Between 1823 and 1831, American explorer and seal captain Benjamin Morrell (1795–c.

1839) undertook a
number of expeditions, mostly to the Pacific Islands, the Southern Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Geographers
and historians have refuted several of the assertions made in his ghostwritten biography, A Narrative of Four
Voyages, particularly those that pertain to his adventures in Antarctica. His reputation grew. Many of his claims
—including the first landing on Bouvet Island, a Weddell Sea penetration to 70° S, an incredibly quick journey
of 3,500 miles (5,600 km) at improbably high latitudes, and the discovery of a coastline he named New South
Greenland—have been disputed or disproved. After crashing his spacecraft and stealing some of the recovered
goods, he concluded his career as a wanted man.