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Between the end of the 15th century and the 20th century, Europeans attempted to establish a commercial sea route north and west around the American continents. The English called the route the Northwest Passage, while the Spanish called it the Strait of Anián. The desire for the route motivated much of the European exploration of both coasts of North America.
In 1539, Hernán Cortés commissioned Francisco de Ulloa to sail along present-day Baja California in search of the Strait of Anián. On August 8, 1585, the English explorer John Davis entered Cumberland Sound , Baffin IslandBaffin Island ( Inuktitut: Qikiqtaaluk ) is one of the Arctic Islands in the north of Canada in the territory of Nunavut. It is the largest island in Canada and is the 5th largest island in the world, with an area of 195,928 sq mi (507,451 km²). Iqaluit,. In 1609Events April 4 King of Spain signs an edit of expulsion of all moriscos from Spain April 9 Spain recognizes Dutch independence May 23 Official ratification of the Second Charter of Virginia. July 6 Bohemia is granted freedom of religion. August 25 Galileo, Henry HudsonHenry Hudson (place and date of birth are unknown, but September 12, 1570 seems likely; presumed to have died in 1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator. In 1607, Hudson set sail on the Hopewell to find a northeast passage to Asia through the Arct sailed up the river that now bears his name ( Hudson RiverThe Hudson River called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. It is named for Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Netherlands,) in search of the passage. Hudson later explored the Canadian Arctic and discovered Hudson BayHudson Bay is a large body of water in northeastern Canada. It drains a large portion of the northern areas of Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba and the southeastern area of Nunavut. A smaller offshoot of the bay, James Bay, lies to the south. The placename us.
In the first half of the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended, parts of the Northwest Passage were explored separately by a number of different expeditions, including voyages by John RossSir John Ross ( June 24, 1777 August 30, 1856) was a British rear admiral and Arctic explorer. Ross, the son of the Rev. Andrew Ross, minister of Inch, near Stranraer, Wigtonshire, entered the British Royal Navy in 1786 as an apprentice, when he was only, William Edward ParrySir William Edward Parry ( December 19, 1790 July 8, 1855) was an English rear-admiral and Arctic explorer. Parry was born in Bath, the son of a doctor. At the age of thirteen he joined the flag-ship of Admiral Cornwallis in the Channel fleet as a first-c, James Clark Ross; and overland expeditions led by John Franklin, George Back , Peter Warren Dease , and Thomas Simpson .
In 1845 a well-equipped two-ship expedition led by Sir John Franklin attempted to force a passage through the Arctic ice from Baffin Bay to the Beaufort Sea. When the expedition failed to return, a number of relief expeditions and search parties explored the Canadian Arctic between the two bodies of open water resulting in final charting of a possible passage. Traces of the expedition have been found including records that indicate that the ships became icelocked in 1846 near King William Island, about half way through the passage, and were unable to extricate themselves. Franklin himself died in 1847 and the rest of the party in 1848, after abandoning the ships and attempting to escape overland by sledge. While starvation and scurvy are the most likely reasons why all 129 members of the expedition perished, other causes have been suggested as well, and explaining the failure of the expedition has become something of a cottage industry.
During the search for Franklin, a party led by Robert McClure traversed the Northwest Passage from west to east in the years 1850 to 1854, partly by ship and partly by sledge. McClure's ship was trapped in the ice for three winters near Banks Island, at the western end of Viscount Melville Sound . Finally McClure and his party -- who were by that time dying of starvation -- were found by searchers travelling by sledge from one of the ships of Sir Edward Belcher's expedition, and returned with them to Belcher's ships, which had entered the sound from the east.
The Northwest Passage was not conquered by sea until 1906, when the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who had sailed just in time to escape creditors seeking to stop the expedition, completed a three-year voyage in the converted 47-ton herring boat Gjøa . At the end of this trip, he walked into the city of Circle, Alaska, and sent a telegram announcing his success. His route was not commercially practical; in addition to the time taken, some of the waterways were extremely shallow. The first single-season passage was not accomplished until 1944, when the St. Roch, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner, made it through.
The Northwest Passage is the subject of a territorial dispute between Canada and the United States. The United States considers the Northwest Passage to be international waters, while Canada considers it internal Canadian waters.
In the summer of 2000, several ships took advantage of thinning summer ice cover on the Arctic Ocean to make the crossing. It is thought that global warming is likely to open the passage for increasing periods of time, making it attractive as a major shipping route. Routes from Europe to the Far East save 4000 km through the passage, as opposed to the current routes through the Panama Canal.
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