John Fearn (whaler)

John Fearn (born ca. 1768, fl. 1798) was an English ship captain, notable as the first European to report sighting the Pacific island of Nauru.[1] He was probably born on 24 August 1768 in Kingston upon Hull.[2]

Not to be confused with John Fearn (philosopher).

Map of Nauru, 1914

Voyage of discovery

Captain Fearn departed Calcutta in the first half of 1798 in command of the snow Hunter (300 tons), owned by Campbell, Clarke & Co of Calcutta. Among those on board was supercargo and partner in the firm that owned the vessel, Robert Campbell. The newly built vessel was named after the then governor of New South Wales, John Hunter, and carried a speculative cargo of mixed goods and when it arrived it, “came to a very advantageous market, the Colony being at the tme of her arrival, in great want of stores and provisions.”[3] The Hunter reached Sydney on 10 June 1798.[4]

Hunter departed Sydney 20 August 1798 bound for New Zealand, where six weeks was spent at the Thames River, in the North Island, taking spars.[5][6] She sailed from New Zealand in October and went on to discover Hunter Island (sometimes called Fearn Island) and then Nauru, which was sighted on 8 November 1798.[7][8][9][10] Captain Fearn named it Pleasant Island due to its attractive appearance.[8]

Fearn was commemorated on the obverse of a $10 Nauruan coin[11] and on a Nauruan postage stamp issued in 1974.[12]

Fearn has frequently been confused with his contemporary namesake, a British philosopher who spent some years as an officer in the Royal Navy.[12]

References
  1. multiple authors and consultors, Dorling Kindersley, History (original title), ISBN 978-989-550-607-1
  2. Register of Bowl Alley Lane Presbyterian Chapel quoted in "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, database, FamilySearch". Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  3. Steven, Margaret (1965) Merchant Campbell 1769-1846: A study of colonial trade, Melbourne, Oxford University Press, p.24
  4. Cumpston, J.S. (1977) Shipping arrivals & departures Sydney, 1788-1825, Canberra, Roebuck, p.33. ISBN 0909434158
  5. Cumpston, p.33
  6. Richards, Rhys, "The easternmost route to China 1787-1792, Part II," The Great Circle, 8 (2) October 1986, p.111
  7. The Naval Chronicle, Volume 2. J. Gold. 1799. pp. 536–7. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. Purdy, John (1816). The Oriental Navigator, Or, Directions for Sailing To, From, and Upon the Coasts Of, the East-Indies, China, Australia, Etc. James Whittle and Richard Holmes Laurie. p. 698. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. "Nauru profile". BBC. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  10. Sharp, Andrew (1962), The discovery of the Pacific Islands, Oxford University Press, p.181
  11. "Nauru Stamps". Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. "Mystery ship on Nauru stamp". Pacific Islands Monthly. 45 (5): 16. 1 May 1974. Retrieved 5 June 2019 – via Trove (National Library of Australia).
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