Tanager Expedition - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Tanager Expedition was a series of five biological surveys of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...

conducted in partnership between the Bureau of Biological Survey and the Bishop Museum

Bishop Museum

The Bishop Museum , is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu...

, with the assistance of the U.S. Navy. Four expeditions occurred from April to August 1923, and a fifth in July 1924. Led by Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant commander (United States)

Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...

Samuel Wilder King

Samuel Wilder King was the eleventh Territorial Governor of Hawaii and served from 1953 to 1957. He was appointed to the office after the term of Oren E. Long. Previously, King served in the United States House of Representatives as a delegate from the Territory of Hawaii...

on the minesweeper , and Alexander Wetmore

Alexander Wetmore

Frank Alexander Wetmore was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist.-Life:Wetmore studied at the University of Kansas...

directing the team of scientists, the expedition studied the plant animal life, and geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

of the central Pacific islands. Noted members of the team include archaeologist Kenneth Emory

Kenneth Emory

Kenneth Pike Emory was an American anthropologist who played a key role in shaping modern anthropology in Oceania. In the tradition of A. L...

and herpetologist

Herpetology

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...

Chapman Grant

Chapman Grant was an American herpetologist, historian, and publisher. He was the last living grandson of United States President Ulysses S. Grant...

.

The expedition began with the goal of exterminating domestic rabbit

Domestic rabbit

A domestic rabbit, or more commonly known as simply the rabbit, is any of the several varieties of European rabbit that have been domesticated....

s that had been introduced to Laysan

Laysan

Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...

island by the guano industry in 1902. Since that time, the rabbits had devoured Laysan's vegetation and led to the extinction of several endemic species. The rabbits were eventually eliminated on Laysan, and the crew witnessed the extinction of the Laysan Honeycreeper (Apapane). Throughout the expedition, new species were discovered and named, and unique specimens were captured and returned to laboratories for further study. Over 100 archaeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

sites were found, including ancient religious sites and prehistoric settlements on Nihoa

Nihoa

Nihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is the largest and tallest of ten islands and atolls in the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands . The island is located at the southern end of the NWHI chain, southeast of Necker Island...

and Necker Island.

First expedition

The first expedition departed Honolulu on April 4, 1923 and returned on May 4. The team visited the island of Laysan

Laysan

, Pearl and Hermes Atoll

Pearl and Hermes Atoll

The Pearl and Hermes Atoll , is part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Named after two English whaleships, the Pearl and the Hermes, that wrecked there in 1822, a few, small, sandy islands exist, contained within a lagoon and surrounded by a coral reef. These islands are devoid of vegetation,...

, Midway Atoll

Midway Atoll

Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...

, and Kure Atoll

Kure Atoll

Kure Atoll or Ocean Island is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean beyond Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at . The only land of significant size is called Green Island and is habitat for hundreds of thousands of seabirds...

. When they spent a month on Laysan

Laysan

studying the endemic Laysan Apapane, a violent and sudden storm ravaged the island. After the storm, the crew concluded that the last three specimens of the Apapane had been killed.

Crew

Alexander Wetmore
Alexander Wetmore
Frank Alexander Wetmore was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist.-Life:Wetmore studied at the University of Kansas...

(assistant biologist)
Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
David Thaanum (conchologist)
Edward L. Caum (botanist)
Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
John Baker
Chapman Grant
Chapman Grant
Chapman Grant was an American herpetologist, historian, and publisher. He was the last living grandson of United States President Ulysses S. Grant...

(Ornithology assistant, herpetologist)
Eric Schlemmer (general utility)

Second expedition

The second expedition departed Honolulu on May 10. The team visited the island of Laysan

Laysan

, the French Frigate Shoals

French Frigate Shoals

The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...

and the Pearl and Hermes Atoll

Pearl and Hermes Atoll

Crew

Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
David Thaanum (conchologist)
Edward L. Caum (botanist)
Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
John Baker
Chapman Grant (Ornithology assistant, herpetologist)
Eric Schlemmer (general utility)
L. A. Thurston
Gerrit P. Wilder (botanist)
F. R. Lawrence
Ted. Dranga
Austin Jones

Third expedition

The third expedition departed Honolulu on June 9. The team visited the islands of Necker, Nihoa

Nihoa

, and the French Frigate Shoals

French Frigate Shoals

. An attempt was also made to visit Kaula. Tanager arrived at Nihoa on June 10 and dropped off scientists for a ten-day visit and moved on to Necker the following day to drop off a second team. Both teams used radio to keep in constant communication between the two islands. On Nihoa, botanist Edward Leonard Caum collected the first specimen of Amaranthus brownii
Amaranthus brownii
Amaranthus brownii is an annual herb in the Amaranthaceae family. The plant is found only on the small island of Nihoa in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, growing on rocky outcrops at altitudes of . It is one of nine species of Amaranthus in the Hawaiian Islands, but the only endemic Hawaiian...

and Alexander Wetmore discovered the Nihoa Millerbird

Nihoa Millerbird

The Nihoa Millerbird is a subspecies of the Millerbird. It gets its name from its preferred food, the Miller moth. The five-inch long Millerbird has dark, sepia-colored feathers, white belly, and dark beak...

and named it Acrocephalus familiaris kingi, in honor of Captain Samuel Wilder King

Samuel Wilder King

. Evidence of an ancient settlement on Nihoa was discovered, along with platforms, terraces, and human remains.

On June 22, the Tanager arrived in the French Frigate Shoals and remained for six days, completing the first comprehensive survey of the atoll. The expedition returned to Honolulu on July 1.

Crew

C. S. Judd (cartographer
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...

)
C. M. Cooke (conchologist)
E. H. Bryan, Jr. (entomologist)
H. S. Palmer (geologist)
Edward Leonard Caum (botanist)
Kenneth Emory
Kenneth Emory
Kenneth Pike Emory was an American anthropologist who played a key role in shaping modern anthropology in Oceania. In the tradition of A. L...

(archaeologist)
A. L. C. Atkinson
Bruce Cartwright
A. G. Rice
W. G. Anderson

Fourth expedition

The fourth expedition consisted of two teams, with the first departing Honolulu on July 7. Destinations included Johnston Atoll

Johnston Atoll

Johnston Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean about west of Hawaii. There are four islands located on the coral reef platform, two natural islands, Johnston Island and Sand Island, which have been expanded by coral dredging, as well as North Island and East Island , an additional two...

and Wake Island

Wake Island

Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...

. The first team left on the Whippoorwill (AM-35)

USS Whippoorwill (AM-35)

USS Whippoorwill was a Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the United States Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing....

, which made the first survey of Johnston Island in the 20th century. Aerial survey and mapping flights over Johnston were conducted with a Douglas DT

Douglas DT

|-References:* René Francillon, "McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I", ISBN 0-87021-428-4...

-2 floatplane

Floatplane

A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...

carried on her fantail, which was hoisted into the water for take off. Two destroyer convoys accompanied the expedition from Honolulu. The Tanager (AM-5)

USS Tanager (AM-5)

USS Tanager was an acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing....

left Honolulu on July 16 and joined up with the Whippoorwill to complete the survey. From July 27 to August 5, the expedition surveyed Wake Island and named its islets: The southwest islet was named after Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...

who had led the United States Exploring Expedition

United States Exploring Expedition

The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...

in 1841 and determined the location of Wake Island. The northwest islet was named after Titian Peale

Titian Peale

Titian Ramsay Peale was a noted American artist, naturalist, entomologist and photographer. He was the sixteenth child and youngest son of noted American naturalist Charles Willson Peale.-Biography:...

, the chief naturalist for the 1841 expedition.

Crew

Whippoorwill

Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
Charles Howard Edmonson (marine biologist)
Jas. B. Pollock (botanist)
E. H. Bryan, Jr.
W. G. Anderson
Max Schlemmer, Jr.

Tanager

H. S. Palmer
David Thaanum (conchologist)
G. R. Mann (surveyor)
Orme Cheatham

Fifth expedition

The fifth expedition visited Nihoa and Necker Island in 1924. Archaeologist Kenneth P. Emory of the Bishop Museum cleared out 60 sites on Nihoa and collected and cataloged artifacts. The expedition visited Necker from July 14–17.

Crew

This list is incomplete

Stanley C. Ball (biologist)
E. H. Bryan, Jr.
Edward L. Caum (botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

)
Erling Christophersen (botanist)
Donald Ryder Dickey (photographer)
Kenneth Emory
Kenneth Emory
Kenneth Pike Emory was an American anthropologist who played a key role in shaping modern anthropology in Oceania. In the tradition of A. L...

(archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

)
David T. Fullaway (entomologist)
Chapman Grant
Chapman Grant
Chapman Grant was an American herpetologist, historian, and publisher. He was the last living grandson of United States President Ulysses S. Grant...

(Ornithology assistant, herpetologist
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...

)
Herbert E. Gregory (Director, Bishop Museum)
C. S. Judd (cartographer
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...

)
A. J. Ker
Commander Samuel W. King
Charles E. Reno (rodent control specialist)
Eric Schlemmer (general utility)
David Thaanum (conchologist)
J. W. Thompson (Bishop Museum)
Alexander Wetmore (assistant biologist)
Gerrit P. Wilder (botanist)
T. Wilson

Repatriation

In 1990, the U.S. congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act , Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law passed on 16 November 1990 requiring federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American "cultural items" to...

which requires federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American cultural items and human remains to their people. In the 1990s, Hui Mālama (Hui Mālama I Na Kūpuna O Hawaii Nei), a Native Hawaiian group, spent two years petitioning the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...

for the release of the bones (iwi) from seven Hawaiian skeletons originally taken from Nihoa and Necker Island by the Tanager Expedition in 1924. Although the bones were owned by the USFWS, the Bishop Museum acted as custodian. The bones were finally released to the group, and in November, 1997, Hui Mālama chartered a yacht and travelled to Nihoa and Necker to rebury the remains.

External links

NWHI Searchable Online Cultural Collection Database at the Bishop Museum

Tanager Expedition C, 1923, 148 items
Tanager Expedition E, 1924, 122 items

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

First expedition

Crew

Second expedition

Crew

Third expedition

Crew

Fourth expedition

Crew

Fifth expedition

Crew

Repatriation

Further reading

External links