Antarctica was discovered by a ship from Blyth, Northumberland…
In April I will be joining The Williams II on its training and selection voyage around Britain. I will pick up the ketch in Weymouth and sail with her to Milford Haven. I am so proud to be involved in such an important Charity. Here’s some information about this fantastic project.
Almost 200 years ago Antarctica was discovered from a ship built in the small North East town of Blyth, Northumberland.
The Williams was built and owned by a Captain William Smith a man born and raised in Blyth. On the anniversary of this British achievement in 2019 it is The Williams Expedition aim to build a modern replica of the Williams in Blyth to recreate the original expedition with a local crew.
The expedition aims to showcase the North Easts talent, engineering and technology on a world stage and in conjunction with Newcastle University undertake meaningful marine science.
We have now completed the core refit of Williams II in preparation for after three years of dedicated work by our trainees and volunteers. Over the 2018 summer, we have also trained a core group of volunteers with specialist senior skills to operate efficiently onboard the vessel while training and supporting inexperienced crew.
The Williams II is a 36m gaffed riffed ketch, which was built of oak with pine decking and masts in 1914 in Denmark and at 24m on deck, with a 2.7m draft she is almost exactly the same dimensions as the original Williams built 100 years earlier in Blyth.
