"Navigating the Dead Sea: U.S. Navy's 1848 Expedition" Opens at Navy Museum in Washington
12 May 2005
Karin Hill

NAVIGATING THE DEAD SEA U.S. NAVY’S 1848 EXPEDITION EXHIBIT OPENING MAY 24,2005 The U.S. Navy Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibit Navigating the Dead Sea: U.S. Navy 1848 Expedition on May 24, 2005. Local press is invited to an advanced preview of the exhibit at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 23, 2005. The exhibit highlights the only U.S. expedition to the inland waters of the Dead Sea and the River Jordan and the first American scientific mission to the Middle East. Artwork from Lt. Lynch’s official report of the expedition, navigational equipment used on the mission, diplomatic passports from 1848, ship models and weaponry will all be included in the new exhibit. In 1848, Lieutenant William Lynch led a little known U.S. Navy expedition down the River Jordan and across the Dead Sea in two small boats. Lynch and his men would spend eighteen days exploring the ancient lake. Lynch’s careful scientific observations debunked many of the myths and legends that enshrouded the Dead Sea since the middle ages and his accurate descriptions of the geology and topography of the area were helpful to scientists for years to come. Other Westerners explored the region both before and after Lt. Lynch during the early 19th Century. Many went specifically to find the sites of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities the Old Testament said had been destroyed by God because of their sinful citizens. Lynch’s careful depth soundings led him to believe the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah lay in the shallow south basin of the Dead Sea. Lt. Lynch’s 1848 expedition would be the only American mission of exploration on these inland waters. Although his crew faced sickness and danger while on the expedition, Lynch, a devout Catholic, departed the Dead Sea with his faith unshaken. A companion book for the exhibit, "Sailors in the Holy Land: The 1848 American Expedition to the Dead Sea and the Search for Sodom and Gomorrah" by retired Navy Captain Andy Jampoler and published by the Naval Institute Press, is available for sale in the Navy Museum Gift Shop. The U.S. Navy Museum is the U.S. Navy’s flagship museum located on the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. Admission to the U.S. Navy Museum is free. Visitors enter the Washington Navy Yard at the 9th and M St. SE gate. Due to increased security on the Navy Yard, visitors must call the Museum at 202-433-6897 in advance. Learn more about the U.S. Navy Museum on the Naval Historical Center’s homepage: www.history.navy.mil.