Northwest Passage
Paso del Noroeste
- Date
- 1903-1906 · confidence high
- Place
- Gjoa Haven, King William Island, Canada
- Credited to
- Roald Amundsen (first complete crossing); Robert McClure (1850-54, partly by sledge); Franklin's lost expedition (1845)
- People
- 👤 Roald Amundsen1872–1928
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
After centuries of attempts and Franklin's tragic expedition, Amundsen crossed the Northwest Passage in the small Gjøa, learning survival techniques from the Netsilik Inuit that he later used at the South Pole.
Coordinates of Gjoa Haven, where Amundsen wintered for two years. The Inuit had inhabited and navigated the region for centuries; the wrecks of Franklin's ships (Erebus, Terror) were found in 2014 and 2016 thanks to Inuit oral tradition.
What it led to
- Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic
- Commercial Arctic navigation amid current ice melt
- Amundsen's polar methods (dogs, furs)
Built on
- Franklin's expedition (1845) and the search for it
- Voyages of Frobisher, Baffin, Parry and Ross
Made possible
- Icebreaker (Pilot)1864
- Modern Arctic navigation