RRS Discovery facts for kids
RRS Discovery in Antarctica c. 1923
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
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| Owner | Dundee Heritage Trust (since 1985) |
| Builder | Dundee Shipbuilders Company, Dundee |
| Laid down | 1900 |
| Launched | 21 March 1901 |
| Sponsored by | Lady Markham |
| Christened | Lady Markham |
| Status | Museum ship in Dundee, Scotland |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Wooden barque; 1 funnel, 3 masts |
| Tonnage | 736 GRT |
| Displacement | 1,570 tonnes |
| Length | 172 ft (52 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Propulsion | Coal-fired 450 hp (340 kW) steam engine and sail |
| Speed | 8 knots (15 km/h) |
| Crew | 11 officers and 36 men |
The RRS Discovery is a special ship built in Dundee, Scotland. It was made for exploring the cold lands of Antarctica. Launched in 1901, it was the last large wooden ship with three masts ever built in the United Kingdom.
Its first big adventure was the British National Antarctic Expedition. This journey, called the Discovery Expedition, took famous explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica for the first time. They had a very successful trip.
After its first mission, Discovery worked as a merchant ship during First World War. In 1923, the British government started using it for science. It became the first Royal Research Ship.
The ship went on a two-year trip called the Discovery Investigations. It gathered important information about oceans, sea life, and whales. From 1929 to 1931, Discovery was the base for another big science trip. This was the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE).
When it came back from BANZARE, Discovery stayed in London. It was a training ship and a place for visitors until 1979. Then, it became a museum ship. In 1986, it moved back to Dundee, where it was built.
After a lot of work to fix it up, Discovery is now a main attraction for visitors in Dundee. It is one of only two expedition ships left from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The other is the Norwegian ship Fram.
Contents
Building the Discovery
In the late 1800s, people became very interested in Antarctica. Many wanted to send a British team to explore this unknown continent. The Royal Navy had explored Antarctica before. They went on the Ross expedition in 1839.
Later, they focused on the Arctic and tried to reach the North Pole. But soon, people wanted to explore the South Pole again. The British government and the Admiralty agreed to help pay for a new trip.
Two science groups, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society, led the project. The Admiralty helped design the ship and find a crew. The Royal Geographical Society owned the ship.
Designing a Strong Ship
At first, they thought about building a ship like Fridtjof Nansen's Fram. But Fram was made for Arctic ice. The British ship needed to cross thousands of miles of open ocean first. So, they chose a more common design.
W.E. Smith, a top naval architect from the Admiralty, designed the ship. Fleet Engineer Philip Marrack designed the engine and other machines. Smith used ideas from the Bloodhound, a whaling ship built in Dundee. That ship became HMS Discovery for an Arctic trip.
In 1900, few shipyards in the United Kingdom could build large wooden ships. Only two shipbuilders offered to build it. The designers wanted the ship to be made of wood. This made it strong and easy to fix. It also helped with navigation. A steel hull could mess up the ship's compass.
The main compass was in the middle of the ship. No steel or iron parts were allowed within 30 feet of it. Even the buttons on the wardroom cushions had to be changed. Some cabins also had to use horsehair mattresses instead of modern ones with steel springs.
The boilers and engine were placed at the back of the ship. This left more space for equipment and supplies. A special lab was built under the bridge to measure magnetic fields.
Building the Discovery
Some thought about building the ship in Norway. But people wanted British money to be spent in Britain. So, the new Discovery was built by the Dundee Shipbuilders Company. This company usually made smaller boats.
The company had also built the Terra Nova in 1884. Scott later bought this ship for his last expedition. The committee for the ship's build asked for separate bids for the engine. Dundee Shipbuilders won that too, but hired another company, Gourlay Brothers, to do the work.
The ship cost £34,050 to build. The engine and machines cost another £10,322. Other equipment cost over £6,000. In total, Discovery cost £51,000. This is like £4.1 million today. Scott and the ship's engineer, Reginald Skelton, helped with the details.
Discovery had a 450-horsepower steam engine that used coal. But it mostly used sails. It did not have enough space for coal for long trips. It could only go about 7,700 nautical miles (14,300 km) on coal at 6 knots. The trip to New Zealand was over 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km).
The ship was seen as a sailing vessel with a steam engine for help. When first registered, it was a sailing ship. The Royal Geographical Society owned it. It was registered as a private sailing yacht. It was called 'S.Y. Discovery'.
It had a barque rig, meaning two masts had square sails and one had a fore-aft sail. The total sail area was huge, at 12,296 square feet. It had split topsails, like modern sailing ships. This meant fewer crew members were needed. The sails on the front two masts were the same. This made repairs easier.
The ship also had large staysails. The funnel could be folded down when the mizzen staysail was used. Discovery was actually faster with sails than with its engine. It once traveled 223 nautical miles (413 km) in 24 hours, which is 9.2 knots.
The ship's wooden hull was built very strong. It was designed to be frozen in ice without being crushed. When it was launched, many thought Discovery was the strongest wooden ship ever built. Its hull frames were made of thick oak.
The outer hull had two layers, 6 inches and 5 inches thick. A third layer was inside the frames. This made the hull over 2 feet thick in some places. This made it super strong and kept the cold out. Because of this, it had no portholes. Crew used 'mushroom vents' on deck for air and light.
Different woods were used for the hull. The inner layer was Scots pine. The 6-inch layer was pitch pine, Honduras mahogany, or oak. The outer hull was English elm and Greenheart. Oak beams made three decks. Seven wooden bulkheads added strength. They also stopped water from flooding the whole ship if ice damaged it.
To prevent ice damage, the two-blade propeller could be lifted out of the water. The rudder could also be easily removed and stored. A spare rudder and propeller blades were carried. The ship could be steered by sails if the rudder broke. The front of the ship was shaped to ride up over ice and crush it.
The coal bunkers on each side had steel sections. Each could hold 60 tons of fresh water. These were filled for long ocean trips. But for the Antarctic trip, they were filled with coal. Ice and snow could be melted for water. The metal tanks also made the lower hull stronger.
Building Discovery began on March 16, 1900. It was launched into the Firth of Tay on March 21, 1901. Lady Markham, wife of Sir Clements Markham, launched the ship.
Discovery's First Antarctic Journey
The British National Antarctic Expedition left the UK less than five months after Discovery was launched. There was little time to test the ship fully. Its speed under steam was good, 9 knots instead of 8. But they could not test its sailing performance.
Much of its equipment was also new. So, the long trip to New Zealand was also a test run. A leak was found near the rudder. There was no time for a full repair.
The ship stayed in London loading supplies until July 1901. Then it sailed to Cowes in August. It was visited by important people, including King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The expedition left Cowes on August 6, 1901.
Scott did not like the ship at first. He thought it was slow and hard to steer. It rolled a lot in rough seas. Shackleton said it was a bad sailing ship. Scott also worried its hull was not right for ice.
But in the Roaring Forties, the ship handled the rough seas well. It was heavy and had less sail area for its size. So, it could move well in strong winds without needing to reduce sails. The Discovery's rounded stern protected the rudder. It also kept the decks dry.
The expedition went to New Zealand, stopping in Madeira and Cape Town. In Lyttelton, the ship was put in dry dock. The carpenter found many loose fittings and leaks. Water had seeped into the ship's bilges. These were fixed, but there was an argument about who was to blame. Discovery left for Antarctica on December 21, 1901.
They saw the Antarctic coast on January 8, 1902. Scott began mapping the coast. For winter, they anchored in McMurdo Sound. The ship was tied to the ice shelf. Scott used explosives to clear ice around the ship.
By February 8, Discovery was surrounded by ice. The crew lived on the ship and used a hut on shore as a lab. The ship was not fully frozen yet. It bumped against the ice shelf in strong winds. But its strong hull held up.
By late March, Discovery was completely frozen in. It stayed there for two years. The expedition had planned to move on in spring. But the ship's work continued through the Antarctic winter. They found that Antarctica was a continent. They also found the South magnetic pole. Scott, Shackleton, and Edward Wilson reached a new "Furthest South" point.
Discovery was a great place to live. The only problem was that the officers' cabins were very cold. Ice often formed on the walls. Scott said he had to put his feet in straw to stay warm.
In January 1903, the Morning arrived with supplies. Everyone hoped Discovery would break free from the ice. But it stayed stuck. The crew had to spend a second winter there. Morning left in March.
Another land trip was planned for 1903. Scott hoped the ship would be free in the next summer. In January 1904, two relief ships arrived: Morning and Terra Nova. They had orders to get the crew and abandon Discovery if it was not free by February 25.
The relief ships slowly broke a path through the ice. Scott's crew used saws and pickaxes to cut ice around Discovery. By February 10, Discovery was still stuck. The relief ships were 2 miles away. Scott started moving equipment off the ship. But on February 16, 1904, the ice suddenly broke up. After some controlled explosions, Discovery was free.
Fifty tons of coal were moved from Terra Nova. The captain of Morning gave 25 more tons. Discovery started its engines on February 17. But a strong wind blew up. The ship dragged its anchor. It barely had enough power to stop from being blown back onto the ice shelf.
Scott tried to sail around Hut Point. But the ship hit an unknown sandbank. They tried to move it forward and backward. But the engine was not strong enough. Ice blocked the water intakes for the engine. The ship was stuck for nearly ten hours. Waves and wind slammed it against the ground.
The relief ships waited to rescue the crew. The crew feared their ship would break apart. Scott called that night "the most dreadful" of the trip. At 3 AM on February 18, the wind calmed. The tide changed, and the ship slid off the sandbank. Discovery was almost completely undamaged. It only lost some outer wood and had minor rudder damage. By dawn, the ship was clear.
The extra coal meant Scott did not have to go straight back to New Zealand. He went north, exploring new areas. Off Cape Adare, the damaged rudder broke. The spare had to be put on.
The three ships met at the Auckland Islands. They docked at Lyttelton on April 1. Discovery then sailed east back to the UK. It took ocean measurements and looked for a 'phantom' island. After passing through the Strait of Magellan, it stopped at the Falkland Islands. Discovery arrived back in Spithead on September 10, 1904. It had been away for 1,131 days.
Discovery as a Cargo Ship
The British National Antarctic Expedition was praised, but it had money problems. So, in 1905, Discovery was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company for £10,000. This was a fifth of what it cost to build. The company used it to carry cargo between London and Hudson Bay, Canada.
The Hudson's Bay Company changed the ship a lot. They removed all the living areas below deck to make more space for cargo. Things like its lifting propeller and original kitchen stove were sold. The ship's officers now lived in the deckhouses. The crew slept in the front of the ship.
Discovery made a trip across the Atlantic every year from 1905 to 1911. It carried food, fuel, building materials, and gunpowder from London to Charlton Island in Canada. On the way back, it carried fur hides. Each trip took about two months and was done in summer. But the ship often had to break through ice.
From 1912, a new, larger icebreaker replaced Discovery. So, Discovery was stored in London. In October 1913, it was sold for £9,500 to Joseph Foster Stackhouse. He was planning another trip to Antarctica. But he could not raise enough money to pay for the ship.
Discovery During and After World War I
The First World War started, and Stackhouse's trip was put off. Stackhouse died in May 1915 when the Lusitania sank. The Hudson's Bay Company kept his deposit.
The next month, the ship was fixed up to carry wartime supplies. Discovery sailed from London to New York in April. But it had a big leak near its rudder and had to stop in Falmouth. The journey took 27 days in bad weather. The ship was in poor condition.
Its first trip east was to La Rochelle with caustic soda and other goods. More leaks happened. Some wood had dry rot. The engine's water cooler broke. Another repair was made in Swansea in August 1915. Then the ship sailed to Arkhangelsk with French munitions for Russia.
This trip showed more problems with the ship. It had more leaks and damage. On the way back, it carried methanol. Discovery's famous rolling in heavy seas damaged some barrels. Loading and unloading took a long time.
In 1916, Discovery was loaned to the British government. It was meant to rescue Shackleton's team stuck on Elephant Island. Discovery was refitted in Plymouth. It left on August 11, 1916. Because it was slow, it was towed by another ship. Two Royal Navy destroyers escorted them.
Just four weeks later, Discovery reached Montevideo. They learned that Shackleton had already rescued his crew. To cover costs, Discovery carried wheat back to the UK. It returned to Plymouth in November. Then it went to Lorient to unload.
Between January 1917 and March 1918, Discovery carried cargo along the French coast. It was released from duty in April 1918. In June, it made its last trip across the Atlantic. It sailed from Cardiff to Charlton Island. It got stuck in ice twice.
Its condition was so bad that it could not carry valuable furs back. It took them only to Newfoundland. With other goods, Discovery arrived back in Liverpool in January 1919. It then made more trips along the French coast.
In July 1919, Discovery was used by the British government again. This time, it supported the White Russians in the Russian Civil War. It sailed to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. It transferred cargo and went to Rostov-on-Don.
After waiting three weeks, Discovery was loaded with cement. It took this to Piraeus. Then it returned to Istanbul. It loaded general cargo like nuts, rugs, and caviar. It left for London in mid-February 1920. It arrived in London in mid-March.
No more trips were possible due to the war in Russia. The shipping business slowed down. The Hudson's Bay Company bought new ships. So, Discovery was no longer needed. It was stored in London. All its equipment was removed or sold. Its machines were preserved.
In early 1922, the Hudson's Bay Company loaned the ship. It became a temporary home for the 16th Stepney Sea Scouts.
Discovery for Whale Research
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In 1923, its luck changed. The Colonial Office bought it for more research. The Hudson's Bay Company sold Discovery for £5,000. They kept the right to buy it back later. The government wanted to study and map whale populations in the Southern Ocean.
Discovery had a big £114,000 refit. This was like rebuilding it. It fixed years of wear and tear. It also prepared the ship for its new job. Much of the cost was paid by the Government of the Falkland Islands. Their economy depended on whaling. The trip would give important information about whale numbers.
Because of this, Discovery was owned by the Falkland Islands. Its home port changed to Port Stanley. It was now an official Royal Research Ship.
The ship needed to travel thousands of miles in open ocean. So, changes were made to help it sail better. The front two masts were moved forward. This made the ship more balanced. New sails were added to make it faster.
The ship's steering wheel was at the back. It was connected to the rudder by chains. The ship was commanded from the bridge, which was at the front. This made communication hard. So, a second wheel was put on the bridge. It used a new steam-powered steering engine. The old system was kept for emergencies.
All three layers of its hull were re-planked. Parts of its keel were replaced with new Quebec oak. New cabins and labs were built. These included labs for biology and chemistry, a library, and a darkroom.
The ship got several winches. These were for sounding lines and deep-water trawling nets. It also got an early electronic echo sounder. This let the ship map ocean depth. It could also collect samples from the seabed and deep-sea fish. It had electric lights and a refrigerated store. It carried four motorboats. It was now registered as a steamship.
Stanley Wells Kemp led the research project. Joseph Stenhouse became the captain. The ship left Portsmouth in July 1925. The refit was rushed. So, problems appeared as it sailed. It had to stop in Dartmouth for two months of repairs.
It left for good on September 24. It reached Cape Town on December 20. It stopped at Ascension Island. It resupplied and took on mail for Tristan da Cunha. As it moved, Discovery regularly stopped to take oceanographic measurements.
The ship reached South Georgia on February 20. It stayed there for two months. Scientists and crew worked with whalers. They studied whales and observed their numbers. Discovery also mapped the seas around South Georgia.
Because of the delay, these trips were in the South Atlantic winter. The ship's rolling and limited engine power made work hard. On April 17, 1926, Discovery left South Georgia. It sailed to the Falkland Islands and then to Cape Town. The trip took five weeks in heavy seas.
The problems led to Discovery being put in dry dock. It was fitted with bilge keels to make it more stable. Some masts were removed to reduce weight. The ship's small boiler was also removed.
For the next season, Discovery was joined by a new research steamer. It returned to South Georgia on December 15. The changes had made it much more stable. It studied plankton until February 1927. Then it went to the South Shetland Islands to tag whales.
In March, Discovery visited Deception Island. This was a natural harbor for whaling ships. Discovery did more studies there. During the southern winter, the ship traveled along the Antarctic Peninsula. It mapped and corrected nautical charts. Discovery Sound was explored and named after the ship.
Discovery was the first ship to take ocean readings in the stormy Drake Passage. This helped create the first full map of Antarctic currents. After more stops, Discovery anchored at Port Stanley on May 6, 1927.
A final trip was made to Cape Town. Then the expedition ended. Discovery sailed for Britain. It arrived in Falmouth on September 29, 1927. One scientist called the trip "the most important scientific expedition" since the Challenger.
BANZARE Expedition
While Discovery was in the Southern Ocean, the 1926 Imperial Conference discussed British claims in Antarctica. Only two areas were officially part of the British Empire. The conference found seven other parts that Britain could claim.
Antarctica and its waters were becoming important for money and strategy. So, Britain needed to make its claims official. An expedition would be sent. Officers would claim land for the government. They would also do more mapping and science. Britain, Australia, and New Zealand would work together. This became the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition, or BANZARE.
The Australian government was in charge of the trip. The Australian National Research Council chose Discovery. The ship was still controlled by the Discovery Committee. They did not want to give up the ship at first.
But when Norway claimed Bouvet Island in December 1927, political pressure grew. Discovery was quickly leased to Australia for free. Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson led BANZARE. John King Davis became captain of Discovery.
Discovery left London on August 1, 1929. It had 25 officers and men. It also carried some science equipment and a small plane. The plane would be used for mapping from the air. After loading coal in Cardiff, the ship sailed to Cape Town. Mawson and the scientists joined the ship there.
Like Scott, Davis was not impressed with Discovery at first. He found it slow in light winds. He also struggled with the crew's lack of experience. But as they reached stronger winds, Davis's opinion changed. In a gale, Discovery sailed at 10 knots. The ship reached Cape Town on October 5. It made the trip faster than Scott's first voyage.
For the expedition, some masts were removed. This lowered the ship's center of gravity. It also reduced rolling and improved speed with the engine. Two new boats were added. They also loaded 40 tons of food, a library, science equipment, and over 300 tons of coal.
Twelve scientists joined the ship. These included zoologists, biologists, and a photographer, Frank Hurley. Discovery left Cape Town on October 19. It stopped at several islands to study wildlife and map. The weather was often stormy.
The weather calmed as they went south. On December 8, Discovery reached the Antarctic ice field. Three days later, it entered the pack ice. The ship worked through thick ice. The plane was used for scouting. It was the first aircraft used in Antarctica. Oceanographic work and sea life studies were done regularly.
On January 1, 1930, Mawson saw new land and mountains from the plane. They named it Mac. Robertson Land. Davis did not want to get the ship too close to shore. This caused arguments with Mawson. On January 13, the first landing was made. Mawson planted the Union Jack on Proclamation Island.
Two days later, Discovery met a Norwegian expedition ship. Mawson had been getting radio messages about them. The Norwegian leader visited Discovery. The meeting point became the border between Australian and Norwegian land claims.
After the ships parted, Discovery was pushed west by a storm. Captain Davis worried about his coal supply. This led to more disagreements with Mawson. Mawson did not want to stop the science work.
Working back east, the expedition mapped Cape Ann. Mawson flew over Enderby Land and dropped another flag. The next day, Davis said they only had 120 tons of coal left. They had to turn for home. Mawson agreed, even though he thought they could stay longer.
Some oceanographic work was done on the way back. They got more coal at the Kerguelen Islands. Bad weather stopped Mawson's plans for another cruise. Discovery did a month of science work around the islands. Then it sailed to Australia, reaching Adelaide on April 1, 1930.
A second year of research was approved. The British government extended the loan of Discovery. Mawson was still in command. Captain Davis did not want to return. He suggested Kenneth N. MacKenzie as captain. The second expedition left Hobart on November 22, 1930. It carried 73 tons of supplies, including 20 live sheep. It also had butter, potatoes, eggs, meat, and 30 tons of fresh water. It carried 430 tons of coal.
With all this, Discovery sat lower in the water. Five days out of port, they found an underwater ridge. This was later found to be part of the Macquarie Fault Zone.
On December 1, the ship anchored off Macquarie Island. Shore parties studied wildlife and plants. Discovery mapped the coastal waters. On December 15, they met a whaling ship. They took on 100 tons of coal and 25 tons of fresh water.
The expedition headed towards Adélie Land. The summer of 1930 had a lot of ice. They saw 111 icebergs in one day. Snow, fog, and gales made navigation hard. But on clear days, Discovery could go almost 150 miles a day. Over Christmas, the ship was blocked by ice. A Norwegian whaler gave Discovery 50 more tons of coal.
On December 31, a violent storm hit. Winds were up to 70 mph. The ship was pushed against the ice. Large icebergs hit the ship. For eight hours, Discovery was slammed into thick ice. But MacKenzie slowly moved the ship away using the engine and sails. The ship found safety at Mawson's old base camp. Here, they took magnetic field readings. This showed the South Magnetic Pole had moved.
On January 5, 1931, another flag-planting ceremony happened. Mawson claimed the new coast for the British Empire. During the rest of the month, Discovery moved west. Heavy ice kept it about 100 miles from the coast. Most mapping was done by plane. The ship continued its ocean and biology work.
The plane team found a coastline first seen in 1840. They renamed it the Banzare Coast. Storms often stopped their work. On February 11, the weather cleared. Discovery got within 10 miles of the coast. This allowed mapping from the ship and flights inland. This new land was named Princess Elizabeth Land. A flag was dropped from the air to claim it. The Murray Monolith was found and claimed a few days later.
By now, the ship was back at Mac. Robertson Land. Conditions were right to send a party ashore. They did another flag-planting ceremony.
On February 18, only 100 tons of fuel were left. This was the minimum for the return trip. The next day, Discovery sheltered behind a large iceberg. The ship was prepared for the ocean crossing. The first days of the trip north were in a furious gale. With only two sails, Discovery still averaged 8.5 knots. Waves were over 100 feet high.
In his diary, MacKenzie called Discovery "my wonderful little ship." The weather eased after three days. Discovery arrived back at Hobart on March 19, 1931. It had traveled 10,557 miles.
The ship and most of its crew still had to return to Britain. It sailed via Cape Horn, which it rounded on June 1. It arrived back in London on August 1, 1931. This was exactly two years after it left.
Discovery as a Training Ship
After returning to Britain, Discovery's research days were over. The British government had a new research ship, RRS Discovery II, launched in 1929. The original Discovery was now 30 years old. It had worked hard in tough seas. It was slow and rolled a lot. It was also hard to find crew who knew how to sail traditional ships. As a steamship, it lacked power and coal space.
After its return from Australia, Discovery was stored. Several groups wanted to use it for expeditions. But they could not raise enough money. Or they felt Discovery was not right for their plans.
In 1935, the owners wanted to sell the ship. Two members of the Discovery Committee worked to save it. In 1936, it was given to the Boy Scouts Association. It became a static training ship for Sea Scouts in London. It was moored near Westminster Bridge.
During the Second World War, Discovery was a headquarters for the River Emergency Service. This service used boats as 'floating ambulances'. In 1941, a balloon got stuck in the ship's main mast. When it was removed, the mast was found to be rotten. All the masts were removed. In 1943, its boilers and machinery were taken out.
To keep the ship balanced, the lower parts were filled with small rocks. The old engine room became a mess hall. The boiler room became a classroom. During the Festival of Britain in 1951, the ship hosted an exhibition on Antarctica. This meant opening crew quarters to the public.
In the 1950s, the ship was too expensive for the Scout Association. It was given to the Admiralty in 1954. It was officially named HMS Discovery. It was used for training by the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service.
The Navy refitted the ship. Most of its original fittings were removed or changed. In 1960, HMS Discovery became part of the Royal Naval Reserve. It was the flagship of the Admiral in charge of Reserves. It was one of only two sailing ships to fly the White Ensign and an Admiral's flag in the 20th century.
The Navy kept the ship, but not always to save its history. The wooden ship was over 70 years old. It had been moored in the Thames for 40 years without dry-docking. Its condition got worse. When the Navy no longer needed it, it was almost scrapped.
The Maritime Trust saved it in 1979. It was moored next to other ships. Later, it moved to St Katharine Docks. It remained the home of the Westminster Sea Cadet Corps. Despite outer damage, Discovery was found to be sound below the waterline.
It became a Royal Research Ship (RRS) again. It was opened to the public as a museum. The Sea Cadets moved to a new building. The Maritime Trust spent about £500,000 on repairs. In 1985, it was given to the Dundee Heritage Trust.
Moving Discovery Home
On March 28, 1986, Discovery left London. It was carried on a special ship called Happy Mariner. It was going home to Dundee, where it was built. It arrived at Victoria Dock on the River Tay on April 3. This was its first time back in Dundee since it was built.
Discovery in Dundee Today
In 1992, Discovery was placed in a special dock. It is now the main part of Dundee's visitor attraction, Discovery Point.
It is shown as close as possible to how it looked in 1923. That is when it was refitted in Portsmouth. It is part of the National Historic Fleet. Discovery Point is a museum that has won many awards. It is a 5-star tourist attraction. In 2008, Discovery and its polar collections were named a Recognised Collection of National Significance.
Since the 1990s, the museum has focused on all of the ship's journeys. It shows personal items from the crew. It also has information on its science work. You can see games played by the crew and examples of sea animals. Star items include Captain Scott's rifle and pipe.
Discovery's three main voyages are explored in the museum. These are the National Antarctic Expedition (1901–1904), the Discovery Oceanographic Expedition (1925–1927), and the BANZARE expedition (1929–31). The museum also has items from Scott's later Terra Nova expedition and Shackleton's Endurance expedition.
The ship is also on the crest of the coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory.
Other Ships Named Discovery
Three other Royal Research Ships have been named Discovery. The second, RRS Discovery II (1929), and third, RRS Discovery (1962), are no longer in service. A fourth ship, the current RRS Discovery, was built in 2013.
The spaceship Discovery One in Arthur C. Clarke's 1968 book 2001: A Space Odyssey was named after RRS Discovery. Clarke used to eat lunch on it when it was in London.
The Space Shuttle Discovery is also named after RRS Discovery. It is also named after other famous ships with the same name. These include Captain Cook's HMS Discovery and Henry Hudson's Discovery.
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