The lands of silence

by Sir Clements R. Markham

Instead of the usual square stern, a round form of stern was adopted, which gave better protection to the rudder and screw and was much more satisfactory in heavy seas. It gave the helmsman nearly dry quarters.

The length of the ship on the water line was finally fixed at 179 ft., the breadth 34 ft., the depth amidships 18 ft. She was to be barque-rigged and of 735 gross and 483 registered tonnage. The framing throughout was of oak, the keel of elm. The boats were a sailing cutter (which was not taken south), four 26-foot whalers, and two Norwegian prams.

The Dundee Shipbuilders Company undertook her construction for £34,050 and £10,322 for the engines, and on March 16th, 1900, the keel was laid. On March 21st, 1901, Lady Markham launched the ship at Dundee, and gave her the name of the Discovery. She left Dundee on the 3rd June, was in the East India Docks for 55 days loading, and on August 1st she arrived at Stokes Bay[204].

I had selected the fittest commander in my own mind in 1887, when I was on board the Active in the West Indies, the guest of my cousin Commodore Markham, then in command of the training squadron, the other ships being the Rover, Volage, and Calypso. When we were at St Kitts, March 1st, 1887, the lieutenants got up a service cutter race. The boats were to be at anchor with awnings spread. They were to get under way and make sail, beat up to windward for a mile, round a buoy, down mast and sail, pull down to the starting point, anchor and spread awning again. The race tried several qualities. For a long time it was a close thing between two midshipmen, Robert Falcon Scott and Hyde Parker. However, Scott won the race and on the 5th he dined with us. He was then 18, and I was much struck by his intelligence, information, and the charm of his manner. My experience taught me that it would be years before an expedition would be ready, and I believed that Scott was the destined man to command it. At Vigo we were thrown together again, when my young friend was torpedo lieutenant of the Empress of India, and I was more than ever impressed by his evident vocation for such a command. When the time came for the selection I consulted Captain (now Admiral Sir George) Egerton, an Arctic officer with a wide knowledge of men and much experience in the service. He sent me several names, but Scott’s was first, and he had excellent testimonials. As a torpedo lieutenant he had gone through a special course of training in surveying, and he wrote the whole section on mining survey in the Torpedo Manual, and suggested all the instruments to be used. He had a thorough knowledge of the principles of surveying and of surveying instruments, as well as of electricity and magnetism. Seven of the ships in which he had served were masted, and frequently under sail.

Scott was now just the right age for a leader of a polar expedition, and admirably adapted for such a responsible post from every point of view. He was recommended very strongly by Captain Egerton, by his Admiral, and also by the First Lord and the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty. Yet there was long and tedious opposition from Joint Committees, Special Committees, Sub-Committees and all the complicated apparatus which our junction with the Royal Society involved, harder to force a way through than the most impenetrable of ice-packs. But we got through and I had the pleasure of signing Scott’s appointment on the 9th June, 1900. On the 30th he was promoted to the rank of Commander, the numerous committees were gradually got rid of, and Scott took command.

Albert Armitage, a Worcester boy and a very efficient P. and O. officer, who had served throughout Jackson’s expedition and was with Jackson on his long sledge journey round Alexandra Land, was selected by me as Navigator and in charge of magnetic observations at sea, and was approved by Captain Scott.

Some years before, on June 14th, 1892, I was in a river steamer going down to Greenhithe to see the boat-race between the Conway and Worcester cadets. I saw on board a young Conway cadet who bore a remarkable resemblance to Wyatt Rawson, the gallant Arctic officer in the expedition of 1875–76. The boy, Charles Royds, was his nephew, and I found that he was most anxious to get into the navy. He succeeded in July, 1892. His career was meritorious and he won golden opinions from his captains. He was the first to volunteer, and no better man could be found as First Lieutenant. He also took charge of the meteorology. He was a good musician, both vocal and instrumental, a thorough seaman, and a good all round man. Scott wrote of him that he was a first-rate worker, an excellent officer, popular with the men, and the right man in the right place as First Lieutenant.

Michael Barne was Scott’s special choice. The younger son of Colonel and Lady Constance Barne of Sotterley in Suffolk, and great-grandson of Admiral Sir George Seymour, he was born in 1877. He was always ready to help any one, full of good humour, the most unselfish of mortals, and entirely to be trusted in any position of responsibility. He had charge of all the deep sea apparatus and performed the duty right well.

The Engineer Lieutenant, Reginald Skelton, was an officer of great ability. In addition to his very arduous work in the engine room, he had charge of the dark room, stored all the negatives of interest, assisted with the pendulum observations, and, with Dr Wilson, did all the bird-skinning.

No more Lieutenants could be obtained from the Admiralty, so Captain Scott had to turn elsewhere and accepted Ernest Shackleton as the junior executive. He had been in the merchant service since 1890, and was very energetic and zealous. I got him made a Sub-Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve.