Edward Augustus Inglefield
Encyclopedia
Sir
Edward Augustus Inglefield (27 March 1820 – 4 September 1894) was a Royal Naval
officer who led one of the searches for the missing Arctic
explorer John Franklin
during the 1850s. In doing so, his expedition charted previously unexplored areas along the northern Canadian coastline, including Baffin Bay
, Smith Sound
and Lancaster Sound
. He was the inventor of the marine hydraulic steering gear and the anchor design that bears his name. The warship HMS Inglefield
is named after him.
, seven years after Franklin had left on his ill-fated search for the fabled Northwest Passage
. Once Inglefield had reached the Arctic, a search and survey of Greenland's west coast was made; Ellesmere Island
was resighted and named in honour of the president of the Royal Geographical Society
; Smith Sound was penetrated further than any known records; Jones Sound
was also searched; and a landing was made at Beechey Island
in Lancaster Sound. No sign, however, of Franklin's expedition was found. Finally, before the onset of winter forced Inglefield to turn homewards, the expedition searched and charted much of Baffin Island
's eastern coast.
Despite finding no traces of the Franklin expedition, Inglefield was fêted on his return for the surveying his expedition had achieved. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him its 1853 Patron's Medal "for his enterprising survey of the coasts of Baffin Bay, Smith Sound and Lancaster Sound."
, to supply the search for the Franklin expedition overseen by Sir Edward Belcher
. He returned from the first of these in 1853, bringing with him the first officer to have traversed the Northwest Passage, Samuel Gurney Cresswell
of HMS Investigator
. (The Investigator had also been sent to join the search
for the Franklin expedition, but starting from the western side of northern Canada.)
Arriving back in the Arctic the following year, 1854, Inglefield found Belcher's ships abandoned, save one to which the crews had retreated. Most of these men returned with Inglefield to Britain.
in the Black Sea as captain of HMS Firebrand, where he took part in the siege of Sevastopol. After the Crimean War, he captained a number of ships and continued to rise through the ranks. In 1869 he was made a Rear Admiral and three years later was appointed Superintendent of the Royal Naval dockyard in Malta. Promotions to Vice Admiral and then Admiral followed, between which he was knighted. In 1878 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.
Inglefield retired in 1885. Thereafter he devoted much of his time to painting and his watercolours of Arctic landscapes were exhibited at several art galleries in London. He died, aged seventy-four, in 1894.
and the father of Henry Beaufort Wilmot Beaumont Inglefield and Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield
, a Royal Navy officer (eventually Rear Admiral), inventor of the Inglefield clip
and Secretary to Lloyd's of London
.
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
Edward Augustus Inglefield (27 March 1820 – 4 September 1894) was a Royal Naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who led one of the searches for the missing Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
explorer John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
during the 1850s. In doing so, his expedition charted previously unexplored areas along the northern Canadian coastline, including Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
, Smith Sound
Smith Sound
Smith Sound is an uninhabited Arctic sea passage between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island. It links Baffin Bay with Kane Basin and forms part of the Nares Strait....
and Lancaster Sound
Lancaster Sound
Lancaster Sound is a body of water in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island, forming the eastern portion of the Northwest Passage. East of the sound lies Baffin Bay; to the west lies Viscount Melville Sound...
. He was the inventor of the marine hydraulic steering gear and the anchor design that bears his name. The warship HMS Inglefield
HMS Inglefield (D02)
HMS Inglefield was an I-class destroyer leader built for the Royal Navy that served during World War II. She was the navy's last purpose-built flotilla leader. She was named after the 19th century Admiral Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield , and is so far the only warship to carry the name of that...
is named after him.
First voyage to the Arctic
Inglefield set out from Britain on his search in July 1852, commanding Lady Franklin's private steamer IsabelAuxiliary Steamship Isabel (1850)
The Isabel was a vessel intended to be used in four planned expeditions in search of the fate of the missing Franklin Expedition between 1852 and 1856, although she only managed to reach the Arctic once, in 1852...
, seven years after Franklin had left on his ill-fated search for the fabled Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
. Once Inglefield had reached the Arctic, a search and survey of Greenland's west coast was made; Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
was resighted and named in honour of the president of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
; Smith Sound was penetrated further than any known records; Jones Sound
Jones Sound
Jones Sound is an uninhabited waterway in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It lies between Devon Island and the southern end of Ellesmere Island. At its northwestern end it is linked by several channels to Norwegian Bay; at its eastern end it opens via Glacier Strait into Baffin Bay.The first known...
was also searched; and a landing was made at Beechey Island
Beechey Island
Beechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is separated from the southwest corner of Devon Island by Barrow Strait...
in Lancaster Sound. No sign, however, of Franklin's expedition was found. Finally, before the onset of winter forced Inglefield to turn homewards, the expedition searched and charted much of Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
's eastern coast.
Despite finding no traces of the Franklin expedition, Inglefield was fêted on his return for the surveying his expedition had achieved. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him its 1853 Patron's Medal "for his enterprising survey of the coasts of Baffin Bay, Smith Sound and Lancaster Sound."
Subsequent Arctic voyages
Inglefield made two further voyages to the Arctic in HMS PhoenixHMS Phoenix (1832)
HMS Phoenix was a 6-gun steam paddle vessel of the Royal Navy, built in a dry dock at Chatham in 1832. She was reclassified as a second-class paddle sloop before bring rebuilt as a 10-gun screw sloop in 1844-45...
, to supply the search for the Franklin expedition overseen by Sir Edward Belcher
Edward Belcher
Admiral Sir Edward Belcher, KCB , was a British naval officer and explorer. He was the great-grandson of Governor Jonathan Belcher. His wife, Diana Jolliffe, was the stepdaughter of Captain Peter Heywood.-Early life:...
. He returned from the first of these in 1853, bringing with him the first officer to have traversed the Northwest Passage, Samuel Gurney Cresswell
Samuel Gurney Cresswell
Captain Samuel Gurney Cresswell , was a Royal Navy officer. He was the first naval officer to cross the entire Northwest Passage.-Early years:...
of HMS Investigator
HMS Investigator (1848)
HMS Investigator was a merchant ship purchased in 1848 to search for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition. She made two voyages to the Arctic and had to be abandoned in 1853 after becoming trapped in the ice. Her wreckage was found in July 2010 on Banks Island, in the Beaufort Sea...
. (The Investigator had also been sent to join the search
McClure Arctic Expedition
The McClure Arctic Expedition of 1850, among numerous British search efforts to determine the fate of the Franklin's lost expedition, is distinguished as the voyage during which Robert McClure became the first person to confirm and transit the Northwest Passage by a combination of sea travel and...
for the Franklin expedition, but starting from the western side of northern Canada.)
Arriving back in the Arctic the following year, 1854, Inglefield found Belcher's ships abandoned, save one to which the crews had retreated. Most of these men returned with Inglefield to Britain.
Later life
Soon after his return from the Arctic, Inglefield was sent to join the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
in the Black Sea as captain of HMS Firebrand, where he took part in the siege of Sevastopol. After the Crimean War, he captained a number of ships and continued to rise through the ranks. In 1869 he was made a Rear Admiral and three years later was appointed Superintendent of the Royal Naval dockyard in Malta. Promotions to Vice Admiral and then Admiral followed, between which he was knighted. In 1878 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.
Inglefield retired in 1885. Thereafter he devoted much of his time to painting and his watercolours of Arctic landscapes were exhibited at several art galleries in London. He died, aged seventy-four, in 1894.
Family
Edward Augustus Inglefield was the son of Rear Admiral Samuel InglefieldSamuel Inglefield
Rear Admiral Samuel Hood Inglefield CB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander in-Chief, East Indies and China Station.-Naval career:...
and the father of Henry Beaufort Wilmot Beaumont Inglefield and Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield
Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield
Rear Admiral Sir Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield, KBE was a Victorian Royal Navy officer and later secretary of Lloyd's of London...
, a Royal Navy officer (eventually Rear Admiral), inventor of the Inglefield clip
Inglefield clip
The Inglefield clip is a clip for joining a flag or ensign quickly, easily and securely to flag halyards so that the flag can be hoisted. They are also used for jib sheets on small boats and on paragliders.Each clip resembles a link of chain, with a split through one side...
and Secretary to Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
.
External links
- Three portraits of Sir Edward Augustus Inglefield at the National Portrait Gallery in London.