author
Sir John Ross
1777–1856
Best known for his bold Arctic voyages, this Royal Navy officer spent years chasing the Northwest Passage and came back with stories of survival, discovery, and stubborn determination. His expeditions helped shape Britain’s picture of the far north at a time when much of the region was still unknown to Europeans.
2 Audiobooks
Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez, Vol. I
by Sir John Ross
Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II
by Sir John Ross
About the author
Drawn to the sea from childhood, he entered the Royal Navy in 1786 and later became one of the 19th century’s most famous Arctic explorers. He led an expedition in 1818 in search of the Northwest Passage, though his conclusions were disputed and damaged his reputation for a time.
He returned to the Arctic in 1829 with the ship Victory on a far more dramatic voyage. The expedition explored the Gulf of Boothia and King William Island, and his nephew James Clark Ross identified the North Magnetic Pole during the journey. Trapped in the ice for years, the party survived with great difficulty before finally being rescued in 1833.
Alongside his naval career, he also wrote about his travels, helping readers in Britain imagine the harsh landscapes and human encounters of the Arctic. Later in life he joined the search for Sir John Franklin, and he remained closely linked with the heroic age of polar exploration until his death in London in 1856.