...or call (800) 877-1948
[ 822-7758 on Kaua'i ]

HMS Chatham off Moloka'i

Captain Puget in company of humbacks, March 17, 1793

On March 17, 1793, HMS Chatham concluded 32 active days of exploration in the Hawaiian Islands and charted an historic course along Moloka'i's foreboding northern coast.

There, dwarfed by the island's towering cliffs and in the company of a playful humpback whale, Captain Peter Puget entered the following passage in the ship's log:

"The face of this island is unlike any of the other islands; scarcely any low land was to be observed, but the mountains rose abruptly from the sea to a very great height, and afforded a most desolate appearance. No shelter could possibly be found for vessels, the constant trade wind blowing, the immense swells always rolling with great violence."

30.5 x 22 in. lithograph - 275 edition (remarques available)