William Edward Parry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Edward Parry
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| Hydrographer of the Navy | |
| In office 1 December 1823 – 13 May 1829 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Hannaford Hurd |
| Succeeded by | Sir Francis Beaufort |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Edward Parry
19 December 1790 Bath, Somerset, England |
| Died | 8 July 1855 (aged 64) Bad Ems, Kingdom of Prussia |
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| Education | King Edward's School |
| Occupation | Arctic explorer, hydrographer |
| Known for | Farthest North in 1827 |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1803–1855 |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Wars | Anglo-American War |
Sir William Edward Parry (born December 19, 1790 – died July 8, 1855) was a brave explorer from England and Wales. He is famous for his trips to the cold Arctic region. His most successful journey was in 1819–1820. During this trip, he sailed through the Parry Channel, getting closer to finding the Northwest Passage than many others.
In 1827, Parry tried to reach the North Pole. He set a new record for how far north any human had explored, reaching 82° 45' N. This record stood for almost 50 years!
Contents
William Edward Parry was born in Bath, Somerset, England. His father was Caleb Hillier Parry. William went to King Edward's School, Bath when he was young.
At just 13 years old, he joined the navy. He started as a volunteer on a ship led by Admiral Sir William Cornwallis. By 1810, he became a lieutenant. For three years, he worked on a ship called Alexander, protecting whale fishing ships near Spitsbergen.
During this time, Parry studied the stars and how to navigate in northern areas. He even wrote a book about it called Nautical Astronomy by Night. From 1813 to 1817, he served in North America.
Exploring the Arctic
1818: Baffin Bay Expedition
In 1818, Parry was given command of the ship Alexander. He joined an Arctic trip led by Captain John Ross. They explored the coast of Baffin Bay but did not find any new areas.
1819: Sailing Across the Arctic
Parry believed that Captain Ross had made a mistake by turning back from Lancaster Sound. Because of this, Parry was given his own expedition. He commanded HMS Hecla, and HMS Griper joined him. The ships were made stronger with thick oak and iron plates to protect them from ice.
They also carried food in new tin cans. These cans were so new that there were no can openers yet! Parry decided to go straight for Lancaster Sound. He fought through the ice and reached clear water on July 28. He sailed past where Ross had turned back and kept going.
Heavy ice blocked their path, so they went south into Prince Regent Inlet. They then turned back and continued west. They passed 110° W, which earned them a £5,000 award from the government. Finally, ice blocked them again. They stopped at a place Parry named Winter Harbour on Melville Island. They had to cut through new ice to reach the harbor on September 26.
They were stuck in the ice for 10 months. For three months, it was completely dark. The temperature dropped to −54 °F (−48 °C). The crew stayed busy with exercise, and the officers put on plays and made a newspaper. Some men got scurvy, a sickness from not having enough vitamins. Parry grew mustard and cress in his cabin, and the leaves helped.
In August, the ships could finally move. They sailed as far west as 113°46'W before turning back. It was getting too late in the year, and new ice was forming. They arrived back in England in October 1820, having lost only one man.
Parry's journey was very important. He sailed through the Parry Channel, crossing three-quarters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. This was one of the most successful trips in the search for the Northwest Passage. He was lucky because 1819 had less ice than usual. No other ship went as far west until 1850. When he returned, Parry was promoted. He also became a member of the Royal Society in 1821.
1821: Exploring Foxe Basin
In April 1821, Parry went back to the Arctic. He commanded HMS Fury, and HMS Hecla joined him. This time, they wanted to find a passage near the northwest part of Hudson Bay. The ships were almost identical, and all their equipment could be swapped between them. They had better insulation, heating, and clothing. They also stored lemon juice in barrels to prevent scurvy.
They slowly sailed through the ice of Hudson Strait. Then, they went west to Frozen Strait. Parry found himself in Repulse Bay, which was surrounded by land. He then mapped the coast of the Melville Peninsula. They spent the winter at Winter Island. Local Inuit people told him that the coast turned west further north.
In March and May, some of the crew explored the land by sled. In July, the ships were free from the ice. They went north and found the Fury and Hecla Strait, but it was full of ice. They waited for the ice to clear, but it did not. In September, a lieutenant walked 100 miles (160 km) west along the Strait. He reached the ice-filled Gulf of Boothia. When new ice started to form, they went southeast and spent the winter at Igloolik.
The ship was not free from ice until August 8. Since it was late in the season and some men were getting scurvy, Parry decided to go home. He reached England in October 1823. While he was away, he had been promoted. After he returned, he became the acting Hydrographer of the Navy. He published a book about this journey in 1824.
1824: The Loss of Fury
In May 1824, Parry left London with the Hecla. The Fury joined him. Their goal was to explore Prince Regent Inlet, where ice had blocked him in 1819. It was a difficult year for ice. He did not reach Lancaster Sound until September 10. He entered Prince Regent Inlet but was forced to spend the winter at a place he called Port Bowen.
In late July 1825, they got free from the ice. But 60 miles (97 km) further south, strong winds and ice pushed the Fury against the western shore. The ship was damaged. After 48 hours of pumping water out, they tried to pull the ship onto the beach for repairs. They unloaded supplies, but by August 25, it was clear the ship's bottom was broken. The moving ice forced them to stop trying to fix it. Most of the supplies were left on the beach. The crew moved to the Hecla, which reached England in October 1825. Parry published a book about this trip in 1826.
The place where the Fury was wrecked, called Fury Beach, became an important spot for other explorers. Sir John Ross reached it in 1829. He found many supplies and boats from the Fury on the beach. These supplies helped him when his own ship got stuck in the ice.
Setting a Farthest North Record
In 1827, Parry got permission to try and reach the North Pole. He planned to start from the northern shores of Spitsbergen. On October 23, 1826, Parry married Isabella Louisa Stanley before starting this journey.
In 1827, he reached 82°45′N. This was the highest latitude (farthest north) any human had reached at that time. This record lasted for 49 years! He wrote a book about this journey called Narrative of the Attempt to reach the North Pole.
Later Career and Legacy
In April 1829, Parry was made a knight. He worked as a Commissioner for the Australian Agricultural Company in Tahlee, New South Wales, from 1829 to 1834.
Later, Parry became the head of a new department for steam machinery in the Navy. He held this job until 1846. He also helped organize the packet service, which carried mail. Instead of naval ships, steamship companies were hired to carry mail on a regular schedule.
He became a rear-admiral in 1852. The next year, he became a governor of Greenwich Hospital, London. He kept this job until he died.
Sir William Edward Parry passed away in Bad Ems, Germany, on July 8, 1855. His body was brought back to London and buried in Greenwich Hospital Cemetery.
Parry was a very religious person. Besides his travel journals, he also wrote about his faith. He was known for being a strong supporter of good behavior in the navy.
Parry also helped improve how food was stored for long trips. He used canning techniques for his Arctic voyages. Even though his methods were good, some old canned meat from his 1824 trip still had living bacteria in it when tested in 1939!
Many things are named after him. There is a crater on the Moon called Parry. In Australia, there is Parry County, New South Wales. In Canada, there is Parry Sound, Ontario. Also, a special light effect in the sky, called a Parry arc, was named after him because he described it during his 1819–1821 expedition.
In 1930, a large rock at Winter Harbour on Melville Island was named a National Historic Site of Canada. This rock marks where Parry's ships spent the winter in 1819.
See also
In Spanish: William Edward Parry para niños
