Home > William Baffin

The earliest mention of his name occurs in 1612, in connection with an expedition in search of a North-West Passage, under the orders of Captain James Hall, whom he accompanied as chief pilot. Captain Hall was murdered in a fight with the local inhabitants on the west coast of Greenland, and during the two following years Baffin served in the Spitsbergen whale-fishery, at that time controlled by the Muscovy Company .

In 1615 he entered the service of the Company for the discovery of the North-West Passage, and accompanied Captain Robert Bylot as pilot of the little ship Discovery, and now carefully examined Hudson Strait. The accuracy of Baffin's tidal and astronomical observations on this voyage was confirmed in a remarkable manner by Sir 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, when passing over the same ground, two centuries later ( 1821Events February 23 The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries founds the first pharmacy college. March 25 Greece declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire, beginning the Greek War of Independence. July 10 The United States takes possession of its ne).

In the following year Baffin again sailed as pilot of the Discovery, and passing up Davis StraitDavis Strait lies between mid-Western Greenland and the Canadian island of Baffin Island. Water depths in Davis Strait, at around 1-2 kilometres, are substantially less than in Labrador Sea to the south and Baffin Bay to the north. Davis Strait is underla discovered the fine bayBaffin Bay is a sea between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 1,130 km (700 mi) across from north to south. It is not navigable most of the year because of the presence of large numbers of icebergs. Baffin Bay is bounded by Baffin Island in the west, to the north which now bears his name, together with the magnificent series of straits which radiate from its head and were named by him Lancaster , Smith and Jones Sound s, in honour of the generous patrons of his voyages. On this voyage he had sailed over 300 miles farther north than his predecessor John DavisJohn Davis ( 1550? 1605) was one of the chief English navigators and explorers under Elizabeth I, especially in Polar regions. Davis was born at Sandridge near Dartmouth about 1550. From a boy he was a sailor, and early made several voyages with Adrian Gi, and for 236 years his farthest north (about lat. 7° 45') remained unsurpassed in that sea.

All hopes, however, seemed now ended of discovering a passage to IndiaThe Republic of India is a large multicultural country in South Asia, with a population of over one billion. The Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, and is the world's second-fastest growing economy. by this route, and in course of time even Baffin's discoveries came to be doubted until they were re-discovered by Captain 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 in 18181818 is a common year starting on Thursday. Events February 12 Chile gains its independence from Spain March 11 Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published March 22 Easter Sunday falls on its earliest possible date. The next time Easter will fall this early:. Baffin next took service with the British East India Company, and in 1617- 1619 performed a voyage to Surat in British India, and on his return received the special recognition of the Company for certain valuable surveys of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf which he had made in the course of the voyage.

Early in 1620 he again sailed to the East, and in the Anglo-Persian attack on Kishm in the Persian Gulf, preparatory to the reduction of Ormus, he received his death-wound and died, January 23, 1622. Besides the importance of his geographical discoveries, Baffin is to be remembered for the importance and accuracy of his numerous scientific and magnetic observations, for one of which (the determination of longitude at sea by lunar observation) the honour is claimed of being the first of its kind on record.