Dougherty Island

Dougherty is the name of a phantom island that was believed to be located in the southern hemisphere towards Australia. It is named for Captain Dougherty of the James Stewart, an English whaler, who in 1841 reported discovering it at 59°20'S 120°20'W. He described it as 5-6 miles long with a high bluff to the northeast, and covered in snow. Dougherty's discovery was confirmed by Captain Keates of the Louise in 1860, giving its coordinates as 59°20'S 120°18'W, and by Captain Stannard of the Cingalese 1886, giving the location as 59°21'S 119°7'W.

However, thorough exploration of the area in the latest 19th and early 20th centuries established that the island does not exist. The most likely explanation might be that Dougherty, Keates, and Stannard were all deceived by fog banks or icebergs - none, after all, claimed to have actually landed on the island.

References

• Hamilton-Paterson, James: The Great deep : the sea and its thresholds; New York : Holt, 1993 ISBN 0-8050-2776-9
• Stommel, Henry: Lost islands : the story of islands that have vanished from nautical charts; Vancouver : Univ. of British Columbia Pr., 1984 ISBN 0-7748-0210-3
• Ramsay, Raymond H.: No Longer on the Map; New York, Ballantine Books, 1972 SBN 345-232421-9-165