E-Books →The Man Who Discovered Antarctica Edward Bransfield Explained – The First Man to Find and Chart the Antarctic Mainland

Edward Bransfield's varied naval career included taking part in the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816 onboard the 50-gun warship HMS Severn. Then, in 1817, he was posted to the Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron off Valparaíso in Chile, and it was while serving there that the owner and skipper of an English whaling ship, the Williams, was driven south by adverse winds and discovered what came to be known as the South Shetland Islands where Cook had said there was no land.
Bransfield's superior officer, Captain Shirreff, decided to investigate this discovery further. He chartered Williams and sent Bransfield with a Master's Mate, two midshipmen and a ship's surgeon into the Antarctic - and the Irishman sailed into history.
Despite his achievements, and many parts of Antarctica and an Antarctic survey vessel being named after him, as well as a Royal Mail commemorative stamp being issued in his name in 2000, the full story of this remarkable man and his historic journey, have never been told - until now.
Following decades of research, Sheila Bransfield MA, a member of the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, has produced the definitive biography of one of Britain's greatest maritime explorers. The book has been endorsed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, whose patron the Princess Royal, has written the Foreword.