sail. By 0730 the next morning, they had passed the lightship off Willoughby Spit and discharged the pilot. The fleet then headed to Madeira, taking advantage of the prevailing winds. Coincidentally, Commodore George C. Read in command of the East India Squadron aboard the flagship frigate USS Columbia, together with the frigate USS John Adams, were at the time in the process of circumnavigating the globe when the ships paused for the second Sumatran punitive expedition, which required no detour. Ships and personnel The expedition consisted of nearly 350 men, many of whom were not assigned to any specific vessel. Others served on more than one vessel. Ships – sloop-of-war, 780 tons, 18 guns, flagship – sloop-of-war, 650 tons, 22 guns – full-rigged ship, 468 tons, 7 guns – brig, 230 tons, 10 guns – schooner, 110 tons, 2 guns – schooner, 96 tons, 2 guns – brig, 250 tons, 2 guns Command Charles Wilkes – Expedition commander and commandant of Vincennes Cadwalader Ringgold – Lieutenant commandant of Porpoise Andrew K. Long – Lieutenant commandant of Relief William L. Hudson – Commandant of Peacock Samuel R. Knox – Commandant of Flying Fish James W. E. Reid – Commandant of Sea Gull Naval officers James Alden – Lieutenant Daniel Ammen - Passed midshipman Thomas A. Budd – Lieutenant and cartographer Simon F. Blunt – Passed midshipman Augustus Case – Lieutenant George Colvocoresses – Midshipman Edwin De Haven – Acting Master Henry Eld – Midshipman George F. Emmons – Lieutenant Charles Guillou – Assistant surgeon William L. Maury – Lieutenant William Reynolds – Passed midshipman Richard R. Waldron – Purser Thomas W. Waldron – Captain's clerk Scientific corps Alfred T. Agate – Artist James Drayton – Artist William Brackenridge – Assistant botanist Joseph P. Couthouy – Conchologist James D. Dana – Mineralogist and geologist Horatio Hale – Philologist Titian Peale – Naturalist Charles Pickering – Naturalist William Rich – Botanist History Expedition First part Wilkes was to search for vigias, or shoals, as reported by John Purdy, but failed to corroborate those claims for the locations given. The squadron arrived in the Madeira Islands on September 16, 1838, and Porto Praya on October 6. The Peacock arrived at Rio de Janeiro on November 21, and the Vincennes with brigs and schooners on November 24. However, the Relief did not arrive until the November 27, setting a record for slowness, 100 days. While