The USS Jeannette set sail from San Francisco in 1879, carrying George W. De Long on a mission to reach the North Pole through the Bering Strait. Backed by the New York Herald owner James Gordon Bennett Jr. and the United States Navy, the lieutenant commander sought the Open Polar Sea while documenting scientific data and local specimens.
The Arctic Expedition
In September 1879, the Jeannette became immobilized within an ice pack situated northeast of Wrangel Island. For nearly two years, the vessel drifted in a northwesterly direction before the crushing force of the ice destroyed it on June 12, 1881. The ship sank in the East Siberian Sea, forcing the crew to traverse the ice on foot while pulling three small boats toward the Siberian coast.
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Upon reaching open water in September 1881, the three boats separated. The craft commanded by Charles W. Chipp vanished without a trace. Chief Engineer George W. Melville successfully led his crew to the Lena Delta, ensuring their rescue. De Long reached land, but his party suffered from starvation near Matvay Hut in the Yakutsk Oblast, where he died around October 31, 1881. Only two men from his boat survived to seek aid.
Commemoration and Legacy
The United States government ordered the recovery of the remains of De Long and his companions, which were eventually interred at Woodlawn Cemetery. In 1890, the United States Navy erected a 24-foot granite-and-marble monument designed by George P. Colvocoresses at the Naval Academy Cemetery. His journals, published in 1883 as Voyage of the Jeannette, provide a daily account of the expedition until his final hours.
Fast facts
- Born: 1844, New York City
- Died: 1881, Yakutsk Oblast
- Education: United States Naval Academy
- Rank: Lieutenant commander
- Burial site: Woodlawn Cemetery
- Expedition ship: USS Jeannette
- Notable publication: Voyage of the Jeannette
Questions readers ask
What happened to the Jeannette crew?
Twenty expedition members perished during the voyage or subsequent search operations, though George W. Melville and a portion of the crew were successfully rescued.
Did De Long discover any land?
Yes, during the summer of 1881, he discovered three islands and claimed them for the United States, although the government never endorsed the claim and they remain under Russian jurisdiction.
Achievements
- Recorded as explorer, naval officer and naturalist
