Preparation Jeannette Expedition

1 preparation

1.1 ship
1.2 crew
1.3 problems

preparation
ship


pandora, cruising in smith sound during 1 arctic voyages under allen young

as no suitable ship available in united states, de long went england, found young s pandora on offer @ $6,000. vessel s arctic pedigree made seem ideal, young s hesitancy selling delayed purchase until late 1877. @ bennett s instigation, congress passed legislation gave navy department full control on expedition; fly american flag, crew engaged navy, , subject naval discipline. bennett remained responsible financing enterprise, , undertook reimburse government costs incurred. meanwhile, de long released active duty, oversee pandora s refit in england.

in june 1878, after thorough overhaul @ deptford on thames estuary, pandora sailed le havre in france where, on july 4, renamed jeannette, after bennett s sister performed ceremony. on july 15 ship, manned de long , small crew, sailed le havre begin 18,000-nautical-mile (33,000 km) voyage san francisco, port arctic expedition sail. arrived on 27 december 1878, , transferred jeannette mare island naval shipyard undergo further work in readiness prolonged journey in arctic ice.

de long spent of part of 1879 in washington, d.c., promoting expedition among officials, searching appropriate crew members, , harrying navy secretary richard w. thompson practical support. requests included use of supply ship accompany jeannette far alaska. among less standard equipment acquired de long experimental arc lamp system devised thomas edison, supposedly provide light equivalent 3,000 candles , transform arctic winter darkness. having undergone sea trials, on june 28, ten days before scheduled departure, jeannette formally commissioned u.s. navy uss jeannette.

crew

george melville, jeannette s engineer

in selecting crew, de long s priority men arctic experience. second-in-command chose lieutenant charles chipp, had served him on little juniata adventure. veteran of polaris rescue mission, george melville, appointed ship s engineer. other experienced arctic hands william nindemann, polaris survivor, , ice pilot william dunbar, had many years experience in whalers. appointment of expedition s navigating officer problematic; john wilson danenhower, young naval officer well-connected washington family, recommended bennett former president ulysses s. grant. such sponsorship won danenhower place, despite history of depression had seen him briefly incarcerated @ government hospital insane. on bennett s request, danenhower accompanied de long on voyage le havre san francisco, during confided details of medical history. navigator s competent performance persuaded de long such troubles in past.

the ship s surgeon, james ambler, assigned expedition navy s bureau of medicine , surgery, because next on list of medical officers available sea duty. ambler deduced danenhower s medical records probable cause of navigator s medical lapses syphilis, danenhower s influential connections ensured kept place on expedition.

two others jeannette s voyage le havre, carpenter albert sweetman , boatswain john cole, enlisted, herald s meteorologist, jerome collins. dubbed chief scientist , in charge of edison apparatus , of rudimentary telephone system de long hoped utilize. remaining places filled long list of applicants; cook , steward recruited danenhower san francisco s chinatown.

problems

de long found himself @ odds naval engineers @ mare island, estimates of work required prepare jeannette arctic exceeded own judgement of necessary. de long spent time negotiating on bennett s behalf navy department, in effort reduce costs. in broadly successful, in other areas faced setbacks. in april learned navy unable provide supply ship accompany jeannette northward, decision which, thought, left fate of expedition hanging thread . bennett resolved difficulty chartering schooner, frances hyde, carry coal , provisions far alaska.

late in preparations, de long received orders secretary thompson that, before proceeding own arctic mission should enquire along siberian coast news of adolf erik nordenskiöld , ship vega. swedish explorer attempting first navigation of northeast passage; not overdue, , there no evidence in difficulty. nevertheless, bennett sensed opportunity rescue story equal stanley-livingstone scoop, , persuaded thompson issue order. de long, unaware patron originator, protested requirement jeopardize primary mission, forced modify plans.

de long unaware, prepared sail, u.s. coast , geodetic survey studying latest hydrographical , meteorological data obtained research ships in bering sea. material indicated conclusively that, contrary bent s theories, kuro siwo had no perceptible effect on areas north of bering strait. survey s report went on dismiss entire concept of gateways , warm polar sea. time these conclusions published, jeannette had sailed, , de long remained in ignorance of information.