William Baffin

William Baffin (1584-1622), English navigator, born in London. His name was given to Baffin Island and Baffin Bay. In 1612 he served as chief pilot of the sailing ship Patience on a voyage to Greenland, seeking a northwestern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Three years later he was chief pilot of the Discovery on a similar expedition. He explored Hudson Strait during that voyage, making navigational observations that later proved to have been remarkably accurate. Piloting the Discovery on another expedition in 1616, he partly explored the bay subsequently named in his honor. He sailed as far north as latitude 77°45’ north on that occasion, a record unsurpassed for 236 years. From 1617 to 1620 he was employed by the East India Company of England, for which he made surveys on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.