Robert Langdon (1924–2003) was an Australian scholar known for his work as the executive officer of the
Pacific Manuscripts Bureau
The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau is a non-profit organisation sponsored by an international consortium of libraries specialising in Pacific research. The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau was formed in 1968 to copy archives, manuscripts and rare printed mat ...
, a part of the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
.
Biography
Langdon was born in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, served in the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, skipped university in favor of a writing career, and spent six years exploring South America. He undertook many different jobs prior to making his way to
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
to escape a cold Canadian winter. This journey changed his life. Because he couldn't find a single book that told the story of Tahiti, he returned home to Adelaide and wrote his own: ''Tahiti, Island of Love''.
After some time reporting for ''
The Advertiser'' in Adelaide, Langdon took on a role at ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' in Sydney. During his six years at the magazine his reputation for original and high quality research on forgotten aspects of Pacific history caught the attention of Professor Henry Maude who was setting up the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PMB).
One of the first major projects he supervised as the executive officer of the PMB in the 1970s was the microfilming of more than 2,100 logbooks of American whaling, trading and naval ships active in the Pacific in the 19th century. Copies of these 420 reels of microfilm were then distributed to a number of participating libraries in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. To increase their utility, he supervised a team of researchers to index the microfilmed logbooks and the results were later published in two volumes.
Historical theories
Langdon's research on the history of
Amanu
Amanu, Timanu, or Karere, is an atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago. Amanu lies at right angles to neighbouring Hao Atoll; this orientation is quite rare for the Tuamotu atolls.
It is situated 900 km east of Tahiti and 15 km north of Hao ...
island and the possible origin of antique Spanish ship cannons discovered on the atoll in 1929 resulted in his book ''
The Lost Caravel''. In this book Langdon presented evidence for his theory that the cannons were from the ''San Lesmes'', a ship of the Spanish
Loaísa expedition
The Loaísa expedition was an early 16th-century Spanish voyage of discovery to the Pacific Ocean, commanded by (1490 – 20 July 1526) and ordered by King Charles I of Spain to colonize the Spice Islands in the East Indies. The seven-ship fleet ...
. Langdon proposed that the ''San Lesmes'' had foundered on the atoll, thrown off the cannons to refloat, sailed to Tahiti where some members of the crew remained, then sailed onward to discover
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. New Zealand
film maker
Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwritin ...
Winston Cowie
Winston Cowie is a Marine conservationist, author and film director.
He is the Manager of Marine Policy at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He is a film director of nature documentaries, New Zealand author of discovery h ...
's books
Conquistador Puzzle Trail' (2015) and
Nueva Zelanda, un puzzle histórico: tras la pista de los conquistadores españoles' (2016), published with th
support of the Embassy of Spain to New Zealand address the San Lesmes theory and consistent with Langdon's theory propose that it may have been wrecked in New Zealand, wit
oral traditionfrom elders on the
Pouto Peninsula
The Pouto Peninsula is a landform on the northern Kaipara Harbour in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. The Peninsula runs in the north west to south east direction and is approximately 55 km long. The width varies from about 5.4&nbs ...
recording a wreck described as 'Spanish', and helmets and armour that had been found in the sand and caves of the peninsula.
Greg Scowen's 2011 novel ''
The Spanish Helmet'' also references the San Lesmes theory, basing much of the story on the presumed journal of the captain of the ''San Lesmes'',
Francisco de Hoces
Francisco de Hoces (died 1526) was a Spanish sailor who in 1525 joined the Loaísa Expedition to the Spice Islands as commander of the vessel ''San Lesmes''.
In January 1526, the ''San Lesmes'' was blown by a gale southwards from the eastern m ...
.
See also
*
Pacific Manuscripts Bureau
The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau is a non-profit organisation sponsored by an international consortium of libraries specialising in Pacific research. The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau was formed in 1968 to copy archives, manuscripts and rare printed mat ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langdon, Robert Adrian
1924 births
2003 deaths
People from Adelaide
20th-century Australian historians
Australian maritime historians
Historians of the Pacific