North Pacific Exploring and Surveying Expedition

Five months were devoted to surveying the waters surrounding the large islands off the coast of Southeast Asia.

The squadron at that time also explored islands well off the coast of Asia, including the Bonins, the Ladrones, and the Marianas.

In March 1856, the expedition arrived at Puget Sound to help suppress Indian uprisings which threatened to wipe out white settlements and Army outposts established in the early 1850s.

Besides greatly increasing knowledge of the western and northern Pacific, stimulating commerce, and easing navigation in previously unknown seas, the expedition has been credited with helping to establish friendly relations between the United States and several nations of East Asia.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.