Throughout the early part of the 19th century, the sub-Antarctic seas had become a prized hunting ground for European and American sealers and whalers. The wild southern seas played host to many hunting expeditions and voyages as more of the map were charted, and expeditions ventured further south on the trail of wealth and glory.
Nathanial Brown Palmer, also known as 'Captain Nat,' was an American sealer, whaler, ship designer, and explorer whose polar legacy continues today. Palmer played a crucial role in discovering and naming several iconic locations in Antarctica, many of which you can visit during an expedition cruise. While lesser known than other polar figures, his adventurous life is a striking tale of 19th-century grit and exploratory spirit.
Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer (1799-1877), an American seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer
Heading south in search of renown
Palmer was one of many Americans who sought to profit from the lucrative seal fur trade that emerged in the early 1800s. He started his life at sea at the age of 14, working in the thriving maritime trade of New England.
Stonington, Palmer's hometown and home port, was a vital sealing port during the 19th century. However, by the early 1800s, many of the seal populations of South America had been exhausted, and American sealers began to venture further south in search of profit. In 1819, at the age of 20, Palmer joined the Hersilia, an American merchant ship, as second mate, steaming south on an initial voyage to explore the southern Pacific Ocean. However, the ship reached the South Shetland Islands, becoming the first American vessel to do so following British sailor William Smith's official discovery of the archipelago in 1819.
In the South Shetland Islands, Palmer and the crew of the Hersilia hunted Antarctic fur seals, before returning with their pelts to Connecticut. By some estimates, the Hersilia returned with around 9,000 pelts. The following year, in 1820, Palmer secured his first command, the 47-foot sloop Hero. Despite its diminutive size, Hero would prove to be a reliable vessel for Palmer, whose previous experience in the Antarctic would be vital during this early part of his career.
Deception Island and the Antarctic mainland
Commanding Hero, Palmer sailed south, reaching the South Shetland Islands in November 1820 as part of a larger sealing fleet led by Benjamin Pendleton. However, thanks in part to the previous success of Hersilia and other sealing vessels, the islands' population had been decimated. Given Palmer's experience of sailing and sealing in the area, he was tasked with venturing further south to search for fresh seal rookeries.
The small size of Hero made her perfect for navigating the icy waters of the archipelago and the waters further south. Palmer spent several days exploring the caldera of Deception Island, entering the impressive 'Neptune's Bellows,' which form the entrance to the island's enclosed bay, and detailing its interior. Palmer gave the island its name, attributing it to its deceptive outward appearance, belying its hollow, water-filled interior.
Deception Island | Photo by Sara Jenner
From here, Palmer sailed further south and may have been the first to explore the Orleans Channel. Undoubtedly, he was one of the first few to see the Antarctic mainland, sighting land during his time there. The Antarctic mainland had officially first been discovered mere months earlier, in January of 1820, when British captain Edward Bransfield and Russian Fabian von Bellingshausen had independently reported land at around 69º21'28"S 2º14'50"W. While disputed, it generally agreed that von Bellingshausen was the first to discover the Antarctic mainland on 27 January 1820. This would officially make Palmer among the first three people to lay eyes on the frozen continent.
Discovering the South Orkney Islands
Palmer is perhaps best remembered for his role in the discovery of the South Orkney Islands in 1821. Commanding the sloop James Monroe, Palmer headed south once more in July 1821. Joining forces with British sealer George Powell at Deception Island, he began a fresh search for new sealing grounds. By mid-November, Palmer and Powell searched the seas further northeast, eventually finding and charting a new archipelago, known as the South Orkney Islands.
With Powell, Palmer is credited as the co-discoverer of the South Orkney Islands, first named the Powell Islands. The area became a hunting ground for sealers, who visited the archipelago throughout the 19th century and beyond.
Following this successful venture in the Antarctic, Palmer returned once more to the region in 1829. However, poor sealing results led to this being his final voyage to the frozen south.
Life after the Antarctic
Following his polar pursuits, Palmer turned his successful career in sealing into an even more successful career as a merchant shipper and innovator in the emerging clipper ships that drove express trade across the globe.
He captained several fast-sailing ships, transporting express freight, including the 111-day journey between Boston and Hong Kong aboard the clipper Paul Jones, which transported the first cargo of ice to China. Over his career, he designed many improvements to clipper ships' hull design and rigging systems, creating a legacy beyond his exploits in the Antarctic.
An Antarctic legacy
Palmer's legacy can be found throughout Antarctica, with several locations bearing either his name or the name of his ship, Hero. Both Palmer Land, part of the Antarctic Peninsula, and the Palmer Archipelago are named for Nathaniel Palmer. In the South Shetland Islands, once a sealing haunt of Palmers, Hero Bay is named for Hero, the diminutive but highly effective sloop aboard which Palmer explored much of the archipelago and the Antarctic at large. In the Palmer Archipelago, on Anvers Island, the American research station Palmer Station was also christened in Palmer's honor.
United States Research Station "Palmer Station" | Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
While much of his legacy is linked to the historical practice of sealing and whaling, which once decimated wildlife stock across the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, Palmer is remembered as a key figure in the exploration and charting of the far south in an age when the blank spaces of the map were slowly being filled in at the wild, icy edges of the known world.
Thankfully, the seal and whale species that, in some cases, were hunted to near extinction throughout the 19th and 20th centuries have recovered. While healthy populations can be found throughout Antarctica, these important ecological species inhabit a world finely balanced between the frozen world of the past and today's environment of gradual change.
Visit Antarctica on an expedition cruise
Today, you can visit many of the locations that Palmer once explored or that are named in his honor during an Antarctic expedition cruise. Island chains such as the South Shetland and South Orkney Islands are frequently visited on several of our expedition trip itineraries, while the Antarctic Peninsula, including the channels, islands, and bays of the Palmer Peninsula, is a mainstay in many Antarctic adventures.