White Doom in a Churning Sea
In 1607 Henry Hudson set sail from England in search of the Northwest Passage. However, in time, he came to realize that in this new land he had reached he would not find this northwest water route. But he did discover land, Greenland, which up to that time was not recorded on any known map. His ship the Hopewell sailed on towards Spitsbergen, a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean that had been discovered by the Dutch explorers Willem Barents and Jacob Heemskerck in 1596. Then, as more days passed, the weather turned foul.
It was now July and the fog was far thicker than it had been previously. The cold was far bitterer than before, the winds stronger. Even the rains were heavier. And now, the ice floats they had previously feared were also of a greater danger.
Search for Northwest Passage Abandoned
By the twenty-seventh of July Hudson knew he had to give up his search for the Northwest Passage. The day had started with the usual fog along with a slight wind that came from the east, and a calm sea. But this was not to last. By mid-morning the sea around them was in a churn that rose in waves higher than the ship's deck. In the midst of all this turmoil there suddenly came a crashing noise. The sound was as loud as thunder but strangely unlike thunder. The crew was stunned with fright at this new and unseen threat that shook the tiny Hopewell. Then the cause of the crashing sound loomed just ahead of the ship.
Huge Icebergs Encountered
Before them the ship's crew saw an enormous iceberg. It had just broken loose from an ice pack and the churning sea was carrying the Hopewell and her frightened crew into the direct path of this towering float of ice.
Quick decisions had to be made by Hudson if he, his son, and his crew were to survive this threat. If the ship collided with the iceberg in this forcefully churning sea it would surely break the vessel into shattered splinters, sending all to a horrible, but quick, death in the deep.
A Desperate Decision to Divert Certain Death
With the huge iceberg looming before them Henry Hudson was forced to make a decision he surely would have desired not to have to make. He ordered the ship's boat overboard, sending with it all of his men who could handle an oar.
A rope was securely tied between the ship and the small boat. It was Hudson's plan to use the rowboat to tow the Hopewell out of the path of the iceberg. Hudson had small hope of his plan succeeding, but what else could he do?
As the men in the rowboat strained against their oars the waves began running even higher than before. It was a motion that was quickly sending the Hopewell closer into the path of the iceberg. But still the men in the rowboat put all their strength into the effort. The Hopewell did not respond. There was no hope. Surely there would be a fatal crash. Then the wind shifted.
A Changing Wind Helps Divert Danger
This new direction of the wind was not as forceful as it had been but it was just enough to carry the ship away from the iceberg. Hudson was now certain that the season was too far advanced to continue on and set sail back to England.
He had not discovered the Northwest Passage but he had made other useful discoveries. Among them he could count the abundance of whales sited off of Spitsbergen and had charted its coast. He had discovered a land yet to be included on any map, Greenland. And for his own reference, and that of other seagoing adventurers, he noted in his ship's log that future voyagers to that same dangerous area should carry with them a good ship's boat and at least a half dozen long oars to tow their ship out of danger.
Previous: The First Voyage of Henry Hudson: Greenland and Hope For the Northwest Passage.
Sources:
Collier's Encyclopedia, Volume 12. Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation, 1968.
Rachlis, Eugene. The Voyages of Henry Hudson. Random House, New York, 1962.
