John Byron Circumnavigation in the Dolphin
In 1764 the Admiralty overtly commissioned two frigates, the Dolphin and the Tamar, for a voyage to the East indies via the Cape of Good Hope. But the covert orders were to :
1. Claim the Falkland Islands for Britain
2. Find any other promising islands in the South Atlantic
3. Explore the west coast of North America and claim what lands they could
4. Sail into the North Pacific to discover the North-West Passage.
5. If they could not sail home via the Straits of Anian, return home via the East Indies, or China, and South Africa.
The Dolphin was fitted out with copper sheathing on her hull and was commanded by John Byron, former midshipman of the Wager and was known as "Foul Weather Jack". John Byron was given the rank of commodore and hoisted his pennant aboard the Dolphin. Byron left Portsmouth on 2 July 1764 and his circumnavigation took only twenty two months. He did not follow order to explore the coast of California, or search for the North-West Passage. Byron looked after his men very well and took every precaution to avoid scurvy and fever. Byron took on board "portable soup" which was a glutinous cake of meat extract which was boiled up with peas and legumes for a relatively decent meal.
Byron set out in July and sailed for the west coast of africa and revictualled at the Cape Verde Islands. He wanted to catch the trade winds across the Atlantic to Brazil but was becalmed in the Doldrums, like many before him. Byron made it to Rio de Janeiro in the Dolphin and spent six weeks there resupplying and resting up the crew. Byron's fleet sailed from Rio de Janeiro on 21 October and sailed south through the squalls and fogs off the coast of Patagonia. The fleet had a hard time getting into Port Desire because of wrong maps and very bad weather. John Byron wrote:
" It is certainly the most disagreeable sailing in the world, forever blowing and that with such violence that nothing can withstand it, and the sea runs so high that it works and tears a ship to pieces..."
Byron and the Dolphin and the Tamar sailed onto the Magellan strait on 21 December, past the Cape Virgins and anchored in a bay. On 6 January 1765 Bryon sailed off to search for the Falkland Islands and found them six days later. He claimed them in the name of King George III. Bryon was anxious to get away because he had organised to meet up with a store ship from England at Port Desire. On 6 February he met up with the Florida, then sailed for Magellan Straits once again to transfer stores in a quiet anchorage. The store ship was sent home with a report for Lord Egmont.
On 9th April Byron sailed into the Pacific and sailed to the island of Mas Afuera which he left on 30 April hoping to catch the trade winds across the Pacific. They passed the northern edges of the Tuamotu Archipelago, and King George's Isles. He turned due west in search of the Solomon Islands.
Byron wanted to find the Solomon Islands because of the exotic legend of the islands, and that they lay on the route of the south-easterly trade winds from the Horn. But on 29 June gave up his search and steered north west towards the Phillippines and charted ocean. Byron's fleet reached Tinian, in the Marianas on 30 July and a one week stay revived his men from scurvy and disease.
From the Marianas, Byron sailed around the Phillippines and Sumatra to Batavia where he received a thirteen gun salute. He left Batavia on 10 December and two months later docked at Cape Town. The Dolphin reached home on the ninth of May 1766.
Circumnavigation Resources
Circumnavigation by Samuel Wallis in the Dolphin
Circumnavigation by Philip Carteret in the Swallow
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