Thomas Henry Tizard facts for kids
Thomas Henry Tizard (1839 – 17 February 1924) was an English expert in oceans, a surveyor who mapped water areas, and a skilled navigator. He helped us understand a lot about the sea.
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Thomas Tizard was born in Weymouth, Dorset. He went to the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, which was known for its excellent math training. In 1854, he joined the Royal Navy as a master's assistant. He served in the Baltic Sea during the Crimean war.
By 1860, he became a second master and started surveying with a ship called the Rifleman. He even commanded a smaller ship, the Saracen, for three years. Tizard played a big part in studying the currents (water movements) on the surface and deep down in the Straits of Gibraltar. His work helped solve a long-standing mystery about how these waters move.
An atoll (a ring-shaped coral reef island) in the South China Sea was named Tizard Bank after him. He had surveyed this area in the 1860s while on HMS Rifleman.
The Famous Challenger Expedition
In late 1872, Tizard joined HMS Challenger. This was a huge opportunity for him! The Challenger expedition was a major scientific journey around the world. It helped scientists learn so much more about the oceans, including what the seabed was like and where different sea creatures lived. They also improved the tools and methods used for ocean research.
Tizard stayed with the Challenger until 1876. After the voyage, he spent three years at the Admiralty (the British Navy's headquarters) writing the story of the journey with Sir John Murray.
Later Survey Work and Discoveries
In 1879, Tizard went back to surveying at sea. He was in charge of surveying the waters around Britain. First, he commanded a hired ship called the Knight-Errant. Then, he took charge of HMS Triton (1882), which was the first British ship built especially for survey work.
During the nine years he commanded the Triton, Tizard wrote many important scientific papers. These included a report on exploring the deep sea in the Faroe Channel. He also gave talks about marine surveying and wrote an article about the 'Thames Estuary' in 1890, which is still very valuable today.
He was promoted to staff captain in 1889. In 1891, he became the assistant hydrographer of the navy. He was also chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists. In 1899, he was awarded the Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).
Family Life
In 1881, Thomas Tizard married Mary Elizabeth Churchward. They had five children together, including a son who also became famous, Sir Henry Tizard.
Images for kids
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Pycnogonida (sea spiders) found by HMS Triton in the Faroe Channel in 1882
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Nautical chart of Yarmouth and Lowestoft Roads surveyed by Tizard in HMS Triton in 1885
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Surveying Beacon used on the sand flats of the Thames estuary. From Tizard (1891)
