Discovery Investigations

The former Antarctic exploration ship RRS Discovery was employed for the Discovery Investigations cruises between 1923 and 1931.

The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, which was formed in 1918. They were intended to provide the scientific background to stock management of the commercial Antarctic whale fishery.

Discovery Investigations contributed greatly to knowledge of the whales, the krill they fed on and their habitat's oceanography, while charting the local topography, including Atherton Peak. They continued until 1951, with the final report published in 1980.

Collected specimens are in the Discovery Collections.[1]

  1. ^ Skinner, L. (2020). The Mini Monsters. National Maritime Museum Cornwall, 12 February 2020.