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RRS Discovery, Scotland

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RRS Discovery was the ship built for Captain Robert Falcon Scott's first expedition to the Antarctic, which left Cowes in 1901. The usual story of the 1901expedition is one of heroic discovery, fittingly enough. After arriving in Antarctica in 1902 five hundred new kinds of marine creature were discovered. A nine hundred mile sledge journey into the interior was also undertaken, although the inexperienced group of Scott, Ernest Shakleton and Edward Wilson only just got back alive.

The usual tale, however, could well obscure a much more revealing story about the nature of discovery. No one really remembers the journeys of Scott for their contributions to knowledge, significant though that work may have been. They are remembered for struggle, and ultimately on a second expedition in 1911, for disaster. In a sense Scott's journey preserved mystery, in the way his inexperience left the place as a vast challenge, which it seemed, lay beyond human endurance. The South Pole was the last great mystery in Earth exploration. By 1911 Scott had a rival in the race for the South Pole, the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Amundsen was hugely experienced and competent in polar travel. He had grown up in an arctic environment, and learnt the survival skills of Eskimos on a journey through the North West Passage. It was this competence which diminished the mystery of Antarctica. Following numerous trips out over the Ross Ice Shelf to prepare for his attempt on the Pole, Amundsen wrote: "The mysterious barrier of the Englishmen has once and for all disappeared, and must give place to a completely natural phenomenon - a glacier." (Amundsen's Diary, April 24th 1911) Scott was not as competent a polar explorer as Amundsen, and thus the dangers, obstacles and mysteries were greater in his story. In many ways, because of meticulous planning, and years of relevant experience, Amundsen's trip to the Pole wasn't all that different from a ski trip across Norway. For Scott with far less expertise and competence, the journey might seem much more epic. Much controversy has raged about this in recent years.

RRS Discovery is in many ways a reflection of this strange story. She was built on the orders of Clement Markham the fearsome president of the Royal Geographical Society. Markham was a great believer in RGS, Britain and the Royal Navy, and was blinkered in accepting experience from anywhere else, especially from foreigners. He had Discovery built in Dundee, which at least was closer to the Arctic than any English port. But rather than seeking a designer with experience of building polar ships, the job was given to W.E. Smith, a naval architect with no relevant experience. Scott claimed that the ship was built on "good and well tried English lines" (Quoted in Scott and Amundsen by Roland Huntford P160) But of course good well tried English lines did not extend to the building of polar ships. The Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen had built a ship called the Fram, in which the conflicting problems of insulation and ventilation had been solved. But although literature about the Fram was freely available, Smith chose to ignore it. Ventilation on the Discovery was poor, and so ironically was insulation. All that separated the living quarters from the unheated space below was a deck of single planking. This meant that water froze in the cabins and bedding was soaked with condensation. Edward Wilson wrote: "At the back of the drawers under my bunk are icicles and stalagmites of ice." (Edward Wilson Discovery Diaries April 27th 1902) Discovery was sent to Antarctica without trials, and leaked heavily on the way. Water came in through holes for through bolts in the keel, which were drilled too big. This mistake was covered with a washer. Charles Royds tried to warn Scott about the leak before sailing, but his concerns were dismissed. Royds then found it quite gratifying when the holds filled up with water: "To tell the truth I am pleased, as ever since the ship got to London I have spoken about the leak and have been laughed at for my reports." (Charles Royds Discovery Diaries August 2nd 1901) Discovery had to be repaired in New Zealand.

All this incompetence in the design and building of Discovery reflected the general manner of the expedition. Life was hard. People suffered. The story that Scott turned into his book The Voyage of the Discovery in 1905 was fittingly dramatic. The "great ice barrier of the Englishmen" retained its mystique. The same was to happen in Scott's 1911 expedition, using the ship Terra Nova, which as a former whaling ship at least constituted an advance on the Discovery. Amundsen made it to the Pole and back fairly easily. Scott and his four companions went through months of pain and misery getting to the Pole a month after Amundsen, and eventually died on their return journey. When told of this Amundsen could hardly believe it. "It must be a big mistake, and I am not yet prepared to believe it. It is impossible that all the party can have perished, as a South Pole blizzard doesn't necessarily mean much." (The Daily Sketch February 11th 1913, on display at the Oates Museum in Selborne, Hampshire) To Amundsen, competent and experienced, a South Pole blizzard doesn't necessarily mean much. Naturally we all want to control circumstances. But part of us also wants the blizzard to be ferocious, and meaningful. Part of us does not want the great mysterious ice barrier to be just a glacier. Discovery is one of the strangest historical visits in the country. It celebrates discovery, when in fact the story of Scott is a confirmation of the need for continuing mystery. The Discovery is a great place to learn about Scott, and also to reflect on the controversy that now surrounds him. Scott makes us ask what heroism actually is, ands whether our concept of a hero changes over time.

There is a cafe, and gift shop. Scott's story is told with the help of exhibits, film shows and hands on activities. Educational facilities are available.

Opening Times: April to September Monday to Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday 11am - 6pm. October to March Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 11am - 5pm. Closed 25th - 26th December and 1st - 2nd January. Last entry one hour prior to closing.

Directions: Dundee is on the A90. Follow signs for the City Centre. At the roundabout by the railway station you will see Discovery Point to the left. Getting to the Discovery by train is very easy, as Discovery Point is directly opposite Discovery Point. Click here for an interactive map centred on RRS Discovery

Access: There is level access to Discovery Point, and to all the museum galleries. Level access on the ship itself is only possible to the main deck, with the help of a ramp that can be placed on top of the gangway.

Contact:

telephone: 01382 309060

web site: http://www.rrsdiscovery.com/index.php?pageID=129