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Naval History and Heritage Command

NHF-043 Greely Relief Expedition Collection

317 black and white and sepia photographs mounted on cardboard, showing the 1884 U.S. Navy expedition, led by Captain Winfield Schley, to rescue the stranded U.S. Army mission exploration mission commanded by Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely, the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Ships seen include USS Thetis, USS Bear, USS Alert, Loch Garry, as well as numerous whalers. Many locations in Greenland, Newfoundland, and New Hampshire, with dramatic ice and snow landscapes. Good images of local population. Views of equipment used in the expedition, in particular various types of sleds. Much of this imagery overlaps with the USN 900000 series. Some photos have also been assigned NH numbers.
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Title: Greely Relief Expedition Collection
Caption: Collection Photo # NHF-043-A.01: USS Thetis, USS Bear, and the whaler Arctic at the entrance to Kingitok Harbor.
Description: 317 black and white and sepia photographs mounted on cardboard, showing the 1884 U.S. Navy expedition, led by Captain Winfield Schley, to rescue the stranded U.S. Army mission exploration mission commanded by Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely, the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Ships seen include USS Thetis, USS Bear, USS Alert, Loch Garry, as well as numerous whalers. Many locations in Greenland, Newfoundland, and New Hampshire, with dramatic ice and snow landscapes. Good images of local population. Views of equipment used in the expedition, in particular various types of sleds. Much of this imagery overlaps with the USN 900000 series. Some photos have also been assigned NH numbers.
Accession #: NHF
Catalog #: NHF-043
Donor: Naval Historical Foundation
Copyright Owner: Naval History and Heritage Command
Circa this Year: 1884
Related Content

NHF-043-A

33 black and white images showing ships, mostly anchored in harbors: USS Thetis, USS Bear, USS Alert, Loch Garry. Views include dramatic shots with icebergs and snowy landscapes and mountains.

 

NHF-043-B

149 black and white images of snow and ice covered landscapes and villages, at Newfoundland and Greenland, including: Godhaven, Tassuisak, Hare Island, Hakluyt Island, Duck Island, Wilcox Head, Bony Island, Sugarloaf, Cape Shackleton, Foulk Fjord, Conical Rock, Upernavik, Berry Island, Littleton Island, Melville Bay, Northumberland Island, Saunders Island, Wolstenholme Island, Cape Parry, Brevoort Island, Cape York, Cape Alexander, Cape Sabine, St. John’s, Cape  Race, Petowik Glacier, Cape Athol, Crystal Palace Glacier, Disco Harbor, Sanderson’s Hope, Englishman’s Bay, Signal Hill, Kingitok Harbor, Portsmouth New Hampshire, Point Edith. Some views of ships as well.

 

NHF-043-C
30 black and white images of ship’s crew and scenes on board ships. Personnel include: Lieutenant S.C. Lemly, F.S. Nash, Ensign Washington I. Chambers, Lieutenant E.H. Taunt, Lieutenant Charles J. Badger, David L. Gifford, George Harvey, David Danielson. Also seen are explosion of ice by torpedoes, and dog sleds.

 

NHF-043-D
26 black and white images of personnel and scenes at Greely’s winter quarters at Camp Clay, including cairns, artifacts, many varieties of sleds, and animals killed during hunting.

 

NHF-043-E
2 black and white images of US Training Ship Jamestown at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

 

NHF-043-F
8 black and white images of steam whalers that accompanied the expedition, as well as whaling equipment. Seen are: Narwhal, Aurora, Arctic, and Polynia.

 

NHF-043-G
69 images of local people and buildings at Greenland and Newfoundland. Activities including fishing, kayaking. Named people include Madame Fergusson (interpreter) Honorable A. Anderson and family (Inspector of North Greenland), Hans Hendrickson and family, Governor of district at Upernavik. Graves and funeral of Frederick Christiansen (local who accompanied Greely expedition).

Topic
  • Exploration, Expeditions and Voyages
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
Navy Communities
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials
Author Name
Place of Event
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