Thomas Forrest (?1729 - 1802)

Forrest was an English navigator who worked for the British East India Company and in 1762 had command of a Company ship. In 1770 he was engaged in forming the new settlement at Balambangan, which had been recommended by Alexander Dalrymple and in 1774 took on an exploring mission in the direction of New Guinea. He sailed on 9 December in the Tartar, a local boat of about ten tons burden, with two English officers and a crew of eighteen Malays. In this, accompanied during part of the time by two small boats, he pushed his explorations as far as Geelvink Bay in New Guinea, examining the Sulu Archipelago, the south coast of Mindanao, Mandiolo, Batchian, and particularly Waygiou, of which his was the first good chart. Forrest reached Dorei Harbour, and returned to Achin in March 1776. He was said to have died in India in about 1802.