John Davis (sealer)
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Captain John Davis (*1784 in Surrey, England) was a seal hunter from Connecticut, USA[1] who claimed to have set foot on Antarctica on February 7, 1821 shortly after the first sightings of the new continent by Fabian von Bellingshausen, Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, Edward Bransfield and Nathaniel Palmer.
Davis and his crew from the American sealing ship, Cecilia, claim to have landed at Hughes Bay (64°01'S) looking for seals for less than an hour. The ships logbook entry reads:
| “ | Commences with open Cloudy Weather and Light winds a standing for a Large Body of Land in that Direction SE at 10A.M. close in with it our Boat and Sent her on Shore to look for Seal at 11A.M. the Boat returned but find no sign of Seal at noon our Latitude was 64°01’ South Stood up a Large Bay, the Land high and covered entirely [sic] with snow the wind coming Round to the North & Eastward with Thick weather Tacked ship and headed off Shore. At 4P.M. fresh Gale and Thick weather with snow…Ends with Strong Gales at ENE Concluded to make the Best of our way for the Ship I think this Southern Land to be a Continent.[2] | ” |
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— Captain John Davis, Cecilia Logbook February 7, 1821
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These men were the first recorded humans to have claimed to have set foot on the new continent of Antarctica.[3] However, modern historians are doubtful as to his claim[citation needed], and New Zealander Alexander von Tunzelmann is usually cited as the first person to set foot on Antarctica.
The Davis Sea, part of the Southern Ocean, was named after him. Also, the coastal strip where the men were alleged to have gone ashore is called Davis Coast.[4]
