William Smith (mariner)
William Smith ( born October 11, 1790 in Seaton Sluice, † 1847) was an English navigator who is regarded as the discoverer of the South Shetland Islands.
Life
He was the son of the carpenter William Smith and his wife Mary, née Sharp. 1819 Smith sailed as captain of the Williams from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso and came in trying to find the most favorable winds for the rounding of Cape Horn, from the actual course from. On February 19, 1819, he sighted at 60 ° and again at 62 ° 40 'west longitude land which he, however, did not enter. He named the place after his ship Cape Williams (now Williams Point, the easternmost point of the Livingston Island ) and the country New South Britain. In Valparaiso, he reported William H. Shirreff (1785-1847), captain of the HMS Andromache and the highest-ranking British naval officer at the place of its discovery. However, this gave him no faith, but was of the opinion, Smith had seen icebergs. On the return trip to Montevideo Smith suggested therefore again a southerly course and came on June 15, 1819 prior to 61 ° 12 ' south latitude, but was too far west to sift the islands again. Due to the adverse conditions in the southern winter, he broke off the search.
On his third trip, the islands came on October 14, again in sight. He sailed along the coasts of the islands Greenwich, Robert Nelson and Iceland ( Antarctica ) along and ended on 16 October 1819 King George Iceland. He took it for the British Crown in possession and gave her now the name of New South Shetland. It was the first known landing south of 60 ° south latitude. Farther west sailing he reached on October 18 Smith Iceland. When he was back in Valparaiso on 24 November, he could dispel doubts Shireffs. This chartered the Williams, put them under the command Edward Bransfields and sent him in December 1819 with Smith at the helm and three midshipmen and a doctor to the south, to make a land survey of the discovered fields. After they had landed on King George Iceland and the island had researched for a week, they continued their journey on 27 January 1820. They sailed on the south coast of the South Shetland Islands along and mapped the coastline. On January 29, Bransfield controlled under difficult weather conditions, a southerly course. On January 30, 1820, the expedition discovered Deception Iceland and sighted later in the day a mountain range, running from northeast to southwest, probably the, today Trinity Peninsula mentioned, the northernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula. The Williams followed the pack ice border to Elephant and Clarence Iceland Iceland, where the expedition once more went ashore.
A consequence of the discovery of the South Shetland Islands was a rush of whalers and sealers. Smith took part in 1820/21 with two ships in the exploitation of natural resources and returned - as reported - with 60,000 seal skins back what sounds exaggerated. On September 17, 1821 he returned to London.
It is controversial to this day whether Smith and Bransfield have discovered the Antarctic continent. Probably this honor Fabian von Bellingshausen, who had been three days earlier spotted the Princess Martha Coast in East Antarctica by the corvette Vostok from.
Honors
After William Smith Island Smith Iceland is named with its northern point Cape Smith