The expedition was the eighth in a series of nine voyages organized and funded Allan Hancock Foundation to study the marine environment. The expedition took place aboard the Velero III, March 12 to May 14, 1939, under the leadership of Hancock. The cruiser belonged to the Hancock Foundation of the University of Southern California. The voyage began at Clarion and Socorro islands and continued to Chacahua Bay, Mexico, and southeast along the mainland coast to Balboa, Panama. Course was then set through the Panama Canal to explore coasts of Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas, as to Trinidad and Tobago islands in the Caribbean. It also collected in Isabel Island, Mexico. This expedition visited the San Blas Indians and conducted large-scale dredging operations. Participants are listed below with affiliation and and their field; they were field collectors unless otherwise noted. Staff included Granville Ashcraft (Allan Hancock Foundation, birds and mammals); Francis Elmore (University of Southern California, Anthropology); John S. Garth (Allan Hancock Foundation, Arthropods); J. Alex Hill (Allan Hancock Foundation, echinoderms), C. L. Hogan (The University of Southern California Geology, photographer), Karl Koch (San Diego Zoological Gardens, live birds), Cyrus B. Perkins, Jr. (San Diego Zoological Gardens, reptiles), Anker Petersen (Allan Hancock Foundation, Staff Artist) , Waldo L. Schmitt (United States National Museum, Crustacea), Wm. Randolph Taylor (University of Michigan, Botany, algalogist), Chas. B. Wade (Allan Hancock Foundation, fishes), Harry W. Wegeforth (return from Trinidad only) (San Diego Zoological Gardens, President, Ship's Doctor), Fred Ziesenhenne (Allan Hancock Foundation, echinoderms).
Smithsonian Institution Archives Field Book Project: CorporateBody : Description : rid_64_eid_EACE0064
