published. The Board of Longitude decided that these studies should continue as far north as possible. For this next mission, the ship HMS Griper was chosen. This ship had already been used for Arctic trips. Clavering was given command of the Griper on March 1, 1823.
Clavering's Arctic Voyage in 1823
Clavering got his ship, the Griper, ready in Deptford, England. He loaded enough supplies to last through an entire winter, just in case they got stuck in the ice. The Griper began its journey on May 11. They sailed across the North Sea and then north along the coast of Norway.
They reached Hammerfest on June 2. Sabine set up a camp on shore to make his first set of observations. These were finished by June 23.
Next, the Griper sailed north towards Spitsbergen in the Svalbard islands. They landed there on June 1. They set up a camp with tents and huts for six men, Sabine, and his scientific tools. Meanwhile, Clavering sailed further north. He was stopped by thick pack ice at 80° 21' N latitude and returned on June 11. While Sabine finished his work, Clavering explored the area. His crew also hunted reindeer to add fresh meat to their diet.
The Griper left Spitsbergen on June 23 and headed for the east coast of Greenland. After sailing through many ice floes, the ship finally reached the coast on July 8, around 74° latitude. They sailed northeast, looking for a good place to land.
On July 10, they found two islands. Clavering later named them the Pendulum Islands (Little Pendulum Island and Sabine Island). The Griper continued north until ice blocked their path again. Clavering landed on an island he named Shannon Island. Realizing they couldn't go further north, they turned back.
On July 14, they landed on the larger of the Pendulum Islands. This allowed Sabine to set up his camp and make his observations. The camp was located at 74°32′19″N 18°50′00″W / 74.53861°N 18.83333°W. On July 16, Clavering took two boats with his midshipman, Henry Foster. They explored the coast between 72°30'N and 74°N. This helped to add to the observations made by William Scoresby in 1822. Clavering also explored and named Loch Fyne.
During his explorations, Clavering saw signs that people had lived there. Later, he met a group of Northeast-Greenland Inuit people. Clavering returned to the camp on August 29. Sabine had almost finished his measurements. They packed up their camp and returned to the ship the next day.
The Griper set sail on August 31. They headed south along the coast, navigating through ice floes. They finally reached open sea on September 13. On September 23, they arrived off the coast of Norway. The ship finally anchored near Trondheim on October 6. Sabine completed his last set of observations there.
The Griper set sail for England on October 13. However, strong winds and storms kept them delayed until December 3, when they finally reached the open sea. More severe storms slowed them down further. The ship eventually returned to Deptford on December 19, 1823.
Disappearance and Death
In January 1825, Clavering was given command of the ship Redwing. This ship was part of the West Africa Squadron, which worked to stop the slave trade.
The Redwing sailed from Sierra Leone in June 1827. Sadly, the ship was never seen again. In November, wreckage washed ashore near Mataceney. This suggested that lightning might have caused a fire that destroyed the ship.
See also
- Clavering baronets
- Clavering Island
- List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
