Wilkes, Charles (1798–1877)

US naval officer and explorer. Born in New York, New York, he commanded a naval scientific expedition (1838–42) which surveyed the Antarctic coast, islands of the Pacific, and the American northwest coast. He was the first explorer to name Antarctica as a continent, and returned home after circling the globe. He instigated the Trent affair in 1861 which nearly brought Great Britain into the American Civil War on the Confederate side. He was court-martialled in 1864 for violating neutral powers in pursuit of Confederate ships. Following his suspension from duty (1864–65) he became a retired rear admiral.