Archive Results For: Arctic
The Voyage of H.M.S. North Star, 1849-50
This article provides an account of H.M.S. North Star’s failed attempt to contact Arctic Explorer, Captain Sir James Clark Ross in the Arctic between 1849-50. During this voyage the vessel (built at Woolwich, 1819-20) was under the command of James Saunders who directed sixty-three officers and men on the search. The North Star would eventually […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Historic Vessels, Museums & Restoration
Arctic Sledge Travelling by Officers of the Royal Navy, 1819–49
Royal Navy officers played a key role in nineteenth century exploration of the Arctic and for a north-west passage. Early developments in sledges have been overshadowed by the later improvements introduced by Lt. (later Admiral Sir) Francis M’Clintock. This article considers the early developments by explorers including William Parry, John Ross and his nephew James […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Science & Exploration
Adam Beck and the Franklin Search
This article recounts the interactions between Adam Beck (Kalersik), an ‘Eskimo’ interpreter, and members of the Arctic expeditions searching for Sir John Franklin in 1850. In August of that year Beck provided the searchers with a second-hand account of the 1846 break-up of two large ships in the winter ice off Cape Dudley Digges and […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Science & Exploration
The Two Franklin Expedition Records Found on King William Island
Graham Gore was First Lieutenant on H.M.S. Erebus which left Britain with H.M.S. Terror in 1845 seeking a north-west passage. In September 1846, the ships were beset by ice in the Victoria Strait and remained so throughout the following winter. In 1847, Gore left two records of this expedition on King William Island. These documents […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Science & Exploration
The Whaling Trade of Ipswich 1786-1793
The article traces the declining fortunes of the Greenland fishery, focusing on the first efforts of Yarmouth to re-enter the industry in 1754 and then the establishment of a small fleet and the necessary processing plant in 1786. The success of the first year lead to a repeat visit to Greenland in 1788. The poor […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Eighteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Whaling & Fishing
The Papers in the Possession of Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop, H.M.S. Terror, 1845
Peglar died during the Franklin expedition to find the North West Passage. His personal papers were found on a skeleton discovered on King William Island in 1859 and are preserved in the National Maritime Museum. This article gives an account of Peglar’s career, describes the papers in detail and suggests that the skeleton may in […] Read More
Filed under: Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Biography | Science & Exploration
Sledge Flags: Their Origin and Development
A quick look at the use of flags on the sledges used in polar exploration with illustrations of some of the flags used. The author describes when such flags were first used and lists the names of the sledges and their commanders. The article describes their use on celebratory occasions. Read More
Filed under: Other (Twentieth C) | Other (Nineteenth C) | Arctic | Antarctic
Subjects include: Miscellaneous | Science & Exploration
The Old Dutch Whalers
In 1596 William Barents discovered Spitzbergen and by 1613 the English and Dutch were exploiting the wealth of the Arctic Sea. Soon up to 15,000 men from Holland were whale-catching, with the people of the Friesian Islands becoming involved in 1634. In 1760 Föhr sent 1,415 men to sea from a population of just 4,500. […] Read More
Filed under: Early Modern | Eighteenth Century | Other (Early Modern) | Other (Eighteenth C) | Arctic
Subjects include: Whaling & Fishing
Umiak: The European Ancestry of the “Women’s Boat”
The largest skin boat in the world to-day is the Umiak or “Women’s Boat” of Greenland and Arctic America. It is known from the celebrated drawing in the Pepysian library that the “Wild Irish” as late as the seventeenth century were in the habit of building and sailing very large skin boats, probably much larger […] Read More
Filed under: Early Middle Ages | Atlantic | Antiquity | North Sea | Other (Early Modern) | Irish Sea | Other (Eighteenth C) | Pacific | Arctic
Subjects include: Archaeology | Science & Exploration | Whaling & Fishing
A Model of Henry Hudson’s “Halve Maen”
A model-maker and the author have built a 1/22 model of the 60ft “Halve Maen”. In 1609, Henry Hudson sailed to find the North-Western passage. He landed at New Amsterdam, now New York. The shape of the hull, with a rounded stern, is commonly found in yachts of the mid 16c. Such ships were two-decked […] Read More
Filed under: Atlantic | Other (Early Modern) | Indian Ocean | Arctic
Subjects include: Merchant Marines | Science & Exploration | Ship Models & Figureheads | Shipbuilding & Design