Voyage of Discovery
F1. Maritime HistoryDefinition
Generic term for organized scientific or exploratory expedition.
A voyage of discovery is an organized expedition undertaken to explore unknown coasts, oceans, or conduct scientific observation rather than to trade or fight. The term covers the European age of exploration from the fifteenth century, including the Portuguese rounding of the Cape of Good Hope (Dias, 1488) and the first circumnavigation begun by Magellan in 1519, through the scientific voyages of James Cook (1768 to 1779) and the nineteenth-century polar and oceanographic expeditions such as HMS Challenger (1872 to 1876).
Source: Historical record of European voyages of discovery: Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape 1488; Magellan's circumnavigation began 1519; Cook's voyages 1768 to…