I shall never forget the day I first visited the "Terra Nova" in the West
India Docks: she looked so small and out of place surrounded by great
liners and cargo-carrying ships, but I loved her from the day I saw her,
because she was my first command. Poor little ship, she looked so dirty
and uncared for and yet her name will be remembered for ever in the story
of the sea, which one can hardly say in the case of the stately liners
which dwarfed her in the docks. I often blushed when admirals came down
to see our ship, she was so very dirty. To begin with, her hold contained
large blubber tanks, the stench of whale oil and seal blubber being
overpowering, and the remarks of those who insisted on going all over the
ship need not be here set down. However, the blubber tanks were
withdrawn, the hold spaces got the thorough cleansing and whitewashing
that they so badly needed. The bilges were washed out, the ship
disinfected fore and aft, and a gang of men employed for some time to
sweeten her up. Then came the fitting out, which was much more pleasant
work.

Scott originally intended to leave England with most of the members of
the Expedition on August 1, 1910, but he realised that an early start
from New Zealand would mean a better chance for the big depot-laying
journey he had planned to undertake before the first Antarctic winter set
in. Accordingly the sailing date was anticipated, thanks to the united
efforts of all concerned with the fitting out, and we made June 1 our day
of departure, which meant a good deal of overtime everywhere.

The ship had to be provisioned and stored for her long voyage, having in
view the fact that there were no ship-chandlers in the Polar regions, but
those of us who had "sailed the way before" had a slight inkling that we
might meet more ships, and _others_ who would lend us a helping hand in
the matter of Naval stores.