Dougherty Island

Dougherty is the name of a phantom island that was believed to be located in the extreme south of the Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between Cape Horn and New Zealand.

It is named for Captain Dougherty of the James Stewart, an English whaler, who in 1841 reported discovering it at 59°20′S 120°20′W / 59.333°S 120.333°W / -59.333; -120.333.

He described it as 5–6 miles long with a high bluff to the northeast and covered in snow.

[1] However, thorough exploration of the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries established that the island does not exist.

[2] Captain Davis of the Nimrod suggested that the most likely explanation was that Dougherty, Keates, and Stannard had all been deceived by fog banks or icebergs (none, after all, claimed to have actually landed on the island): "I am inclined to think Dougherty Island has melted.