Joseph Whidbey
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Joseph Whidbey FRS was a member of the Royal Navy who served on the Vancouver Expedition 1791–95, and later achieved renown as a naval engineer. He is notable for having been the first European to discover and chart Admiralty Island in the Alexander Archipelago in 1794.
A Portrait of Joseph Whidbey
Vancouver Expedition
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The Vancouver Expedition (1791–1795) was a four-and-a-half-year voyage of exploration and diplomacy, commanded by Captain George Vancouver of the Royal Navy. The British expedition circumnavigated the globe and made contact with five continents. The expedition at various times included between two and four vessels, and up to 153 men, all but 6 of whom returned home safely.
A likely portrait of George Vancouver, c. 1798
"Mount Rainier from the south Part of Admiralty Inlet". The mountain was first sighted by Vancouver during his exploration of Puget Sound in the spring of 1792.
The Discovery ran aground in early August 1792 on hidden rocks in Queen Charlotte Strait near Fife Sound. Within a day the Chatham also ran aground on rocks about two miles away.
Friendly Cove, Nootka Sound. Volume I, plate VII from: "A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean and Round the World" by George Vancouver.