John Ross Facts Country Scotland Occupation Navy Captain, Navigator Arctic Regions Explored Northwest Passage, Baffin Bay, Gulf of Boothia # of Arctic expeditions 3 Most famous Arctic expedition With nephew, James Ross, discovered magnetic north pole (1831) Other Significant Events Unsuccessful search for John Franklin in 1850-51 Accomplishments On their second expedition (1829-33) the Ross party survived four winters in the Canadian North, a feat never before accomplished by Europeans. The Ross party determined the location of the North Magnetic Pole as being, at that time, on Boothia Peninsula at approximately 70ºN, near Cape Adelaide From 1839 to 1843 James Ross (the nephew) commanded an expedition to the Antarctic where he discovered the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and named Mount Erebus. When he returned to England he published in 1847 "A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Region."

Sir John Ross
(1777 - 1856)

John Ross led his first expedition in search of the Northwest Passage in 1818. Although unsuccessful in this quest, he did reach and chart Baffin Bay, "rediscovering" Smith, Jones and Lancaster Sounds in the process. Thinking he saw mountains barring his way, he returned to England. His findings contributed greatly to contemporary Arctic Science while proving the accuracy of Baffin's observations.

Ross's second expedition (1829-33) took him deep into Canada's Northwest Territories. Land parties journeyed along the east side of Boothia Peninsula and charted the coast as far as Kull Island. In the west, they explored the coasts of King William Island between Cape Norton and Victory Point, sighting and naming Cape Jane Franklin and Franklin Point. They then travelled along the coasts of Matty Island and charted the west coast of Boothia Peninsula between Cape Porter and Cape Nicholas. They concluded that Prince Regent Inlet was a bad approach to the Northwest Passage due to the unfavorable ice conditions. In 1833, after his ship was crushed by pack ice, Ross and his crew were luckily rescued by a whaling ship and returned to England. Interestingly, on his map of the Boothia Peninsula, Ross had drawn an isthmus "closing" Rae Strait between King William Island and Boothia. Some have speculated that this error may have had led to tragic consequences for explorer John Franklin's voyage in 1846.

Ross' final voyage to the Arctic to find Franklin (see Search) occurred in 1850-51. Ross was knighted in 1834 and elevated to the rank of Rear Admiral in 1851. He died August 30, 1856.

Prior to joining his uncle in 1829, Sir James Clark Ross went on several Arctic expeditions with Sir William E. Parry from 1819 to 1827. His subsequent magnetic survey missions to the continent of Antarctica resulted in many important discoveries.