RESTRtefnr 



FOREWORD 



The interest of the United States Navy in polar navigation dates 

 back over a century, to the voyage of the United States Exploring 

 Expedition under Lt. Charles Wilkes, in 1838^2, which made land- 

 falls at several points along the Antarctic continent. In 1855 the 

 U. S. S. Vincennes, Commander John Rodgers, explored and charted 

 the Arctic Ocean beyond Bering Strait. 



Meanwhile, in 1850-51, the Advance and Resolute under Lt. E. J. 

 de Haven, were engaged in a search for the missing British Arctic 

 explorer. Sir John Franklin, and in 1853 the Advance was sent out 

 again under Passed Asst. Surg. E. K, Kane. In 1855 the Release and 

 Arctic^ commanded by Lt. H. J. Hartstene, went to the relief of Dr. 

 Kane in the Arctic. Capt. C. F. Hall's third voyage in search of 

 Franklin was made under naval auspices in 1871 in the Polaris^ and 

 the Tigress and Juniata were fitted out with naval crews to go to his 

 rescue in 1873. 



The increasing interest in the Arctic brought about by the Franklin 

 relief expeditions led to the commissioning of the Jeannette as a naval 

 vessel in 1879 to explore beyond Bering Strait under Lt. G. W. de Long. 

 The revenue cutter Corwin cruised in search of the Jeannette in 1880, 

 as did the U. S. S. Rodgers and U. S. S. Alliance in the two following 

 years. In 1884 a naval expedition under Commander Winfield S. 

 Schley, comprising the Thetis^ Bear^ and Alert, rescued the survivors 

 of the (ireely expedition in Greenland waters. 



Except to mention that the North Pole was attained by Commander 

 Robert E. Peary of the Civil Engineering Corps in 1909, and that the 

 first man to fly over both Poles was Rear Adm. R. E. Byrd, USN 

 (Ret.), later naval operations in Polar waters need not be touched 

 on here. 



This publication has been prepared in an effort to make available 

 the accumulated experience of past expeditions in a form convenient 

 for use by present-day Polar expeditions, whether operating for 

 military, commercial, or scientific purposes. It should be used in con- 

 junction with the Sailing Directions for the appropriate coasts, of 

 which the following have been issued by the Hydrographic Office : 



RESTRICTED III 



