Summary

Lantern slide of the full sail setting, barquetine square-rigged, stern view, of the Discovery.

One of 328 images in various formats including artworks, photographs, glass negatives and lantern slides.

Description of Content

Sail set' on the Discovery, 'stern view'. This sail is carried on horizontal spars or yards. After departing from Cape Town on 19th October, 1929, the Discovery was rigged as a barquentine having been modified from a barque or bark when in Cape Town early in October 1929. The Discovery by design had three main masts, square rigged on the fore and main and the great expanse of yards and rigging aloft offered much wind resistance, which was potentially disadvantageous in an Antarctic hurricane. In such a situation the only course of action for the navigator was to steam into the wind and wait it out. So steps were taken to reduce the sail wind resistance when in Cape Town before the official commencement of BANZARE. The yards and square rigging on the main mast were abolished, making the rig barquentine rather than barque. This meant that the ship was now square rigged only on the fore mast. The Discovery and crew gained in that the ship would be more stable but the downside was that as a sailor it would have less sailing options without its full rigging and would be more sluggish. Although the Discovery was heavily dependent on sail, sailing was of course was of little or no value in the Antarctic. For there was the imminent danger of pack ice and icebergs, together with a lack of suitable winds or hurricane conditions. Photograph taken during the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE), Voyage 1.

Physical Description

Standard format lantern slide, consisting of two glass sheets each 3.25 x 3.25 ins (83 x 83mm), one pane bearing a positive transparent image and the other pane protecting the image. Sealed with paper binding strips around the four edges of the lantern slide and internally framed with a black cut-out window mask.

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