Baffin Facts Country England Occupation Navigator, cartographer Arctic Regions Explored Northwest passage, Davis Strait, south coast of Baffin Island # of Arctic expeditions 2 Most famous Arctic expedition 1616 expedition traveled about 300 miles further north than any previous journey. Other Significant Events Named Jones and Lancaster Sounds Did you know? Baffin was convinced that there was no passage north of Davis Strait and concluded that there was in fact no Northwest Passage. Baffin is said to have been the first person to attempt to determine longitude by observing the position of the Moon. Named for William Baffin, Baffin Island (located in the bay of the same name) is the fifth-largest island in the world, it is about 950 miles long and up to 450 miles wide. Its area is about 183,800 square miles and its highest point is 6,700 feet. Baffin's co-pilot Robert Bylot, was one of the mutineers on the crew of Henry Hudson's ship Discovery in 161l. His navigational skills brought the ship back to England.

William Baffin
(1584 - 1622)

On their first voyage Baffin and Bylot charted the south coast of Baffin Island, gathering useful information on anchorages, tides and currents in the area. It was near Cape Comfort and Southampton Island that the Discovery reached her northern limit. Believing that they saw the mainland coast, they concluded that they had entered a great bay and decided to turn back. Baffin was convinced that the Northwest Passage could not be found in this direction and would lie up Davis Strait if it existed at all.

On the second voyage in 1616, the Discovery passed north through Davis Strait, a 400 mile long and 200 to 400 mile wide channel of the Atlantic Ocean between southwestern Greenland and southeastern Baffin Island. Sailing to the entrance of Smith Sound about 300 miles beyond any previous exploration, Baffin and Bylot decided that it was an unlikely route for passage to the Orient and changed direction. In the process, they discovered the Carey Islands and continued along the coasts of Ellesmere, Devon and Bylot Islands where they also discovered Jones and Lancaster Sounds. The naming of the latter along with Smith Sound, Wolstenholme Sound and Cape Dudley Digges honoured five of the leading "Adventurers," a group of financiers whose backing and interest in Arctic research had been responsible for contributing much knowledge about the coastlines of the North.

Upon returning to England, Baffin and Bylot recommended a more southerly search for routes to Asia. Their conclusions regarding Davis Strait were generally accepted and it was not until two centuries later that the area would again attract interest.

William Baffin died on January 23, 1622; little is known about Robert Bylot after his return to England.