Person
Moresby, John (1830 - 1922)
- Born
- 15 March 1830
Allerford, Somerset, England - Died
- 12 July 1922
Fareham, Hampshire, England - Occupation
- Hydrographer and Explorer
Summary
John Moresby joined the British navy as a cadet at age twelve. He was made captain in 1865 and in 1871 was sent to Australia (Sydney). Moresby spent the next three to four years travelling to places including New Zealand, Torres Strait Islands, northern Australia, New Guinea and Norfolk Island. On these journeys he carried out hydrographic surveys and tried to halt kidnappings and other pirate activities. Moresby was responsible for claiming New Guinea for the British and named Port Moresby in honour of his father.
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Details
Chronology
- c. 1842 - c. 1845
- Career position - Cadet with the Royal Navy
- 1845 - 1864
- Career position - Midshipman, then lieutenant, then commander
- 1871
- Career position - Sent to the Australian Station on the HMS Basilisk
- 1874
- Career position - Ordered back to England
- 1876
- Career position - Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea published
Published resources
Book Sections
- Beale, Howard, 'Moresby, John (1830-1922), admiral, hydrographer and explorer' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Douglas Pike, ed., vol. 5 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1974), pp. 285-287. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050328b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Ingleton, G. C., 'A Brief History of Marine Surveying in Australia', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 30 (1944). Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q712425. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/42208970. Details
- 'Moresby, John (1830-1922)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1208939. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 30 January 2018
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education