List of Arctic Expeditions - 1800s

1800s

• 1809-11 M.M. Gedenshtorm explores New Siberian Islands
• 1818 Royal Navy expedition led by Captain David Buchan
• 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
• 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, lead by Baltazar M. Keilhau.
• 1827 Royal Navy expedition to Spitsbergen led by William Edward Parry reaches 82°45’N
• 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
• 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
• 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)
• 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 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 G. C. 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