Frank A. Worsley was born in Lancaster, England, in 1841. He entered the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and served for almost twenty years before retiring with the rank of lieutenant commander in 1878. During his career he made two circumnavigations of the globe, first as part of HMS Beagle, then as commander of HMS Challenger
Worsley published his first book, The Races of Man (1876), while still an officer in the Royal Navy. He was made a Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St.
George (CMG) in 1878 and a Commander of the Order of Leopold (CdG) by the Belgian government in 1885. In 1899 he published his second book, Sermons to Young Men. In addition to his two books on South Sea whaling, Worsley wrote numerous articles on his whaling experiences for British journals and magazines including The Spectator and The Speaker's Diary, a periodical devoted to Parliament and politics.
Our sole illumination was a dim and foul-smellingblubber lamp, which really only served to make thedarkness visible.Frank A. Worsley
He himself set the example, throwing away, with a spectacular gesture, a gold watch, a gold cigarette case, and several golden sovereigns. Naturally, after witnessing this action, which brought home to me at any rate the shifting values in life and the knowledge that there are times when gold can be a liability instead of an assetFrank A. Worsley
