HMS Swallow

Carteret Island, off Papua-New Guinea, will be the first island to disappear as sea-levels rise due to global warming.The number of islands in the Pacific discovered by Philip Carteret (1733 - 1796) in the 1760s entitle him to be ranked as one of the greatest explorers of his day; yet his name is seldom remembered. On his second voyage he discovered and named at least 20 islands and completed some valuable work on the treatment of scurvy. Sailing a more southerly route than any previous mariners he discovered Pitcairn Island on 2 July 1767. This model made by Trevor Copp shows the scene on the day that Robert Pitcairn sighted the island that bears his name. The model maker researched the crew list of the vessel and has the entire watch on deck while the men below are coming through the hatches to see the discovery. The model gives an idea of how crowded the Swallow must have been. The Carteret Islands which he named after himself will be the first to disappear due to sea level rises due to global warming.

Carteret Island, off Papua-New Guinea, will be the first island to disappear as sea-levels rise due to global warming.