After several foolhardy adventures that he'd been lucky to survive, he had embarked on a doomed expedition.
He was the first to bring back relics of the doomed expedition and the first to establish its fate.
But it was not to be, like so much else on this doomed expedition.
Birch's 11th novel, a 19th century-set story of a doomed expedition to the South Pacific to capture a "dragon", also made the shortlist.
We are survivors of a doomed expedition.
That there were weaknesses, failures, mistakes which this doomed expedition had tested and brought to light.
His release was accomplished via a surprise assault by the Navy, led by the sole survivor of the doomed expedition.
Yes," he proclaimed, "I led the doomed expedition to Vul.
A similar quality clung to the story of Rob Hall, the leader of a doomed 1996 expedition up Mount Everest.
Hamilton and his mother had heavily invested in the doomed expedition.