William Baffin facts for kids

William Baffin (about 1584 – 23 January 1622) was an English navigator and explorer. He is mostly known for trying to find a sea route called the Northwest Passage. This passage would connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. During his travels, he was the first European to discover Baffin Bay in what is now Canada. He also made excellent maps of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf for the East India Company.

Life of William Baffin

We don't know much about William Baffin's early life. People think he was born into a regular family in London. He worked hard to become successful. A writer named Samuel Purchas described him as a smart sailor and mathematician. He said Baffin was good at his job, even if he wasn't fancy with words.

His name first appears in records in 1612. At that time, he was the chief pilot for Captain James Hall's fourth trip to Greenland. Hall's earlier trips were paid for by Christian IV, the king of Denmark. The king wanted to find the old Norse settlements there. People didn't know yet that the Inuit had taken over these settlements centuries before.

After three failed trips, the king stopped funding the project. Hall then got four English merchants interested in helping him continue his work. These merchants were Thomas Smythe, James Lancaster, William Cockayne, and Richard Ball.

Baffin and Hall sailed from the Humber aboard the ship Patience on April 22, 1612. Another ship, the Heart's Ease, went with them. During this trip, Captain Hall was killed by the Inuit on the west coast of Greenland. Baffin successfully returned to Hull with the new captain, Andrew Barker.

Exploring the Arctic Seas

For the next two years, Baffin worked in the whaling industry near Spitzbergen. This area was controlled by the Muscovy Company. In 1613, he was the pilot of the Tiger. This ship was the main ship of a fleet of seven whaling vessels. In 1614, he and Captain Benjamin Joseph were on the Thomasine. This time, their fleet had 11 ships and 2 smaller boats. The ice made it hard to explore further north. However, Baffin explored a large part of Spitzbergen's coast. He returned to London on October 4.

In 1615, Baffin started working for the "Company of Merchants of London, Discoverers of the North-West Passage". This company was formed in 1612. Its first leader was Thomas Smythe, one of the merchants who helped fund Hall's trip. Baffin was the pilot of the ship Discovery. The ship left England on March 15. It carefully explored Hudson Strait while looking for a Northwest Passage. This passage would connect the North Atlantic to the Far East. Later, in 1821, William Edward Parry traveled the same route. He confirmed how accurate Baffin's maps and observations were.

Baffin sailed as pilot of the Discovery again the next year. They left Gravesend on March 26, 1616. They sailed west of Greenland, up the Davis Strait. There, they found a large bay to the north. This bay is now called Baffin Bay after him. They also found several sounds (narrow channels of water) that branched off from the bay. Baffin named these sounds after members of the North-West Passage Company. These were Lancaster, Smith, and Jones.

On this trip, Baffin sailed over 300 miles (480 km) farther north than the explorer John Davis. Baffin's voyages suggested there might not be an ice-free sea route to the East. Because of this, the area was not explored again for 200 years. His farthest north point (about 77° 45′ N) was the northernmost point reached in North America until 1852. That year, a British Navy officer named Edward Augustus Inglefield reached 78° 28′ N in the same area.

Voyages to the East

Since the search for the Northwest Passage was paused, Baffin started working for the East India Company. He might have hoped to find the passage from the western side later. He left as a master's mate (a senior officer) on the ship Anne Royal on February 4, 1617. The fleet, led by Captain Martin Pring, reached Saldanha Bay in South Africa on June 21. They arrived in Surat in British India in September.

Baffin's ship then made separate trips to Mocha in Yemen and other ports in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. When he returned to London in September 1619, the company gave him special thanks. This was for the valuable maps he had made during his voyage.

In 1620, he sailed east again as the master of the ship London. Captain Andrew Shilling, the expedition commander, had specially recommended him. Baffin left the Downs on March 25 and reached Suvali Beach near Surat in India on November 9.

They heard that a combined Portuguese and Dutch fleet was looking for them. Shilling went to find them. He was hurt in a battle in the Gulf of Oman on December 28 and died on January 6.

A year later, the East India Company agreed to help the Persian forces attack Portuguese forts. These forts were on Qeshm and Hormuz islands. In return, the Persians would give them special trade deals.

At Qeshm, near Bandar Abbas, Baffin was sent ashore on January 23, 1622. His job was to measure the height and distance of the walls of Fort Queixome. This would help the fleet's gunners aim their cannons better. One person who was there described his death: A small shot from the castle hit him in the stomach. He jumped three times and died right away.

He was one of the few English people who died. The fort quickly gave up. With English and Persian control of Qeshm, they quickly took over Ormuz. This opened up Persia for direct trade.

Baffin's wife later went to court to get his wages and other money owed to him. Three years later, they agreed on a payment of £500.

Legacy

A William Baffin rose.

Baffin Bay and Baffin Island are named in William Baffin's honor. He also named several features in those areas. His journals were the only records of some of his voyages. Parts of his journals were printed by Samuel Purchas in 1625. However, Baffin's maps and detailed observations were left out because they were too expensive to print.

All but one of his original maps were later lost. Over time, people started to doubt Baffin's discoveries. However, he was a hero to the explorer John Ross. Ross led a trip in 1818 that confirmed almost everything Baffin had written.

Besides his geographical discoveries, Baffin is famous for how accurate his scientific observations were. He was the first person known to figure out his longitude at sea using the distance to the moon. He did this on April 26, 1615.

A type of rose, the William Baffin rose, is also named after him.

See also

In Spanish: William Baffin para niños