Owen Stanley

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Captain Owen Stanley, FRS (June 13, 1811 – March 13, 1850) was commander of HMS Rattlesnake on a four year exploratory expedition to New Guinea, 1846–1850.

Stanley was the son of Edward Stanley, Bishop of Norwich. He left naval college at the age of fifteen, and served under Philip Parker King on HMS Adventure and John Franklin in the Mediterranean. In 1836 he sailed to the Arctic as scientific officer on HMS Terror under George Back. In 1838 he was given command of HMS Britomart and sailed to Australia, returning in 1843.

In December 1846 Stanley sailed from Portsmouth in charge of HMS Rattlesnake, with the purpose of surveying the seas around the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait. The ship called at Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Simon's Town and Mauritius, arriving in Sydney in July 1847. Stanley died in Sydney on the return trip having accomplished the main objects of the voyage. The Owen Stanley Range is named after him.

[edit] Reference

• John MacGillivray Voyage Of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, in two volumes, available at the Gutenberg Project items 12433-h and 12525-h.