George Strong Nares

George Strong Nares was born on 24 April 1831 at Straloch, near Aberdeen. He was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross and entered the Royal Navy in July 1845. He passed his lieutenant's examination in 1852, serving that year as second mate in HMS Resolute on the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854 (Captains Henry Kellett and Francis Leopold McClintock). This expedition was ordered by the Admiralty to search for the Franklin Arctic Expedition in the region of Melville Island. The voyage took him far into the pack ice of the Canadian Arctic and he took part in several sledging journeys. Promoted to lieutenant on his return to England, Nares concentrated on his naval career and by 1862 had been promoted to the rank of commander. In July 1865, Nares was appointed to command the paddle steamer Salamander to visit the coast of Queensland, Australia and to maintain links with the new settlement on Albany Pass. He was also instructed to carry out some surveying duties and much time was spent investigating the hydrography of the coastal waters. Having established himself as a surveyor, Nares spent the next few years conducting marine surveys.

In 1872, Nares commanded HMS Challenger during the first two years of the British Naval Voyage, 1872-1876 (Chief Scientist Charles Thomson). Nares conducted important oceanographic research, discovering that the very cold water found in the depths of the ocean, even in the tropics, was of polar origin. Challenger also became the first steam vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle south of the Indian Ocean. After the expedition reached Hong Kong for a refit, Nares was recalled to command the British Arctic Expedition, 1875-1876, sailing from Portsmouth in two ships, HMS Discovery and HMS Alert . The expedition was sent by the Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole by way of Smith Sound and to explore the coasts of Greenland and adjacent lands. Although the attempt to reach the North Pole was unsuccessful, the expedition made some geographical discoveries and returned with a large quantity of scientific data.

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