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Owen Stanley (1811–1850): Royal Navy Officer and Explorer of New Guinea

Owen Stanley, born on June 13, 1811, was a distinguished Royal Navy officer, explorer, and hydrographer. He was the younger brother of the Very Reverend Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster, Canon of Oxford, and Honorary Chaplain to Queen Victoria and The Prince of Wales. Through his brother’s marriage, Owen was also the brother-in-law of Lady Frederica Elizabeth Bruce, my third cousin.

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Early Naval Career

Owen Stanley began his naval career at just 15 years old, joining the Royal Navy in 1826. Over the next decade, he served aboard several survey ships operating in South America, the Straits of Magellan, and the Mediterranean Sea.

In June 1836, he joined an Arctic expedition, where he was responsible for conducting astronomical and magnetic observations. Two years later, in 1838, Stanley participated in an expedition to establish a settlement at Port Essington, located in what is now the Northern Territory of Australia.

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Command of HMS Rattlesnake

In 1846, Owen Stanley was appointed Commander of the survey ship HMS Rattlesnake. Under his command, the Rattlesnake carried out detailed hydrographic surveys of the waters around New Guinea and northern Australia.

Tragically, in 1850, while anchored in Sydney Harbour, Stanley succumbed to fever aboard his ship. He passed away in the arms of the ship’s surgeon, Thomas Henry Huxley, who would later gain fame as one of the leading biologists of the 19th century.

A notable painting of HMS Rattlesnake, created in 1882, depicts the vessel that played such a significant role in Stanley’s legacy.

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Legacy and the Owen Stanley Range

In honor of his exploratory achievements, the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea was named after him. Stanley first sighted and documented these mountains during his 1849 survey of the region.

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Personal Life and Burial

Owen Stanley died without issue, leaving behind his wife Mary Stanley, who was widowed at just 34 years old. She never remarried and lived until 1901.

Stanley was laid to rest at St. Thomas Rest Park in Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia, while his wife was later buried in Alderley, England.