John Moresby
Encyclopedia
Captain John Moresby was a British Naval Officer who explored the coast of New Guinea
and discovered the site of Port Moresby
.
Moresby was born in Allerford
, Somerset
, England, the son of Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby
. He joined the Navy at an early age as a Volunteer 1st Class in HMS Victor, and rose to be in charge of the 1,031 ton paddle steamer
cruiser
HMS Basilisk
in which he made hydrological surveys around eastern New Guinea. During the survey of the southern coast he discovered the harbour which he named Fairfax after his father. The town established there, based on already existing native villages (principally Hanuabada) was named Port Moresby and is now the nation's capital.
John Moresby was also searching for a shorter route between Australia
and China
and on the eastern tip of the island he discovered the China Straits. He continued exploring along the north west coast as far as the Huon Gulf
.
On 29 September 1876, Moresby took command of , remaining in this position until 6 March 1878.
He was later promoted to Rear Admiral and died on 12 July 1922 in Fareham
, Hampshire
, England.
, Ireland
and had six children:
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and discovered the site of Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
.
Moresby was born in Allerford
Allerford
Allerford is a village in the county of Somerset, England, located within Exmoor National Park, and is part of the parish of Selworthy in the district of West Somerset. It appears in Domesday Book as “Alresford – forda Ralph de Limesy Mill”....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, the son of Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby
Fairfax Moresby
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby GCB , born in Calcutta, India, to English parents was a British naval officer.-Early life:Moresby was the eldest son of Fairfax Moresby, Lieut...
. He joined the Navy at an early age as a Volunteer 1st Class in HMS Victor, and rose to be in charge of the 1,031 ton paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Basilisk
HMS Basilisk (1848)
HMS Basilisk was a first-class paddle sloop of the Royal Navy, built at the Woolwich Dockyard and launched on 22 August 1848.-Propulsion trials:She participated in 1849 in trials in the English Channel with the screw sloop HMS Niger...
in which he made hydrological surveys around eastern New Guinea. During the survey of the southern coast he discovered the harbour which he named Fairfax after his father. The town established there, based on already existing native villages (principally Hanuabada) was named Port Moresby and is now the nation's capital.
John Moresby was also searching for a shorter route between Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and on the eastern tip of the island he discovered the China Straits. He continued exploring along the north west coast as far as the Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
.
On 29 September 1876, Moresby took command of , remaining in this position until 6 March 1878.
He was later promoted to Rear Admiral and died on 12 July 1922 in Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England.
Family
In 1859 he married Jane Willis Scott ( - 1876) of QueenstownCobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and had six children:
- Walter Halliday Moresby CBE (9 November 1861 - 24 April 1951), lawyer and spy
- Elizabeth Louisa MoresbyElizabeth Louisa MoresbyElizabeth Louisa Moresby was a British-born novelist who became the first prolific, female fantasy writer in Canada....
(1862–1931) became a well-known writer under a variety of pseudonyms - Ethel Fortescue Moresby (1865 - ?), married Frederick Haines
- Georgina Moresby (23 July 1867 - ?), married Peyton Temple Mackeson
- Donald Fairfax MackesonHMS Tower (1917)HMS Tower was an modified R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the White Tower of the Tower of London. She was built by Swan Hunter, and launched on 5 April 1917. She is noted for having the first modern Royal Navy ship's badge. She served as part of the Grand Fleet and Harwich...
- Donald Fairfax Mackeson
- Hilda Fairfax Moresby (16 December 1868 - 16 August 1893), accidentally drowned
- Gladys Moresby (5 April 1870 - ?)
Works
- New Guinea and Polynesia..., John Moresby, John Murray 1876 (reprinted 2002, Elibron Classics, ISBN 1-4021-8798-X)
- Two Admirals, Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Fairfax Moresby (1786-1877), and His Son, John Moresby. A Record of Life and Service in the British Navy for a Hundred Years, John Moresby, Murray, London 1909