National Museum of American History
USS <i>Porpoise</i>
Unknown artist
One of six ships of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, the Porpoise sailed around the world between 1838 and 1842 under the command of Lt. Cadwallader Ringgold. The four-year-long expedition, headed by Lt. Charles Wilkes, covered nearly 87,000 miles, including a full circumnavigation of the globe. Wilkes and his crew sighted Antarctica (proving its existence), charted hundreds of Pacific islands and surveyed the Columbia River in present-day Oregon.
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