By 1900 few yards in the United Kingdom had the capability to build wooden ships of the size needed – only two shipbuilders submitted bids for the contract – but it was deemed essential that the ship be made from wood, both for strength and ease of repair and to reduce the magnetic interference from a steel hull that would allow the most accurate navigation and surveying.

Five days out of port the expedition made its first discovery – an under-ocean ridge rising 6000 feet (1800 metres) out of a flat sea floor. The two relief ships slowly broke a path through the ice while Scott organised work parties at the Discovery to use saws and pickaxes to cut the ice away from the hull. But she remained icebound, and the ship and her crew had to overwinter for a second year as the Morning left in March. She arrived back at her usual berth in London's East India Dock on 1 August 1931, exactly two years after her departure. The coal bunkers on each side contained a steel compartment, each of which could hold 60 tons of fresh water. In the summer of 1608, in the months between the first and second supply missions, Captain John Smith left Jamestown on the ship to explore the Chesapeake Bay region and search for badly needed food, covering an estimated 3,000 miles (4,800 km), producing a map that was of great value to explorers for more than a century. The expedition travelled to New Zealand via Madeira and Cape Town for resupplying. [3] HMS Valorous carried extra stores and accompanied the expedition as far as Godhavn.[2]. The ship found safe anchorage at Mawson's old base camp site at Cape Denison, where the wind moderated to Force 9. The ship was fitted with several winches for handling sounding lines and deep-water trawling nets with cables totalling thousands of fathoms in length, plus an early electronic echo sounder. Items range from the games played by the crew on her first expedition to examples of sea fauna. In 1610, Admiral Sir George Somers (of Sea Venture fame), proposed a trip to Bermuda aboard Patience accompanied by Captain Samuel Argall on Discovery with the intention of gathering more local supplies for Jamestown. The southern summer of 1930 proved to be one of extremely heavy ice, with 111 icebergs being sighted from the ship in one day (21 December) alone.

As suggested by Scott and Shackleton in 1900 her fore- and mainmasts were moved forward (by 4 feet/1.2 metres and 8 feet/2.5 metres respectively) to make her more balanced and steady on a course while new yards and the addition of split topgallant sails increased her sail area by 20 percent to improve her speed.

The weather eased after three days and Discovery arrived back at Hobart on 19 March 1931, having covered 10,557 miles (17,000 km) since she left. Nares commanded the converted sloop HMS Alert, and with him went Discovery, commanded by Captain Henry Frederick Stephenson. [4] Spring 1876 saw considerable activity by sledge, charting the coasts of Ellesmere Island and Greenland, but scurvy had begun to take hold, with Alert suffering the greatest burden.

After carrying out a number of controlled explosions with dynamite Discovery was freed from the pack and soon afterwards the relief ships were able to draw alongside. According to a 17th-century source, a total of 21 passengers were aboard during its initial expedition. The work was still frequently interrupted by gales and storms, which brought many large icebergs and floes around the ship.

The museum also holds other pieces from Scott's subsequent Terra Nova expedition and Shackleton's Endurance expedition. The ship is currently on permanent display at the castle. The Norwegian leader, Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen, was received aboard Discovery.

In January 1903 the Morning, commanded by William Colbeck, arrived in McMurdo Sound with extra supplies for the expedition. This land, entirely unknown before the BANZARE's arrival, was named Princess Elizabeth Land, which was claimed by means of the flag being dropped from the air. The ship is a nuclear-powered interplanetary spaceship, crewed by two men and controlled by the AI on-board computer HAL 9000.

During this time, she remained the home and training ship of the Westminster Sea Cadet Corps.

The journey resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia. The journey resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia.

The Hudson's Bay Company sold Discovery for £5000 and retained a right of first refusal to re-purchase the ship if she was sold in order to prevent a rival firm using her to compete on the Canadian fur trade. There was also two tons of butter plus an 'electric cow' which would mix water and powdered milk, six tons of potatoes, 7800 eggs, half a ton of fresh meat in the refrigerated locker and 30 tons of fresh water (loaded aboard from a single hosepipe on the dockside). This required opening much of the existing crew quarters as public exhibition space and the former water tanks were removed and replaced with new crew quarters.[5]. Then, in preparation for the winter, he anchored in McMurdo Sound in a bay sheltered from the prevailing west wind by the Hut Point Peninsula.