Discovery

Tons: 55-70. Hull: wood. Comp.: 17. Built: England; <1602.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, England's East India Company was eager to find a sea route to the Indies that was not dominated by the Spanish or the Portuguese. At the time, two of the most promising alternatives were the Northeast Passage, over the top of Russia, and the Northwest Passage across the top of what became Canada. One of the most hard-worked ships in that exploration was Discovery, which made six voyages in quest of the Northwest Passage.

In 1602, Discovery was one of two "Fly-boates" of 70 tons (the other being Godspeed) that sailed under George Weymouth with a combined complement of thirty-five provisioned for eighteen months by "the right Worshipfull Merchants of the Moscovie and Turkie Companies." On May 2, they sailed north from the Thames to pass through the Orkneys, then south of Greenland until June 28, when they "descried the land of America, in the latitude of 62. degrees and 30 minutes; which we made to be Warwickes foreland" in the southern part of Baffin Island. Heading south, they approached the entrance to Hudson Strait but were kept out by ice and fog. Turning north, the ships returned to 68°53 where on July 19 the crew mutinied and "bare up the Helme" for England. On the return south they sailed into Frobisher Bay, past the entrance to Hudson Strait (named for Discovery's next master) and Ungava Bay in northern Quebec. Discovery returned to England at the beginning of August and Weymouth reported that "truely there is in three severall places great hope of a passage, betweene the latitude of 62. and 54 degrees; if the fogge doe not hinder it, which is all the feare I have."

Discovery next appeared in sub-Arctic waters in 1610, sailing for the Northwest Company under command of Henry Hudson. The year before, Hudson had sailed in the Dutch East India Company's ship Halve Maen to ascend the Hudson River as far as present-day Albany, New York. Back in the employ of his fellow countrymen, Hudson sailed from Gravesend on April 17, 1610, and Discovery was the first ship definitely to enter Hudson Strait. Hudson cruised south along the east coast of the bay that bears his name and into James Bay where on November 10, he and his crew were frozen in with scant provisions. Over the harsh winter, the near starving crew became increasingly hostile to Hudson's command and on June 22, 1611, they mutinied. Led by Henry Greene, who "would rather be hanged at home than starved abroad," the mutineers put Hudson, his son, and seven of the infirm crew in Discovery's shallop and sailed away. Hudson was never heard from again. En route home, four of the remaining crew were killed by Eskimos in Hudson Strait—in a rare clash between Eskimos and Europeans—and one more died of starvation before they returned to England under the command of Robert Bylot. Despite the severity of their crime—the masters of Trinity House said "they deserved to be hanged"—none of the mutineers was brought to trial until 1616, partly, it is believed, because of their claim that they had indeed found Hudson Strait.

Backed by the Prince of Wales, the Northwest Company next dispatched an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage under Thomas Button in Resolution, accompanied by Discovery under John Ingram; curiously, Ingram's orders included no mention of a search for Hudson or his crew. The ships sailed from London on April 14, 1612, retracing the now familiar route. Button named Resolution Island at the entrance to Hudson Strait and then sailed southwest across Hudson Bay to the site of present-day Fort Nelson. Several of the crew died over the hard winter, but in June 1613 the survivors resumed their search for the Northwest Passage, visiting Churchill River, Roes Welcome Sound, and Mansel Island. The ship's next voyage, under William Gibbons, was cut short by unusually severe ice that embayed them for ten weeks at Gibbons Hole (possibly Saglek Bay).

In 1615, the ship was acquired by William Baffin, and on March 15

againe set forth the Discovery, a ship of fiftie five tunnes or thereabouts, which ship had beene the three [sic] former Voyages on the action. The master was Robert Bileth, a man well acquainted with that way: having been employed in the three former Voyages: my selfe [William Baffin] being his Mate and Associate, with fourteen others and two Boyes.

They reached Resolution Island, sailed along the south coast of Baffin Island and Mill, Salisbury, and Nottingham Islands, Foxe Channel, and Southampton Island. Bylot and Baffin also judged, correctly, that Frozen Strait offered no outlet to the west through Hudson Bay. They returned to England on September 8.

The following year, Bylot and Baffin sailed again under the auspices of the Northwest Company and explored western Greenland as far north as Smith Sound. They passed Cary Island and discovered the entrances to Jones and Lancaster Sounds (the true entrance to the Northwest Passage) and reached a farthest north of 77°45N. This was Discovery's last voyage in search of the Northwest Passage though she remained in service until 1620. Despite Baffin's carefully charting of all the coasts of Baffin Bay over the course of two separate voyages, geographers decided his discoveries were false and the information was gradually removed from maps until John Ross, sailing in Isabella, rediscovered Baffin Bay in 1819. Discovery's farthest north would not be exceeded until Sir George Nares's expedition in the ships Alert and Discovery in 1876.

Cooke & Holland, Exploration of Northern Canada. Johnson, Charting the Sea of Darkness. Purchas, Hakluytus Posthumus.