Discovery 2

Discovery 1 backblipped here.

Built in Dundee in 1900, RRS Discovery was the first ship to be built entirely for scientific purposes. Lieutenant Robert Scott was commissioned to captain her at the age of just 33 and the crew started their journey south in August 1901.

The expedition was a massive success. Over 500 new species of animal were discovered, hundreds of miles of new coastline, glaciers and mountains were mapped and extensive geological and meteorological readings were taken. In addition, Scott along with Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson walked further south than anyone else before them covering over 950 miles in 93 days.

After this the Discovery continued on as a cargo ship and as a munitions carrier before returning to the Antarctic in the 1920s. By the 1930s, being old and out of date the ship became a static training vessel for many decades before being rescued by the Maritime Trust. Discovery returned to Dundee in 1986 and is a treasured part of the Discovery Point museum.