1955 Gough Expedition

Research expedition ALL dmy on The 1955 Gough Island Scientific Survey was a scientific expedition undertaken in 1955 through 1956 from England to Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. The expedition’s purpose was to study various aspects of the island's flora and fauna and to perform geological and cartographic surveys. It was led by John B. Heaney. The book "Mountains in the Sea" was written by one of the expedition crew about the expedition.Holdgate Martin Wyatt Mountains in the sea: the story of the Gough Island expedition Macmillan London 1958 Origins The expedition started after a suggestion from Dr. B.B. Roberts of the Scott Polar Research Institute. Other team members were sourced from British universities, except for J.J. van der Merwe of South Africa.Heaney John Martin Holdgate The Gough Island Scientific Survey The Geographical Journal 1957 123 1 Funding came from the Scott Polar Research Institute, the Royal Geographical Society, the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and others. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/9853AAF757884CA7F3ED0A464A992376/S0032247406005638a.pdf/belgica_project.pdf The 50th anniversary of the Gough Island scientific survey, 1955–1956 Holdgate Martin W. July 31, 2006 Cambridge University Press 17 June 2025 R.J.H. Chambers took over as leader of the expedition after doctors persuaded John Heaney to remain in England for his health. Expedition The expedition sailed from Britain to South Africa, and from there to Tristan. There, they stayed for some time until there was a sufficient weather window. They saw local dances and attempted to summit the mountain. They landed on October 1, 1955. After six weeks they found a weather window to come to Gough. As they attempted landing, R.J.H. Chambers suffered a suspected spinal injury and had to be removed from the expedition and shipped back to Capetown. M. Holdgate then took over as leader of the expedition. https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1475-4959.2011.00398.x John Bryan Heaney Obituary 1 March 2011 Wiley Online Library Geographical Journal Volume 177, No 1 March 2011, page 94 DOI 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2011.00398.x June 17, 2025 On May 13, 1956 the frigate Transvaal took the remaining expeditionary members off of Gough. https://www.tristandc.com/newsgough2015.php Harold Green returns to Gough Island 10 September 2015 Tristan da Cunha Gough Island 17 June 2025 Results The expedition resulted in a mapping of the internal hills of Gough Island for the first time. As well, at least one species was described which was new to science, Joeropsis vibicaria. 48 9 195–210 Barnard K. H. Isopoda and Amphipoda collected by the Gough Island Scientific Survey Annals of the South African Museum 1965 https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=10590 The crew also recorded 27 species of ferns and 35 species of flowering plant, as well as 95 invertebrates. They noted one land-based mammal, the house mouse, which they concluded was introduced by sealers. The expedition base is now used as a South African Weather Station. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/gough-islanda-possible-sanctuary/B2450F5C63E544D4F4D3F0F691945C8E Gough Island - A Possible Sanctuary 3 September 2009 Cambridge University Press 17 June 2025 https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532008000500005 Gough Island 500 years after its discovery: a bibliography of scientific and popular literature, 1505 to 2005 Hänel Christine 30 September 2008 SCIELO South African Journal of Science, Volume 104, Number 9-10, Pretoria 17 June 2025 References Category:Scientific expeditions