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Why did Europeans search for a Northwest Passage?
The Northwest Passage is a sea corridor connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Canada’s Arctic Archipelago islands and along the northern-most coast of North America. Europeans searched for 300 years to find a viable sea trade-route to Asia.
What did the Northwest Passage find?
However, the Northwest Passage was not finally conquered by sea until 1905, when the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen successfully navigated the treacherous middle section of the passage and emerged in the Beaufort Sea. Amundsen and his crew had set sail in 1903 in the converted 47-ton herring boat Gjöa.
Who was looking for the Northwest Passage?
In 1609, the merchants of the Dutch East India Company hired English explorer Henry Hudson to find the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Hudson navigated along the North American coast looking for a more southern, ice-free route across the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean.
Why did the Europeans not find the Northwest Passage?
In the years of the search, European nations had made other accommodations. They had set up trading centers and colonies near the source of spices and gold and created regular shipping routes to bring the material back to Europe. This was one of the reasons that no trade routes ever traveled through the Northwest Passage. Another was the weather.
Where did George Vancouver go to look for the Northwest Passage?
In the 1790s English sea captain George Vancouver (1757-1798) made a number of trips into the Pacific Ocean. Appended to these voyages were several trips to North America to look for the passage. While there he also discovered the Canadian island that still bears his name, as well as the Puget Sound.
Which is the first cruise ship to navigate the Northwest Passage?
Crystal Serenity, a luxury cruise ship, made headlines in 2016 when it became the first tourist cruise ship to navigate the Northwest Passage. Less ice means that marine species once separated by the North American continent are now able to cross from ocean to ocean with greater ease.
When did Francisco de Ulloa set sail for the Northwest Passage?
In 1539, Spanish explorer Francisco de Ulloa, funded by Hernán Cortés, set sail from Acapulco, Mexico, in search of a Pacific route to the Northwest Passage. He sailed North up the California Coast as far as the Gulf of California, but turned around when he was unable to find the fabled Straight of Anián.