Northwest Passage Explorers & Famous Expeditions – A Brief History

Nothing captures the imagination more than the discovery and early exploration of the Northwest Passage in the polar regions. Early Northwest Passage explorers faced harsh conditions, mutiny, shipwrecking, scurvy, and even tales of cannibalism. Some expeditions disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again, lost forever in the Arctic Ocean.

The quest for the Northwest Passage took over 400 years from when John Cabot first set out to discover it in 1497 until Roald Amundsen became the first person to navigate the entire length by ship, completing his voyage in 1906. That timespan alone suggests the difficulty early Northwest Passage explorers faced, from a hostile, unforgiving environment with bitter temperatures to channels blocked by ice for years at a time.

What is the Northwest Passage?

The Northwest Passage is a fabled sea route connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific ocean through a complex network of waterways in the Canadian Arctic. Over 36,000 islands make up the Canadian Arctic archipelago, one of the planet’s least populated places due to its remoteness and inhospitable conditions.

The Northwest Passage has seven main routes, which weave through a series of channels and straits. The route is known for its challenging conditions, which include thick sea ice, sub-zero temperatures, and unpredictable weather. It’s no wonder that for early Northwest passage explorers, this was one of the most challenging places to explore with perilous navigation. Many never made it back to tell the tale.

At Polar Escapes, we are experts in travelling to the Northwest Passage. Why not join us on one of our Northwest Passage Cruises or tours and discover its history yourself?

Why was the Northwest Passage of importance to explorers?

The importance of the Northwest Passage dates back to Christopher Columbus, who, in 1492, was searching for a possible trade route between Europe and Asia. Before the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships had to sail around the treacherous Cape Horn or the Magellan Straits in South America to reach the Pacific. A northern sea route through the Arctic would significantly reduce the length of a ship’s Passage. So, the quest for the Northwest Passage began. European explorers would seek the Northwest Passage for over 300 years as a trade route to Asia.

Who Discovered the Northwest Passage?

The idea of a Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans dates back centuries. As early as 12,000 years ago, Inuit hunters lived in the Canadian Arctic. So, when we ask who discovered the Northwest Passage, we are referring to European explorers, as Inuit people already lived there.

• John Cabot is often credited as the first European explorer of the Northwest Passage. He sailed under the English flag in 1497, but his expedition never found it.
• An Irish explorer, Robert McClure, is credited with discovering the Northwest Passage in 1850. He made the first traverse of the Northwest passage through an icebound route using a ship and sledge, the first of the overland expeditions.
• Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to sail the entire Northwest Passage by ship between 1903 and 1906 from the Davis Strait to the Beaufort sea.

To understand the number of attempts made, here is a timeline that shows the Discovery and exploration of the Northwest Passage:

Northwest Passage Exploration Timeline

1497—John Cabot is the first recorded attempt to prove the existence of the Northwest Passage, but he instead discovered Newfoundland further to the south.

1576-78 Martin Frobisher was the first European explorer to go on a quest to find the NWP, although he was blocked by ice at Baffin Island.

1585-87 John Davis contributed to mapping the area but could not find the entrance to the Northwest Passage. The Davis Strait is named after him.

1610-11 Henry Hudson made multiple attempts to find a Northwest Passage in the early 17th century, exploring parts of Canada and New York. He fails to find the Northwest Passage.

1612-13 Thomas Button was credited with charting much of the west coast of the Hudson Bay. His ship, the Resolution, became crushed by heavy ice and sank.

1615-16 William Baffin and Robert Bylot reach the entrance to Lancaster Sound, which is blocked by ice. This leads them to believe there is no entrance to a northwest passage in the Davis Strait.

In 1619, Jens Munk entered the Hudson Bay with two ships. During the winter, the crew was plagued by scurvy, and ultimately, only three survived the horrific conditions.

1715-19 James Knight’s expedition disappeared in Hudson Bay. In 1991, divers discovered his two ships there.

1776-1778: The Admiralty dispatched James Cook to search for the Northwest Passage, but he failed to find an entrance from the Pacific.

1819 – William Edward Parry discovers an entrance to the Passage through Lancaster Sound.

1845—The Franklin Expedition of 1845 aimed to explore the Northwest Passage but ended tragically when both ships became icebound, losing the crew. His ships, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus were lost in the Arctic sea ice. They were discovered in 2014 and 2016 near King William Island.

1850 – 1854 Robert McClure and his crew were the first to traverse the Northwest Passage in 1854, partly by ship and partly by sledging over the ice.

1854 – John Rae explored a more southerly area of the Northwest Passage in 1854 and found one of its routes.

1903-06 Roald Amundsen, on his ship Gjoa, becomes the first person to sail the entire Northwest Passage by ship successfully.

1921-24 Knud Rasmussen, a Greenlandic native and anthropologist, becomes the first person to dogsled the entire length of the Northwest passage on the Fifth Thule Expedition across Canada’s high Arctic.

1942 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Henry Larsen completed the first west-to-east Northwest Passage crossing for the first time in 1942.

1969 – The SS Manhattan became the first commercial cargo ship to navigate the Northwest Passage.

1984 – The first cruise ship, the Lindblad Explorer, passes through the Northwest Passage on a voyage from New York to Yokohama, Japan.

2001 – Jarlath Cunnane accomplished the first successful navigation of the Northwest Passage by a single sailboat.

2016 – With 1070 passengers, the Crystal Serenity becomes the largest cruise ship to navigate the Northwest Passage.

Key Northwest Passage Explorers

Henry Hudson 1565- 1611

The name Henry Hudson has a familiar ring to it, as the Hudson Bay and the Hudson River are named after him. A prolific explorer not much is known about Henry Hudson’s early life. He is believed to have been born in England in 1565 and became one of the most prominent sea explorers of the early 17th century, sailing under the English and Dutch flags.

In his quest to discover the Northwest Passage, he explored the West Coast of the United States and discovered the Hudson River, which was named after him in present-day New York. Tragically, Henry Hudson was the victim of a mutiny in 1611 and was never seen again after being set adrift in Hudson Bay.    

Sir John Franklin 1786 – 1847

Born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England, Sir John Franklin was a British naval officer and Arctic explorer. After a distinguished career serving in the Napoleonic Wars, Franklin explored the Arctic. His early voyages mapped significant sections of Canada’s Arctic coastlines.

Franklin lead the Coppermine expedition of 1819 to chart the northern coast of Canada. During the expedition, he lost 11 of his men due to starvation, with tales of cannibalism and murder that followed. He would earn the nickname “the man who ate his boots”, as it was rumoured the men had to eat their boots to survive. Franklin would later perish in 1847 deep inside the Northwest Passage.

Robert McClure 1807 – 1873

Robert McClure was an Irish explorer born in Wexford, Ireland. Due to his abilities, McClure quickly rose through the ranks of the Royal Navy. He would later make history by becoming the first to traverse the Northwest Passage and circumnavigate the Americas, although he lost his ship, the Investigator, in the heavy pack ice.

Due to the loss of his ship, McClure was court-martialled but later acquitted. He became knighted for his achievements and was awarded the Founder’s Gold Medal by the Royal Geographical Society.

Roald Amundsen 1872 – 1928

No polar explorer is more prolific than Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Born in Borge, Norway, Amundsen would achieve many outstanding polar accomplishments, including being the first person to reach the north and south poles.

Between 1903 and 1906, Roald Amundsen and his men became the first to sail the entire length of the Northwest Passage on a small ship named Gjoa. He proved it was possible to navigate the North West passage by ship and opened up the future of transiting the seaway.

Roald Amundsen tragically disappeared along with his aircraft, flying a rescue mission in the Arctic in 1928.

To discover more about polar explorers, please see my article 21 Famous Polar Explorers You Should Know.

Famous Northwest Passage Expeditions

Henry Hudson’s Northwest Passage Expedition – A Tale of Mutiny

Henry Hudson’s expeditions were driven by the desire at the time to discover a direct sea route between Europe and Asia, bypassing the perilous voyage around Cape Horn.

In 1609, he set sail under the employment of the Dutch East India Company to find the Northwest Passage. As he sailed north, impenetrable ice conditions forced him south, where he would discover the Hudson River and document the West Coast of America.

In 1610, Hudson set sail again under the English flag on his ship, the Discovery, which would prove to be his last expedition. He sailed into the vast Hudson Bay, mistakingly believing they had reached the Pacific Ocean.

As they explored the Bay, looking for a passage through the Arctic Sea, Ice Discovery became trapped in the ice, forcing the men to endure a gruelling winter there. Due to the tough conditions, tensions rose among the crew, and a mutiny took place. Hudson, his son, and a handful of loyal crew members were set adrift in a small boat. He was never seen again.

While Hudson did not find the Northwest Passage, his expeditions and mapping led to future exploration of it.

Franklin’s Lost Expedition

One of history’s most famous Northwest Passage expeditions is the 1845 Franklin expedition, which ended in tragedy.

Sir John Franklin set out to chart the last undocumented sections of the Northwest Passage and be the first to navigate the seaway. This was a remarkable feat for the time, as ships lacked the sophisticated technology, strength, and manoeuvrability they have today.

Two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, set sail from Britain in May 1845 under Franklin’s command. The expedition encountered difficulties when both ships became icebound near King William Island. The crew became trapped by the hostile Arctic conditions as the winter approached. Supplies ran low, and scurvy set in.

A great deal of mystery surrounds the fate of the men. Some crew members sought rescue overland but perished in the freezing conditions. Franklin was never found, but the graves of 3 of his men are visible today on Beechey Island.

Robert McClure – The first traverse

In 1850, McClure was tasked with a dual mission: finding Franklin’s lost expedition and traversing the Northwest Passage on the ship HMS Investigator. McClure sailed from the Pacific and entered the Arctic Ocean through the Bering Strait.

Like Franklin’s expedition five years before, McClure would face challenging conditions. In 1853, HMS Investigator became heavily trapped in the pack ice, and McClure abandoned the ship and continued the journey across the sea ice.

Due to his grit, determination and leadership, McClure became the first to traverse the Northwest Passage, sledging the remainder of the way. Through the expedition, McClure proved that a northern sea route through the Arctic was possible, laying the way for Roald Amundsen.  

The Gjøa Expedition – the first ship to sail through

Departing Oslo, Norway, in June 1903, the Gjoa reached Nome in Alaska in September 1906, more than three years after its departure, making it the first ship to sail through the Northwest Passage.

Gjoa was a small fishing ship specially adapted for Arctic exploration by Amundsen. Its small size gave it greater manoeuvrability than a larger ship, which was necessary to navigate the pack ice.

Amundsen’s success was attributed to his meticulous planning and in-depth knowledge of Arctic conditions. During the expedition, he spent two winters at Gjoa Haven on King William Island, studying the local Inuits and gaining knowledge from them. His learnings of Inuit survival skills and way of life would prove invaluable in the southern continent on his South Pole expedition.

Today, it is possible to see the Gjoa at the Fram Museum in Oslo.

How has climate change affected Northwest Passage exploration?

Climate change has significantly affected Northwest Passage expeditions. In recent years, it has caused Arctic ice cover to thin, opening the Northwest Passage to marine shipping. In the summer of 2007, the entire Northwest Passage was ice-free for the first time in recorded history.

Decreased sea ice impacts the Arctic ecosystems, allowing species migration between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The ice in Canada’s Arctic has shrunk 32% since the 1960s, influencing navigation and ecological conditions.

Reducing Arctic ice is expected to increase shipping traffic, raising concerns for wildlife and Indigenous communities.

Exploring The Northwest Passage Today

In my experience, the Northwest Passage is one of the most captivating places to explore in the polar regions and is often overlooked. While history is a main draw, it is also great for wildlife viewing. On a NorthwestPassagee expedition, it’s not unusual to encounter polar bears, beluga and bowhead whales, and sometimes narwhals.

The Northwest Passage has become increasingly popular with curious travellers looking to explore an off-the-beaten-track destination. Cruises to the Northwest Passage take place on small, ice-strengthened expedition ships purpose-built for navigating the High Arctic in comfort—a stark contrast to the ships of early explorers.

The Northwest Passage is easier to navigate during summer due to reduced ice conditions, and cruises occur during August and early September.

Cultural interactions with Indigenous communities are a part of every expedition. The Inuit people deeply connect to the land and advocate for sustainable tourism in the Northwest Passage.

Travelling through the Northwest Passage offers the chance to experience breathtaking scenery and the northern lights.

Cruises to the Northwest Passage have a strong historical element, and onboard, you will find expedition guides and historians who will bring the history of the Northwest Passage to life.

To find out more about please see our guide How to Visit The Northwest Passage.

Are You ready to be a Northwest Passage Explorer?

Has this article inspired you to become a Northwest Passage explorer yourself? At Polar Escapes, we have a wealth of first-hand expertise in exploring the Northwest Passage. We offer the largest Northwest Passage cruises and tours focusing on history and wildlife viewing.

To find out more about planning your expedition to the Northwest Passage, please contact us. We will share our first-hand experience with you to help you plan your dream trip.

Northwest Passage Explorers Summary

• Inuit have lived in the Northwest Passage for the last 12,000 years.
• Robert McClure discovered the Northwest Passage in 1850. McClure became the first person to transit it partly by ship and mainly over the ice, proving that the Northwest Passage existed.
• Roald Amundsen became the first person to sail the entire length of the Northwest Passage on his ship Gjoa between 1903 – 1906.
• Today, visiting the Northwest Passage on an expedition cruise with Polar Escapes is possible.