Sir Edward Inglefield | |
|---|---|
 | |
| North America and West Indies Station | |
| Commander-in-Chief 1 April 1878 – 27 November 1879 (1878-04-01 –1879-11-27) | |
| Preceded by | Sir Astley Key |
| Succeeded by | Sir Leopold McClintock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Augustus Inglefield (1820-03-27)27 March 1820 Cheltenham, England |
| Died | 4 September 1894(1894-09-04) (aged 74) South Kensington, England |
| Resting place | Kensal Green Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield |
| Parent |
|
| Awards | |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1832–1885 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Wars | Crimean War |
Sir Edward Augustus InglefieldKCB FRS FRGS (27 March 1820 – 4 September 1894) was aRoyal Navy officer who led one of the searches for the missingArctic explorerJohn Franklin during the 1850s. In doing so, his expedition charted previously unexplored areas along the northern Canadian coastline, includingBaffin Bay,Smith Sound andLancaster Sound.
He was also the inventor of the marine hydraulic steering gear and the anchor design that bears his name.HMS Inglefield bears his name, as do theInglefield Land region and theInglefield Gulf of Greenland.
Inglefield set out from Britain on his search in July 1852, commandingLady Franklin's private steamerIsabel, seven years after Sir John Franklin had left on his ill-fated search for the fabledNorthwest 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 theRoyal Geographical Society.
Smith Sound was penetrated further than any known records;Jones Sound was also searched; and a landing was made atBeechey 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 ofBaffin 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. TheRoyal Geographical Society awarded him its 1853Patron's Medal "for his enterprising survey of the coasts of Baffin Bay, Smith Sound and Lancaster Sound."
Inglefield made two further voyages to the Arctic inHMS Phoenix, to supply the search for the Franklin expedition overseen by SirEdward 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 ofHMS Investigator. TheInvestigator had also been sent tojoin the search for the Franklin expedition, but starting from thewestern 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.
Soon after his return from the Arctic, Inglefield was sent to join theCrimean War in the Black Sea as captain of HMSFirebrand, where he took part in thesiege 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 Admiral Superintendent ofMalta Dockyard. Promotions to vice admiral and then admiral followed, between which he wasknighted. In 1878, he was appointedCommander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.[1]
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.
On 30 April 1857, Inglefield married Eliza Fanny Johnston (1836–1890), the daughter of Edward Johnston, Esq. ofAllerton Hall,Liverpool. Together, they were the parents of four sons and one daughter:[2]
Inglefield died in 1894; he is buried inKensal Green Cemetery in west London.[6]
