Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure

McClure, Sir Robert John Le Mesurier
Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure, explorer, adventurer (b at Wexford, Ire 28 Jan 1807; d at London, Eng 17 Oct 1873). McClure obtained a lieutenancy for his 1836-37 service on Terror under George BACK in the ice of Hudson Bay. He served on Sir James Clark ROSS's abortive Franklin rescue mission in 1848-49, and in 1850 was appointed commander of Investigator in the expedition led by Captain Richard Collinson, who was taking 2 ships to the Arctic via Bering Strait. This commission brought McClure fame and success. He proved brave, lucky and inordinately ambitious.

Arriving ahead of Collinson at Bering Strait, he decided to continue on alone. From August to October 1850 he coasted east hundreds of kilometres to Cape Parry, wheeled north to Banks Island and reached and wintered in Prince of Wales Strait, the last link in the fabled NORTHWEST PASSAGE, which he undoubtedly discovered. Sir John FRANKLIN's earlier claim, for which all witnesses were dead, was only discovered by Sir Francis MCCLINTOCK in 1859.

McClure encountered great danger in Prince of Wales Strait and in rounding Banks Island in 1851. He was forced to winter in Mercy Bay and was frozen in. His crew was saved from starvation in 1853 by Captain Henry KELLETT of the Resolute and finally returned to England in 1854. McClure ungenerously informed a parliamentary committee that he could have kept his men alive without Kellett's aid, thereby denying his rescuers a share in the £10-000 voted to the discoverers of the passage. McClure served on the China Station 1856-61 and died a vice-admiral.

Author L.H. NEATBY

Links to Other Sites
Exploration of the Northwest Passage
An overview of European expeditions to Canada’s northern Arctic region from the 16th to the early 20th centuries. Brief bios, illustrations, maps, and other reference material. An Industry Canada website.

Capt. McClure's Despatches
See a digitized copy of "The Northwest Passage: Capt. McClure's Despatches from Her Majesty's Discovery Ship, Investigator, off Point Warren and Cape Bathurst." From the Northern Research Portal, Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists.

The discovery of the North-West Passage
This site features notes and images from "The discovery of the North-West Passage by H.M.S. “Investigator”... edited by Commander Sherard Osborn...from the logs and journals of Capt. Robert LeM. M’Clure. London, 1856." Images by artist Lt. Samuel Gurney Cresswell. From the Toronto Public Library.

Scurvy and Canadian Exploration
An article about various historical remedies for the prevention and treatment of scurvy and the impact of scurvy on various exploratory expeditions in North America. From the Canadian Bulletin of Medical History (Wilfrid Laurier University Press).

The Discovery of the North-west Passage
See online excerpts from the book "The Discovery of the North-west Passage," based on the logs and journals of Capt. R. M'Clure and edited by Commander Sherard Osborn. From Google Books.

World first: Canada searches for Sir John Franklin’s rescue ship
A news story about a search for the HMS Investigator shipwreck in the Arctic. From thestar.com.

Team finds ship lost in Franklin expedition search
A news story about a Parks Canada team finding the location of the HMS Investigator shipwreck. From thestar.com.

Video: A look at HMS Investigator
View close up underwater videos of the wreckage of the HMS Investigator located in the Canadian Arctic. From the National Post website.

Henry Kellett
A profile of British naval officer Henry Kellett. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see images of the British naval vessels in the Canadian Arctic.

HMS Investigator and McClure's Cache
See details about the underwater investigation of the HMS Investigator wreck in Mercy Bay and terrestrial investigations of McClure’s Cache and an ancient Paleoeskimo site in Aulavik National Park. From Parks Canada.