List of Arctic expeditions

This list of Arctic expeditions is a timeline of historic expeditions in, and explorers of, the Arctic.

Pre-expedition

Inuit, Greek, and Viking voyages in the far north ( Faroes/Greenland/Novaya Zemlya )

1400s

1496 Russian G. Istoma venturing out of the White Sea explores Murman Coast and coast of northern Norway, also western coast of Novaya Zemlya
1497 Russians D. Zaytsev and D. Ralev venturing out of the White Sea follow route of G. Istoma

1500s

1553 English expedition piloted by Richard Chancellor searches for the North-east Passage
1575–77 English expeditions led by Martin Frobisher reaches Baffin Island
1579 Danish expedition led by John Allday fails to reach Greenland due to ice
1585–87 English expeditions led by John Davis explore the Davis Strait-Baffin Bay region and reaches Upernavik
1596–97 Dutch expedition piloted by Willem Barentsz discovers Spitsbergen

1600s

1605–07 Danish expeditions led by John Cunningham, Godske Lindenov and Carsten Richardson (all piloted by James Hall), search for the lost Norse colonies on Greenland
1606 John Knight dies commanding an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage
1607 Henry Hudson explores Spitsbergen
1610 Jonas Poole thoroughly explores Spitsbergen's west coast, reporting that he saw a "great store of whales"; this report leads to the establishment of the English whaling trade.
1610 Russian K. Kurochkin explores mouth of the Yenesei River and adjoining coast
1612 James Hall and William Baffin explores Southwest Greenland
1612–1613 British Button Expedition
1613 Several whaling expeditions, consisting of a total of at least thirty ships, from England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands crowd Spitsbergen's west coast.
1614 Dutch and French expeditions discover Jan Mayen
1615 Robert Fotherby, in the pinnace Richard, is the first English expedition to reach Jan Mayen
1616 English expedition piloted by William Baffin explores Davis Strait-Baffin Bay region
1619–20 Danish expedition led by Jens Munk in Enhiörningen (Unicorn) and Lamprenen (Lamprey) to discover the Northwest Passage penetrated Davis Strait as far north as 69°, found Frobisher Bay, spent a winter in Hudson Bay.
1633-34 I. Rebrov explores the mouth of the Lena River
1633-35 I. Perfilyev explores Lena and Yana Rivers and intervening coast
1638 I. Rebrov explores coast between the Lena and Indigirka Rivers
1641 D.M. Zyryan and M.V. Stadukhin explore mouth of the Indigirka River and adjoining coast
1646 I. Ignatyev explores the mouth of the Kolyma River and adjoining coast
1648 Ya. Semyonov explores mouth of Kotuy River and adjoining coast
1648 Semyon Dezhnyov and Fedot Alekseyev explore from the Kolyma River through the Bering Strait
1649 M.V. Stadukhin explores coast from Kolyma River to Bering Strait
1686-1687 Bezvestnaya Expedition explores the coast of Taymyr Peninsula

1700s

Vitus Bering
1712 M. Vagin and Ya. Permyakov explore vicinity of mouth of Yana River and adjoining coasts
1733–43 Great Northern Expedition / Second Kamchatka expedition explores coast from the Ob River to the Lena River
1751–53 Peder Olsen Walløe explores the east coast of Greenland from Cape Farewell in umiaks
1760-63 S.F. Loshkin explores Novaya Zemlya
1765-66 V.Ya. Chichagov explores Kola Peninsula coast and Spitzbergen
1768-69 F.F. Rozmyslov explores Novaya Zemlya and Matochkin Shar Strait
1773 Captain Constantine Phipps in HMS Carcass and Commander Skeffington Lutwidge in HMS Racehorse reach 80° 37' N, with a young Midshipman Horatio Nelson among the crew.^[1]

1800s

1809-11 M.M. Gedenshtorm explores New Siberian Islands
1818 Royal Navy expedition led by Captain David Buchan^[2]
1818 Royal Navy expedition led by John Ross to search for the Northwest Passage extended a far north along the west coast of Greenland as Pituffik and met the Kap York-Inuit
1819 Royal Navy expedition aboard HMS Hecla and HMS Griper led by William Edward Parry^[3]
1820-24 F.P. Wrangel explores east Siberian coast from mouth of the Kolyma River to the Bering Strait
1821-24 F.P. Litke explores eastern Barents and west coast of Novaya Zemlya, including Matochkin Shar
1821-23 P.F. Anzhu continues exploration of New Siberian Islands
1822 William Scoresby lands in East Greenland near the mouth of the fjord system that would later be named for him – Scoresby Sund.
1823 Douglas Charles Clavering and Edward Sabine explores East Greenland northwards to Clavering Island, where they get in contact with the now extinct Northeast Greenland Inuit.
1826 F. Beechy aboard "Blossom" explores Alaskan coast from Point Barrow to the Bering Strait
1827 First Norwegian expedition to the Arctic, led by Baltazar M. Keilhau.
1827 Royal Navy expedition to Spitsbergen led by William Edward Parry reaches 82°45’N ^[4]
1828–30 Danish expedition led by W. A. Graah tries to locate the lost Norse colonies in Southeast Greenland, but does not reach Ammassalik Island.
1829–33 Royal Navy expedition led by John Ross to search for the Northwest Passage discovered James Ross Strait and King William Land, located the magnetic north pole at 70°05′N 96°44′W / 70.083°N 96.733°W / 70.083; -96.733
1833 P.K. Pastukhov explores southern half of eastern coast of Novaya Zemlya
1833–35 Royal Navy expedition led by Captain George Back^[5]
1838–40 La Recherche Expedition (1838-1840)
1845 Franklin's lost expedition led by Sir John Franklin searches for the Northwest Passage.
1848 Rae–Richardson Arctic Expedition searched overland for Franklin's lost expedition.
1850 McClure Arctic Expedition led by Robert McClure, a British search for the members of Franklin's lost expedition.
1850–51 First Grinnell Expedition led by Edwin DeHaven, first American search for the members of Franklin's lost expedition.
1852 Edward Augustus Inglefield sets out to search for Franklin's ill-fated expedition
1853–55 American expedition led by Elisha Kent Kane^[6]
1857–59 British expedition led by Francis Leopold McClintock
1860–61 American expedition led by Isaac Israel Hayes
1860–62 First expedition led by Charles Francis Hall (USA)
1864–69 Second expedition led by Charles Francis Hall
1868 First German North Polar Expedition led by Carl Koldewey along the east coast of Greenland
1869–70 Second German North Polar Expedition (Germania and Hansa) led by Carl Koldewey reaches Sabine Island.
1871–73 Third expedition led by Charles Francis Hall: Polaris expedition
1872–74 Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition led by Captain Karl Weyprecht
1875–76 British Arctic Expedition led by Captain George Nares
1876–78 Norwegian Northern Seas Expedition in Vøringen explored the Northern Atlantic up to 80°N.
1878 J. A. D. Jensen explores the inland ice sheeth from West Greenland
1878–1881 different voyages with Dutch polar schooner Willem Barents in the area around Spitsbergen and Nova Zembla, organised by Geographical Society of Amsterdam. Goals were 1) placing memorial stones for 17th century Dutch discoveries and 2) scientific research.
1878–79 Swedish Vega expedition, led by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
1879–82 USS Jeanette expedition with Lt. George Washington De Long (commander) and George W. Melville (chief engineer)^[7]
1881–84 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, US Army expedition led by Adolphus Greely
1882–1883 (First International Polar Year) Danish Dijmphna expedition to the territory between Russia and the North Pole
1883–85 Umiak Expedition led by Gustav Holm and Thomas Vilhelm Garde along the southeastern coast of Greenland in the shallow waters between the coast and the sea ice.
1883 Failed attempt by Nordenskiöld to cross Greenland from the west
1886 Failed attempt by Robert E Peary (USA) to cross Greenland
1888–89 First successful crossing of the Greenland inland ice by Norwegian expedition led by Fridtjof Nansen (from east to west)
1891–92 The East Greenland Expedition on the Hekla led by Carl Ryder fails to get through the sea ice of East Greenland, but explores the Scoresby Sund system in detail
1891–92 Third US Greenland expedition led by Peary
1892 Swedish NW Greenland Expedition led by Alfred Björling
1893–95 Fourth US Greenland expedition led by Peary
1893–96 Norwegian expedition by Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen on the Fram and over ice towards the North Pole.
1894–97 Jackson–Harmsworth Expedition, led by Frederick George Jackson
1897 S. A. Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition
1898–1902 Second Fram voyage under Otto Sverdrup
1898–1900 The Carlsbergfund Expedition to East Greenland led by Georg Carl Amdrup explores the Blosseville Coast
1899 Alfred Gabriel Nathorst explores the fjords of Northeast Greenland, in particular the King Oscar Fjord system
1899 Attempt to ski to North Pole from Franz Josef Land by Walter Wellman
1899–1900 Italian North Pole expedition led by Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi on the ship Stella Polare

1900s

1898, 1899, 1906, 1907 Prince Albert I's Arctic Exploration with Princesse Alice
1900–03 Russian ship Zarya
1901–02 First North Pole expedition financed by US industrialist William Ziegler, led by Evelyn Baldwin
1902–04 The Literary Expedition led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen together with Knud Rasmussen explores the Northwest Greenland coast between Uumanaq and Thule
1903–06 Amundsen's ''Gjøa'' Expedition when Roald Amundsen traversed the Northwest Passage for the first time
1903–05 Ziegler Polar Expedition overland, led by Anthony Fiala
1905–06 North Pole expedition led by Robert Peary, from Ellesmere Island
1906–08 The Danmark Expedition led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen reaches Nordostrundingen, but ends fatally
1906, 1907, 1909 The airship America and Walter Wellman
1906–08 Anglo-American Polar Expedition (Mikkelsen–Leffingwell Expedition)
1907–09 US North Pole expedition led by Frederick Cook
1909–12 The Alabama Expedition to Northeast Greenland led by Ejnar Mikkelsen in an operation to recover bodies and logs of the fatal Danmark expedition
1908–09 expedition led by Robert Peary
1910–15 Russian Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition in Taymyr and Vaigach
1912 First Thule Expedition – Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen explores North Greenland
1912–13 J.P. Koch and Alfred Wegener cross the inland ice in North Greenland
1912–15 Brusilov Expedition, ill-fated expedition led by Captain Georgy Brusilov
1913 Crocker Land Expedition
1913–14 Russian expedition aboard Foka, led by Georgiy Sedov
1913–18 Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913–1916 led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, initially in the Karluk
1916–18 Second Thule Expedition – Knud Rasmussen and Peter Freuchen explores North Greenland and establishes that Peary Land is not an island
1918–25 Roald Amundsen traversed the Northeast Passage with Maud
1919 Third Thule Expedition – Knud Rasmussen explores North Greenland and lays out depots for Roald Amundsen's polar drift in Maud
1919–20 Fourth Thule Expedition – Knud Rasmussen explores East Greenland
1921–23 Bicentenary Jubilee Expedition (commemorating Hans Egede's landing in Greenland) led by Lauge Koch explores North Greenland
1921–24 Fifth Thule Expedition led by Knud Rasmussen crossed the Northwest Passage on dog sledges from Thule across Arctic Canada to Nome, Alaska demonstrates how inuit culture could spread rapidly
1925 Flying boat expedition led by Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth
1926 Aircraft flight by Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett
1926 The airship Norge (Roald Amundsen, Umberto Nobile and Lincoln Ellsworth)
1928 Eielson-Wilkins Arctic Ocean crossing (powered flight Alaska-Spitsbergen)
1928 The airship Italia (Umberto Nobile)
1930-31 Alfred Wegener's German Expedition to Greenland.
1930 Bratvaag Expedition to Franz Josef Land, found long lost remains of S. A. Andrée's expedition.
1931 Sir Hubert Wilkins with submarine Nautilus (failed 800 km south of the pole).
1931 Sixth Thule Expedition led by Knud Rasmussen explores Northeast Greenland
1931–34 The Three-year Expedition to East Greenland led by Lauge Koch explores Northeast Greenland
1932 Icebreaker Sibiryakov
1933 Russian steamship Chelyuskin
1937 Soviet transpolar flights
1937–1938 MacGregor Arctic Expedition
1938–39 Mørkefjord Expedition
1938–present Soviet and Russian manned drifting ice stations
1948 Russian scientific expedition led by Aleksandr Kuznetsov lands aircraft at Pole
1952–54 British North Greenland Expedition
1958 USS Nautilus passes under the Arctic ice
1959 Discoverer 1 first satellite in polar orbit. (Prototype; no camera.)
1960 Tiros 1 weather satellite in polar orbit; eventually returned 22952 cloud cover photos
1968 Ralph Plaisted and three others reach the north pole by snowmobile.
1968–69 Wally Herbert, British explorer, reaches Pole on foot and traverses the polar sea
1977 Arktika, nuclear-powered icebreaker, reaches the North Pole
1982 Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton cross the Arctic Ocean in a single season.
1986 Will Steger and party reach the north pole by dogsled without resupply.
1988 Will Steger completes first south-north traverse of Greenland.
1988 Ski-Trek a joint Soviet-Canadian transpolar expedition aided by satellites.
1992 Scientific environmental expedition; crossing of the Greenland inland ice by Japanese expedition led by Kenji Yoshikawa (from east to west)
1993-94 Pam Flowers dog sledded alone 2,500 miles from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay, Canada^[8]
1994 Shane Lundgren led expedition began in Moscow and proceeded north of the Arctic Circle across Siberia to Magadan.
1995 Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center joined Shane Lundgren in a flying expedition to chronicle indigenous people from Yakutsk to Alaska across the Bering Straits. Discovery Online was launched through this expedition.
1995 Marek Kamiński unsupported walked to the North Pole on 23 May 1995 (27 December 1995, he reached the South Pole alone)
1996 Brazilian expedition by Marco Brotto

2000s

2004 Together to the Pole – a Polish four-man expedition led by Marek Kamiński, with Jan Mela (a teenage double amputee, who in the same year reached also the South Pole)
2004 Five members of the Ice Warrior Squad reach the Geomagnetic North Pole, including the first two women in history to do so.
2007 Arktika 2007, Russian submersible descends to the ocean floor below the North Pole.
2007 Top Gear: Polar Special, BBC's Top Gear team are the first to reach the magnetic North Pole in a car.
2008 Alex Hibbert and George Bullard complete Tiso Trans Greenland expedition. The longest fully unsupported expedition in history at 1374 statute miles
2009 MLAE-2009
2013 MLAE-2013
2015 Interdisciplinary Arctic Expedition "Kartesh" - complex arctic expedition, organized by the Polar Expedition Gallery project (later rebranded as Polar Expedition "Kartesh") in collaboration with the LMSU Marine Research Center. Research tasks: assessing the Arctic coastline vulnerability towards human impact; marine and coastal ecosystem and arctic seas landform condition monitoring; West Arctic biodiversity research; oil oxidizing microorganism activity research; testing new methods of water areas remote sensing.

References

^[9]

^ E. C. Coleman (2006). The Royal Navy in Polar Exploration: From Frobisher to Ross. Tempus. pp. 65–77. ISBN 978-0-7524-3660-9. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
^ Beechey, F. W. (1843). A Voyage Of Discovery Towards The North Pole, Performed In His Majesty's Ships Dorothea And Trent, Under The Command Of Captain David Buchan, R. N., 1818. London: Richard Bentley. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
^ *An Officer Of The Expedition (1821). Letters Written During The Later Voyage Of Discovery In The Western Arctic Sea. London: Sir Richard Phillips And Co. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
^ "Polar Discovery". Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
^ King, Richard (1836). Narrative Of A Journey To The Shores Of The Arctic Ocean In 1833, 1834, and 1835; Under The Command Of Capt. Back, R. N., Volume I. London: Richard Bentley. Retrieved 2009-08-15. King, Richard (1836). Narrative Of A Journey To The Shores Of The Arctic Ocean In 1833, 1834, and 1835; Under The Command Of Capt. Back, R. N., Volume II. London: Richard Bentley. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
^ Sonntag, August (1865). Professor Sonntag's Thrilling Narrative Of The Grinnell Exploring Expedition To The Arctic Ocean In The Years 1853, 1854, and 1855 In Search of Sir John Franklin, Under The Command of Dr. E. K. Kane, U.S.N. Philadelphia: Jas. T. Lloyd & Co. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
^ Bliss, Richard W.; Raymond Lee Newcomb (1882). Our Lost Explorers: The Narrative of The Jeanette Arctic Expedition. Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
^ Alone Across The Arctic
^ "After 44 years and 13,896 nautical miles, from Maine to the Antarctica Peninsula..." Portland Magazine. November 2012

Barrow, John (1818). A Chronological History Of Voyages Into The Arctic Regions. London: John Murray. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
Barrow, John (1846). Voyages Of Discovery And Research Within The Arctic Regions, From The Year 1818 To The Present Time. London: John Murray. Retrieved 2009-08-15.

List of Arctic expeditions

Pre-expedition

1400s

1500s

1600s

1700s

1800s

1900s

2000s

See also

References

Further reading