Replica of Phipps and Irving insulated water bottle, 1773

Replica of the insulated water bottle used by Captain C J Phipps and Dr Charles Irving on HMS Racehorse on the 1773-1774 attempt to sail to the North Pole. The expedition, which was sponsored by the Royal Society and had the support of King George III, reached a latitude of 80 degrees and 48 minutes north before ice made further progress impossible. Water bottles such as this one were suspended on a rope or wire over the side of a ship in order to take samples of water from various depths.