Jens Munk's expedition, 1619–20
| Dates | Explorer | Ships | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1619–20 | Jens Munk | Enhiörningen,
Lamprenen |
A disastrous voyage in which all but three of the crew perished, acting as stark warning of the perils of Arctic exploration |
After Baffin, the next explorer to go in search of the North-West Passage was Jens Munk, a captain in the Danish navy, sent by King Christian IV.
A disastrous winter
Munk’s ships, the Enhiörningen (Unicorn) and the Lamprenen (Lamprey) entered Hudson Bay after a tortuous journey through Hudson Strait. Not knowing that ice would close the strait as winter advanced Munk sailed to the west coast of the bay and was forced to winter in the estuary of the Churchill River where his ships were frozen in. The winter was a disaster. Scurvy broke out among the crew and over the course of the winter all but three perished, their bodies often lying rotting as the dwindling and weakened sailors lacked the strength to bury their dead companions.
When the ice finally receded the following spring Munk’s journal recalls the horror of stripping the Enhiörningen of supplies for the Lamprenen’s return to Denmark. 'We were obliged first of all to throw overboard the dead bodies, which were then quite decomposed, as we could not move about or do anything there for bad smell and stench'.
Three survivors
Incredibly the three remaining men made it home but their experience was enough for the Danes to abandon any further expeditions to find the Passage. Nearly a hundred years later James Knight arrived at the harbour that witnessed that terrible winter, and found bones of many of the Danish crew strewn about.