See full version: What was the search for the northwest passage
North of the Canadian mainland lies a large group of islands, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It was this area – 1,700 nautical miles across and made up of approximately 36,500 islands – that various European sailors and scientists tried to navigate through in the 15th century, searching for new trading routes to Asia.
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Motivated by power and prestige, Europeans have long sought a route through the Arctic Ocean connecting the Atlantic with the Pacific. Despite many failures, the lure of the frozen north has enjoyed remarkable longevity.
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The discovery in 2016 of the Royal Navy’s HMS Terror near the west coast of King William Island in the Canadian Arctic was an exciting moment for historians. The position of the ship and its archaeology promised to fill gaps in our knowledge of what occurred during one of the most significant mysteries of sea-going exploration: the fate of the last expedition of Sir John Franklin. It was an opportune moment to consider why Franklin and his men were in the Arctic in the mid-19th century. To answer this question, we should look not just at the circumstances that drove the crews of HMS Erebus and Terror to the Arctic, but at the broader political and economic situations which have drawn people north from the British Isles since at least the 15th century. More importantly, we should also pay attention to how this exploration impacted on the communities of the Arctic as a result of their interactions with men from the south. The Arctic may still be understood as an uninhabited, empty space, but in reality the places encountered by explorers were populated and embedded with rich cultural meaning and indigenous history. more
H.M.S. Terror, captained by Sir George Back, beset in ice, 1838/©Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) more
In 1609, the Dutch East India Company hired English explorer Henry Hudson to find the Northwest Passage. His final voyage led him to what would be called Hudson Bay, but he never made it home after sailors staged a mutiny and left Hudson, his son John and several other sailors adrift in a small boat. here
In the 1570s, Martin Frobisher, an English pirate, took a break from plundering French ships off the coast of Africa and made three swings toward Canada. In 1576, he sailed west, ending up at Labrador. He next reached what became Frobisher Bay before returning to England. here
The search for the fabled Northwest Passage—which would link European markets with the Orient, over the top of the Western Hemisphere—had drawn the imagination of Europeans for centuries. Starting in the mid-15th century, the Ottoman Empire levied heavy taxes on major overland trade routes between Europe and Asia. The trip around the Cape of Good Hope was very long and guarded by the Portuguese and Spanish. The search was on for the British Navy to find a new trade route to link Europe and Asia. more
Today, you can explore Arctic Canada by sailing with Hurtigruten through the Northwest Passage. Join us and visit local communities to learn more about the traditions and way of life of the Inuit people. Tread where great explorers once set foot. [links]
The Henry Hudson expedition in 1610 was important for mapping the archipelago, but it ended in tragedy in the bay later named after him. Mutineers took control of his ship and placed him, his son, and the loyal members of his crew on a small boat. They disappeared and were never seen again.
Amundsen’s voyage through the Northwest Passage ended successfully when he reached Herschel Island in 1906. He then skied about 500 miles to Eagle, Alaska, to tell the world what he had done, before skiing back to Herschel Island to re-join the ship. In 1906, the expedition returned to Oslo. Amundsen and his crew enjoyed the victory of being the first men to sail through the Northwest Passage with a single ship. Amundsen could also finally pay his creditors. [links]
The local Netsilik Inuit people who inhabited this area offered to help the beleaguered explorers. Their knowledge of how to survive in the Arctic climate proved crucial for Amundsen and his men. They provided clothing made of animal skins and taught Amundsen how to build igloos. Amundsen was very impressed by the Netsilik Inuit people and was strongly influenced by them. He wrote afterward that he and his crew had no problems working in temperatures down to -53°C thanks to the locals’ clothing. [links]
The search for the mythical route through the archipelago continued in the following centuries. The mapping of the area was accelerated by the disappearance of a whole expedition of 129 men. They were part of the Franklin Expedition, which went missing around 1845. Many missions were dispatched to find the captain, Sir John Franklin, as well as his two ships and his crew. None were successful. more
No different than previous expeditions, Amundsen’s crew came close to catastrophe several times. They struggled through extreme weather, fought a fire in the engine room, and were almost crushed when the ship hit underwater reefs. But vigorous and skilled seamanship saved them. They managed to sail past Baffin Island, in through Lancaster Sound, and south to King William Island, where they stayed two winters in what was later named Gjoa Haven. [links]