Full Fathom 5000: The Expedition of the HMS Challenger and the Strange Animals It Found in the Deep Sea

393 Pages·2022·58.192 MB·English

by  Graham Bell

Full Fathom 5000

Full Fathom 5000
The Expedition of HMS Challenger and
the Strange Animals It Found in
the Deep Sea
GRAHAM BELL
1
3
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© Graham Bell 2022
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021044997
ISBN 978– 0– 19– 754157– 9
DOI: 10.1093/ oso/ 9780197541579.001.0001
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-c hange
Into something rich and strange.
Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2

“For the whole family”

Contents
Acknowledgments xv
A Note on Names and Units xvii
Introduction 1
PART 1. BEFORE
1. T he Deep Sea 7
2. E dward Forbes 10
3. T wo Committees 16
The Dredging Committee 16
Two Cruises 18
The Circumnavigation Committee 22
4. T he Ship and Her Crew 29
The Ship 29
The Scientists 33
The Crew 35
PART 2. THE CRUISE
5. Outward Bound: December 1872–F ebruary 1873 41
Sheerness to Portsmouth 42
Portsmouth to Lisbon 43
Station I: 30 December 1872 44
Sounding and dredging in theory and practice 45
A soft starfish 47
Station IV: 16 January 1873 49
Gorgonians 49
Station VII: 31 January 1873 53
Pennatulids 53
6. First Leg: The First North Atlantic Transect,
February–March 1873 57
Station 2: 17 February 1873 58