A long time in planning, preparing and recruiting, the United States Exploratory Expedition finally sailed out from Hampton Roads, Virginia, 18 August 1838, under the command of Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes en route for Madeira.  The six-ship squadron would spend the next four years at sea moving around the world, exploring, charting and discovering.  During their voyages which took them to six of the seven continents – they only missed Europe.  In 1841, the ships visited the Oregon Country.  An adjunct to their scientific missions was to visit Oregon to report on specific conditions there as American interest in those lands were on the upswing. Only one official American probe ventured into the Oregon Country previously.