The Search for the Northwest Passage

For four hundred years, explorers tried to find a way through the Northwest Passage. None succeeded until one Norwegian crew made it through, with a little help from the locals.

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.

With deficient maps and winter temperatures of -40°C or colder, almost all who tried would ultimately have to abandon their attempt, frustrated by the passage’s labyrinth of channels which were dominated by ice most of the year. Some expeditions met with a sad end, but there was one that succeeded where others had failed.

A Polar History of Trial and Tragedy

The first man to put his life on the line for the sake of fame and fortune was the Italian navigator and explorer, Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot). In 1497, he sailed out under the commission of England and King Henry VII. On behalf of the British Crown, he 'discovered' the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and claimed land in Canada. It is said that he was the first European to reach mainland North America since the Vikings.

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 they placed him, his son and the loyal members of his crew on a small boat. They disappeared and were never seen again.

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 sent out to find the captain, Sir John Franklin, as well as his two ships and his crew, but none were successful.

Photo: Arnau Ferrer, Andrea Klaussner, Karsten Bidstrup and Sophia Granchinho

Fleeing Financial Problems

When Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, left Oslo in 1903, he did not return to his homeland for three years. He set sail with deep financial problems, but the legendary explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, supposedly vouched for him to his creditors.

On his small shallow-draft vessel, “Gjøa”, he set sail with a small crew of only six men. They were a mixture of scientists and experienced sailors, with one lieutenant from the navy and a polar chef that had been on the Second Fram Expedition with Nansen from 1898 to 1902. Part of their mission was to measure the current position of the magnetic North Pole.

Amundsen had studied notes and accounts from previous expeditions. By this time, based on surveys by Dr. John Rae decades earlier, it was known that the only navigable route was to stay south as much as possible to avoid the sea ice. Amundsen’s aim was therefore to be the first to successfully sail through this passage.

Local Survival Know-how

No different to 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.

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 skin and taught Amundsen how to build igloos. Amundsen was very impressed by the Netsilik Inuit people and was strongly influenced by them. He wrote afterwards that he and his crew had no problems working in temperatures down to -53°C thanks to the locals’ clothing.

Returning in Victory

Amundsen finished sailing through the Northwest Passage when he reached Herschel Island in 1906. He then skied 800 km 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 one single ship. Amundsen could also finally pay his creditors.

Today, you can explore Arctic Canada by sailing with Hurtigruten through the Northwest Passage. Join us and visit the local communities to learn more about the traditions and way of life of the Inuit people, treading where great explorers once set foot.