Between 1823 and 1831, Benjamin Morrell (1795–ca.

1839), an American seal captain and explorer, undertook

a number of expeditions, mostly to the Pacific Islands, the Southern Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Geographers and historians have refuted numerous assertions in his ghostwritten autobiography, A Narrative of
Four Voyages, particularly those that concern his adventures in Antarctica. When he embarked the sealer Wasp
on a lengthy expedition into subantarctic waters in 1823, much of the dispute surrounding his reputation began
to grow. He made numerous claims, including the first landing on Bouvet Island, a Weddell Sea penetration to
70° S, an incredibly swift journey of 3,500 miles (5,600 km) in improbably high latitudes, and the discovery of a
coastline.