''William'' (or ''Williams'') was launched at Blyth in 1811. In 1818, a letter of marque captured her, but she was then released. In October 1819, she fortuitously discovered the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

while on a voyage from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. She was last listed in 1829.

Career

In 1811, William Smith became part owner of ''William''; she first appeared in ''

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

'' (''LR'') in 1811.''Lloyd's Register'' (1813), "W" supple. pages, Seq.No.W41.
/ref> On 20 November 1817, ''Williams'', Smith, master, of London, was at

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

. She had been sailing from Buenos Ayres to London when she had encountered the Spanish letter of marque ''Rita'', Atrate, master. The Spanish vessel had been sailing from St Andero and Loango and was on her way to Lima. ''Rita'' took ''Williams'' into Bahia. After ''Williams'' had landed that part of her cargo "supposed to belong to Buenos Ayres", she was permitted to continue her voyage. On 6 May 1818 ''William'' arrived at Gravesend from Buenos Ayres and Bahia. On 2 August 1818, ''Williams'', Smith, master, sailed from Gravesend for Buenos Ayres. She arrived there on 22 October. In July 1819, ''Lloyd's List'' reported that she had arrived at Valparaiso from Buenos Ayres. In February 1819, ''William'', Smith, master, fortuitously discovered the South Shetland Islands whilst sailing from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. Smith had been blown off course in

Drake Passage The Drake Passage (referred to as Mar de Hoces Hoces Sea"in Spanish-speaking countries) is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atla ...

and sighted

Williams Point Williams Point is the point forming both the north extremity of Varna Peninsula and the northeast tip of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Separated from Zed Islands to the north by Iglika Passage. The discovery of ...

, the northeast extremity of

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...

, on 19 February 1819. That was the first land ever discovered south of 60° south latitude, in what is now the

Antarctic Treaty russian: link=no, Договор об Антарктике es, link=no, Tratado Antártico , name = Antarctic Treaty System , image = Flag of the Antarctic Treaty.svgborder , image_width = 180px , caption ...

area. On reaching Valparaiso, Smith reported his discovery of the islands and the abundance of seals there, to Captain

William Henry Shirreff William Henry Shirreff (baptised 4 April 1785 – 1 December 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, captain of , , , and . He had six children four of whom were daughters. He had two notable daughters, Maria Georgina Grey and Emily Anne Eliza Shi ...

, of ,"NEW SHETLAND". ''Caledonian Mercury'' (Edinburgh, Scotland), 25 June 1821; Issue 15571. which had arrived there about 5 September 1818. (Shirreff had been appointed the commanding officer of British naval forces in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

.) In October 1819, Smith revisited the South Shetlands, landing on King George Island on 16 October. On 24 November, ''Williams'' was back at Valparaiso from . Shirreff chartered ''William'' to carry a party consisting of Lieutenant

Edward Bransfield Edward Bransfield (c. 1785 – 31 October 1852) was an Irish sailor who became an officer in the British Royal Navy, serving as a master on several ships, after being impressed into service in Ireland at the age of 18. He is noted for his par ...

, three midshipmen, and a ship's surgeon. They arrived in December and surveyed, mapped, and claimed the new lands for Britain. Furthermore, on 30 January 1820, Bransfield sighted Davis Coast on the Antarctic Peninsula.Ivanof (2015), pp.17–28. By mid-April ''William'' was back at Valparaiso. On 27 April 1821 ''Williams'', Smith, arrived at Rio de Janeiro from the New South Shetlands. From there, ''Williams'' sailed to Lisbon. She sailed from Portsmouth to London on 11 September.

Fate

''William'' was last listed in 1829.

Notes

Citations

References

* Headland, R. (2009) ''A Chronology of Antarctic Exploration: A Synopsis of Events and Activities From the Earliest Times Until the International Polar Years, 2007–09''. London: Bernard Quaritch.
1989 first edition
* Ivanov, L
General Geography and History of Livingston Island.
In: ''Bulgarian Antarctic Research: A Synthesis''. Eds. C. Pimpirev and N. Chipev. Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, (2015), pp.–17–28, {{ISBN, 978-954-07-3939-7 1811 ships Age of Sail merchant ships of England Captured ships