The History of the Northwest Passage

The route by way of water through the Arctic Ocean north of Canada that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific is called the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage was sought for centuries after America was discovered, in the hopes that it would allow ships to make the journey from one ocean to the other without having to go around the southern tip of South America. It was not until the early part of the twentieth century that anyone managed to find the way.

Significance

Before the building of the Panama Canal in the first portion of the 1900s, all ships that desired to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific or vice-versa had to go around South America's dangerous southern extension. Besides the length of the trip, other factors that made this a tough proposition were the unpredictable weather that far south and the presence of pirates. Once the Panama Canal was constructed and opened, the Northwest Passage lost much of its importance, but it still remains a potential route for Alaskan oil to make it to Europe and eastern ports in the U.S. It could also be a way for Canada to be able to realistically develop its abundant natural resources located in the northern parts of its territories bordering the Arctic Ocean.

Early attempts

In 1497, John Cabot was sent by the English to try to determine if there was a route that would connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, thus allowing ships a path to China. These were fruitless journeys but led to further exploration in 1576 by Martin Frobisher and in 1583 by Humphrey Gilbert, who made some progress into the Canadian Arctic archipelago, a series of thousands of small islands between Canada and the Arctic Ocean. Explorers such as Jacque Cartier mistakenly thought that they were close to making it to the Pacific when indeed they were only as far west as what is now Montreal, Canada. Henry Hudson was left to die when his crew mutinied in 1611 as he explored Hudson and James Bays in search of a passage west.

Franklin and McClure

Despite numerous attempts to discover the Passage from both the eastern and western sides of the continent, no route was found. In 1845, an expedition led by the Englishman John Franklin was sent to try to navigate the route. When it failed to return after becoming trapped in the thick sea ice, a rescue attempt was made by Commander Robert McClure. This group also became trapped after coming in from the Pacific side and navigating the Passage using both ships and sleds. Franklin's expedition was not found although the search for him by McClure led to the charting of the ice-locked route--if not a clean trip through it. Evidence collected over the years suggests Franklin and his 128 man crew died of starvation after being locked into the ice, with the possibility of lead poisoning from their supplies contributing to their demise.

Amundsen

It would not be until 1906 that the Northwest Passage was traveled entirely by sea in a vessel. Roald Amundsen, the explorer from Norway who would later go on to fame at the other end of the Earth, circumnavigating the South Pole, sailed a 47-ton ship from east to west. It took Amundsen a full three years to make the journey through the icy waters and while technically it was all via water, some of the trip was made through water so shallow that it would not be practical for larger ships to use the route.

Later trips

The second successful trip through the Northwest Passage came in 1940 by a Canadian crew going from Vancouver, British Columbia to Nova Scotia aboard the St. Roch. This was a 28 month odyssey, cut much shorter four years later by its leader, Henry Larsen, who found a route further to the north. In 1957, a pair of United States Coast Guard cutters made the trip, and in 1969 a specially fortified supertanker named the SS Manhattan made it with an icebreaker leading the way. This trip was made to see if it would be practical to try to move oil from west to east through the passage, but it was decided afterwards that it would not be. In the future, the prospect of melting ice due to the effects of global warming may make the Northwest Passage a more viable route for such purposes.