Explorers Club Flag
There are 222 numbered Explorers Club flags, each with its own history. To carry an Explorers Club flag is an honor and a privilege, because these flags have flown at Earth’s furthest poles, mountain peaks, ocean depths, and even to outer space. A flag expedition must be approved via application and further the cause of exploration and field science. Only a small percentage of expeditions are approved for carrying a flag into the field.
Dr. Ellen Pikitch, a fellow of The Explorers Club, successfully submitted an application for the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot expedition in the summer of 2024. We received Flag #132, and Shinnecock Bay will be listed as the newest field location in a long and storied history!
In total, Flag 132 has a list of 24 expeditions, the firsts conducted from 1948-1950 with Prof. Maynard M. Miller who researched ice fields on both poles. The flag has been on several ocean expeditions, notably with Robert Ballard in 1988 on the JASON Project & Bismarck Expeditions, with Her Deepness Sylvia Earle in 1994, and with David Concannon on four different deep sea expeditions including two to the Titanic and one, involving Jeff Bezos, to recover the F-1 engines that propelled Apollo 11 to the moon.
Award of Flag 132
​Dr. Ellen K. Pikitch, FR ‘20
First Synoptic Exploration of the Biodiversity of the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot
September 9,2024 - September 20, 2024
The Explorers Club Flag is a symbol of courage and fidelity. The award of the flag is a significant accomplishment. Since 1918, the flag has been carried to all of the Earth’s continents, as well as under the sea and into the stars.
To date, 850 explorers have carried the flag on over 1450 expeditions. A select handful of the 222 Explorers Club flags have been framed and now decorate the Club house in New York. These include flags carried by Roy Chapman Andrews, Bob Bartlett, Thor Heyerdahl, Naomi Uemura, and miniature flags carried aboard the Apollo 8 and Apollo 15.
Our expedition will now become part of the rich history attached to this flag. Earlier expeditions include:
Prof. Maynard M. Miller - 1948 - Juneau Ice Field Research Project
Prof. Maynard M. Miller - 1949 - Patagonia Ice Field Research Project
Prof. Maynard M. Miller -1950 - Juneau Ice Field Research Project
James H. Smith, Jr. - 1987 - 1987 Huautla Cave Expedition
Robert D. Ballard, Ph.D. - 1988 - JASON Project & Bismarck Expeditions
Peter E. Hess - 1990 1990 - USS Monitor Photographic Expedition
John C. Jahoda, Ph.D. - 1990 - Field Research Expedition to Lake Zancudo Cocha
Sylvia A. Earle, Ph.D. - 1994 - Untitled Expedition
Steve Nagiewicz - 2000 - 1st U.S. Greece Underwater Antiquities Exploration 2000
David Concannon - 2001 - Atlantic Sands 2001
David G. Concannon - 2003 - R.M.S. Titanic Scientific & Photographic Expedition
Gary Warren Bowersox - 2004 - Hindu Kush/Pamir Expedition 2004
Peter E. Hess - 2004 2004 - SS ALEUTIAN Archaeological Exploration
Kenneth J. Lacovara, Ph.D. - 2004 - Patagonia Dinosaur Project
David G. Concannon - 2005 - R.M.S. Titanic Scientific & Photographic Expedition
Jason E. Paterniti - 2011 - The Warwick Project
L. M. Toulmin & J. M. Leader - 2011 - White Hall Revolutionary War Archaeological Expedition
Joseph A. Citelli - 2012 - City of Everett
Damien Leloup - 2013 - Underwater Exploration of the Jingdezhen River
David G. Concannon - 2014 - Apollo F-1 Search & Recovery Project
Daniel Lieb - 2014 - Robert J. Walker Mapping Expedition
Joseph Dituri - 2015 - Britannic Scientific 2015
Damien Leloup - 2016 - Tang to Qing Dynasty Vessels of the Maritime Silk Road
Robert W. Ashbrook - 2023 - Sarah Furnace Cave