 | This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. (September 2020) |
| Jeannette Monument | |
|---|---|
| United States Naval Academy | |
 Cemetery of the US Naval Academy | |
| For the lost explorers of the 1881 Jeannette expedition | |
| Unveiled | 30 October 1890[1] |
| Location | near Dorsey Creek |
| Designed by | George Partridge Colvocoresses |
Commemorative of the heroic officers and men of the United States Navy who perished in the Jeannette Arctic Exploring Expedition·1881 | |
The Jeannette Monument is the largest monument in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.[2] It memorializes the 1881 loss of USS Jeannette while exploring the Arctic ice. Jeannette, with a crew of 33, collapsed and sank under surging ice in the summer of 1881. Her crew, commanded by George W. DeLong, took to the ice dragging three small boats. When open water was found, the boats were used to sail to the Lena Delta of Siberia, 700 miles distant. DeLong commanded a boat of 14 total crew members, Executive Officer Charles W. Chipp's boat's crew was 8 total crew members, and Engineer Officer George W. Melville's boat had 11. Chipp's boat was lost at sea with all hands. Engineer Melville's boat landed in the southern delta, and DeLong's boat came ashore farther to the north on 17 September 1881.[3] Melville quickly found aid, as did the two hardiest sailors of DeLong's crew soon after. The 12 remaining, including DeLong, perished from starvation or exposure. Thus 20 of the original 33 did not survive the expedition.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
altawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cemetery and Columbarium. "Notable Monuments". US Naval Academy. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jeannette Arctic Expedition, 1879-1881 Overview and Selected Images". Naval History & Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 1 November 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ Naval History & Heritage Command. "Jeannette Arctic Expedition, 1879-1881". Naval History & Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 1 November 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2014.