Baffin, William

Baffin, William

▪ English navigator
born c. 1584, London, Eng.?
died Jan. 23, 1622, Persian Gulf, off the island of Qeshm [now part of Iran]

      navigator (navigation) who searched for the Northwest Passage and gave his name to Baffin Island, now part of the Northwest Territories, Canada, and to the bay (Baffin Bay) separating it from Greenland. His determination of longitude at sea by observing the occultation of a star by the Moon in 1615 is said to have been the first of its kind on record.

      The earliest mention of Baffin (1612) was as a member of Captain James Hall's expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. Aboard the Discovery with Captain Robert Bylot (1615), Baffin explored Hudson Strait, which separates Canada from Baffin Island. In 1616 Baffin again sailed as pilot of the Discovery and penetrated Baffin Bay some 300 miles (483 km) farther than the English navigator John Davis had in 1587. In honour of the patrons of his voyages, he named Lancaster, Smith, and Jones sounds, the straits radiating from the northern head of the bay. There seemed to be no hope, however, of discovering a passage to India by that route.

      Next, in service to the East India Company, he made surveys of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 1622, during his final voyage to the Persian Gulf, he was killed in an Anglo-Persian attack on Qeshm.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Baffin,William — Baffin, William. 1584? 1622. English explorer who led several expeditions (1612 1616) in search of the Northwest Passage. * * * …   Universalium

  • Baffin, William — ► (1584 1622) Navegante y explorador inglés. Exploró, entre otras zonas, el mar o la bahía después llamados de Baffin en su honor (1616) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • BAFFIN, WILLIAM —    an early English Arctic explorer, who, when acting as pilot to an expedition in quest of the N.W. Passage, discovered Baffin Bay (1584 1622) …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Baffin-Bai — DMS …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Baffin-Bucht — DMS …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Baffin — (William) (1584 1622) navigateur angl. Il découvrit en 1616 la terre de Baffin. Baffin (terre de) la plus vaste (env. 470 000 km²) et la plus orient. des îles de l archipel Arctique canadien, séparée du Groenland par la mer ou baie de Baffin …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Baffin — Baffin, William Baffin, isla de Baffin, mar o bahía de …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Baffin — (spr. Bäffin), William, ein Brite, geb. um 1584, wohnte als Steuermann den 1612, 15 u. 16 von James Hall, Hudson u. Bylot zur Entdeckung einer Nordwestlichen Durchfahrt unternommenen Reisen bei u. untersuchte die nach ihm benannte Baffinsbai.… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Baffin — (spr. bäffĭn), William, engl. Seefahrer, geb. 1584, gest. 1622 bei der Belagerung von Ormus, machte Entdeckungsfahrten nach dem Arktischen Archipel von Nordamerika. Nach ihm benannt die Baffinbai, Teil des Nördl. Eismeers von der Davisstraße bis… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Baffin — (Bäffin) William, engl. Seefahrer, kam 1616 in das Polarmeer, das, obwohl 1562 von Baers entdeckt, nach ihm Baffinsbai genannt wurde. Dieser 15000 QM. große Polargolf hängt durch die Davisstraße mit dem Ocean, durch die Hudsonsstraße mit der… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”