Sea of Glory: America’s Voyage of Discovery

Just as Lewis and Clark explored the American West, the 1842 expedition led by controversial lieutenant Charles Wilkes charted the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Comprised of six sailing vessels and 346 men, the Ex Ex represented the largest voyage of discovery in the history of the world. By 1846, the expedition had lost two ships and seventy-one men, but had logged 87,000 miles and surveyed 280 Pacific Islands. Before the Expedition ended in a dramatic series of courts-martial, its crowning achievement was the discovery of a new southern continent, which Wilkes named Antarctica. A sailor himself, Philbrick won the National Book Award for IN THE HEART OF THE SEA, and his new book brings the same narrative verve, historical scholarship, and insider’s understanding to this thrilling saga.