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[[File:James-Clark-Ross.jpg|300px|thumb|Painting of Commander James Clark Ross]] | [[File:James-Clark-Ross.jpg|300px|thumb|Painting of Commander James Clark Ross]] | ||
'''James Clark Ross''' (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British explorer of the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] who, between 1839 and 1843, commanded an Antarctic expedition comprising the vessels HMS ''Erebus'' and HMS ''Terror''; he charted much of the coastline of the continent. | '''James Clark Ross''' (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British explorer of the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] who, between 1839 and 1843, commanded an Antarctic expedition comprising the vessels HMS ''Erebus'' and [[HMS Terror|HMS ''Terror'']]; he charted much of the coastline of the continent. | ||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
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==Antarctic expedition== | ==Antarctic expedition== | ||
Between 1839 and 1843, Ross commanded HMS ''Erebus'' on his own [[Antarctic]] expedition and charted much of the continent's coastline. Captain Francis Crozier was second-in-command of the expedition, commanding HMS ''Terror''. Support for the expedition had been arranged by Francis Beaufort, hydrographer of the Navy and a member of several scientific societies. On the expedition was Joseph Dalton Hooker, who had been invited along as assistant ship's surgeon. ''Erebus'' and ''Terror'' were bomb vessels—an unusual type of warship named after the mortar bombs they were designed to fire and constructed with extremely strong hulls, to withstand the recoil of the mortars, which were to prove of great value in thick [[ice]]. | Between 1839 and 1843, Ross commanded HMS ''Erebus'' on his own [[Antarctic]] expedition and charted much of the continent's coastline. Captain Francis Crozier was second-in-command of the expedition, commanding [[HMS Terror|HMS ''Terror'']]. Support for the expedition had been arranged by Francis Beaufort, hydrographer of the Navy and a member of several scientific societies. On the expedition was Joseph Dalton Hooker, who had been invited along as assistant ship's surgeon. ''Erebus'' and ''Terror'' were bomb vessels—an unusual type of warship named after the mortar bombs they were designed to fire and constructed with extremely strong hulls, to withstand the recoil of the mortars, which were to prove of great value in thick [[ice]]. | ||
In 1841, James Ross discovered the [[Ross Sea]], [[Victoria Land]], and the volcanoes [[Mount Erebus]] and Mount Terror, which were named for the expedition's vessels. They sailed for 250 nautical miles (460 km) along the edge of the low, flat-topped ice shelf they called variously the Barrier or the Great Ice Barrier, later named the [[Ross Ice Shelf]] in his honor. The following year, he attempted to penetrate south at about 55° W, and explored the eastern side of what is now known as James Ross Island, discovering and naming Snow Hill Island and Seymour Island. Ross reported that Admiralty Sound (which he named Admiralty Inlet) appeared to him to have been blocked by [[glacier]]s at its southern end. Ross's ships arrived back in England on 4 September 1843. He was awarded the ''Grande Médaille d'Or des Explorations'' in 1843, knighted in 1844, and elected to the Royal Society in 1848. | In 1841, James Ross discovered the [[Ross Sea]], [[Victoria Land]], and the volcanoes [[Mount Erebus]] and Mount Terror, which were named for the expedition's vessels. They sailed for 250 nautical miles (460 km) along the edge of the low, flat-topped ice shelf they called variously the Barrier or the Great Ice Barrier, later named the [[Ross Ice Shelf]] in his honor. The following year, he attempted to penetrate south at about 55° W, and explored the eastern side of what is now known as James Ross Island, discovering and naming Snow Hill Island and Seymour Island. Ross reported that Admiralty Sound (which he named Admiralty Inlet) appeared to him to have been blocked by [[glacier]]s at its southern end. Ross's ships arrived back in England on 4 September 1843. He was awarded the ''Grande Médaille d'Or des Explorations'' in 1843, knighted in 1844, and elected to the Royal Society in 1848. | ||