Samuel Gurney Cresswell
Encyclopedia
Captain Samuel Gurney Cresswell (25 September 1827- 14 August 1867), was a Royal Navy
officer. He was the first naval officer to cross the entire Northwest Passage
.
, Norfolk
, England
in 1827. His parents were Francis Cresswell, Esq. (b. 1789) and Rachel Elizabeth Fry (b. 1803, London, Middlesex
). Cresswell had two older brothers (Frank Joseph and Addison John), and three that were younger (William Edward, Gerard Oswin, and Oswald). He had one sister, Harriet France Elizabeth. The Cresswells circle in Norfolk included the Gurneys
as well as Sir Edward Parry
.
, and was Mentioned in Despatches. A few years later, he participated in the 1848-49 Arctic rescue efforts for Sir John Franklin
under Sir James Clark Ross
. He was promoted mate
on 6 April 1848, and thanks to his good performance in the Arctic, to lieutenant
on 10 September 1849.
Cresswell was appointed Second Lieutenant and ship's artist aboard HMS Investigator
under Robert McClure
during the Arctic
expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. During this voyage, Cresswell sketched and painted several depictions of their life in the Arctic. With the Investigator locked in ice from September 1851 through the spring of 1853, several men became invalid, and Cresswell was put in charge of transporting them to Captain Henry Kellett
's ship 160 mi (257.5 km) away which Cresswell and the Inuit
interpreter J.A. Miertsching accomplished with no loss of life. Kellett then sent Cresswell with additional invalid men to Beechey Island
. When ice conditions finally permitted ship travel, Cresswell finally headed for England, arriving in autumn 1853 with the announcement that the Northwest Passage had finally been located. Upon his return to England, Parry declared that Cresswell, then a Lieutenant, was the first person to traverse the Northwest Passage, though in actuality, Cresswell was the first naval officer to cross the entire Northwest Passage.
Cresswell's numerous water-colour paintings made during the Ross and McClure expeditions leave behind a pictorial record of the activities and terrain. Some of the sketches were presented to Queen Victoria
. A subsequent folio volume of lithographic views of the drawings, A Series of Eight Sketches in Colour, together with a Chart of the Route of the Voyage of H.M.S. 'Investigator' during the Discovery of the North West Passage, was published in London in 1854. In the same year, he was promoted to the rank of commander
on 21 October (again for his Arctic service), and served in the Crimean War's Baltic theatre. Three years later, in command of HMS Surprise
, he participated in the Second Opium War
, receiving three further Mentions in Despatches, one being for the attack on the Taku Forts. He was also promoted to the rank of captain
on 17 September 1858 for his actions on the Hai River
, but due to ill-health, was unable to accept any further appointments.
. He retired in 1867 and died soon after at King's Lynn, age 39 .
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer. He was the first naval officer to cross the entire Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
.
Early years
Cresswell was born in King's LynnKing's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1827. His parents were Francis Cresswell, Esq. (b. 1789) and Rachel Elizabeth Fry (b. 1803, London, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
). Cresswell had two older brothers (Frank Joseph and Addison John), and three that were younger (William Edward, Gerard Oswin, and Oswald). He had one sister, Harriet France Elizabeth. The Cresswells circle in Norfolk included the Gurneys
Joseph John Gurney
Joseph John Gurney was a banker in Norwich, England and an evangelical Minister of the Religious Society of Friends , whose views and actions led, ultimately, to a schism among American Quakers.-Biography:...
as well as Sir Edward Parry
Edward Parry
Admiral Sir William Edward Parry KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy and the Royal Indian Navy.During World War II, he served in the New Zealand Division commanding HMS Achilles at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939...
.
Career
He joined the Navy in 1842, and served in the China Seas where he encountered pirates. In 1846 he served on the personal staff of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas John Cochrane in an expedition in BruneiBrunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, and was Mentioned in Despatches. A few years later, he participated in the 1848-49 Arctic rescue efforts for Sir John Franklin
John Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
under Sir James Clark Ross
James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross , was a British naval officer and explorer. He explored the Arctic with his uncle Sir John Ross and Sir William Parry, and later led his own expedition to Antarctica.-Arctic explorer:...
. He was promoted mate
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
on 6 April 1848, and thanks to his good performance in the Arctic, to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 10 September 1849.
Cresswell was appointed Second Lieutenant and ship's artist aboard HMS Investigator
HMS Investigator (1848)
HMS Investigator was a merchant ship purchased in 1848 to search for Sir John Franklin's lost expedition. She made two voyages to the Arctic and had to be abandoned in 1853 after becoming trapped in the ice. Her wreckage was found in July 2010 on Banks Island, in the Beaufort Sea...
under Robert McClure
Robert McClure
Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure was an Irish explorer of the Arctic.In 1854, he was the first to transit the Northwest Passage , as well as the first to circumnavigate the Americas.-Early life and career:He was born at Wexford, in Ireland, the posthumous son of one of Abercrombie's captains,...
during the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. During this voyage, Cresswell sketched and painted several depictions of their life in the Arctic. With the Investigator locked in ice from September 1851 through the spring of 1853, several men became invalid, and Cresswell was put in charge of transporting them to Captain Henry Kellett
Henry Kellett
Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett KCB was a British naval officer and explorer.-Naval career:Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822...
's ship 160 mi (257.5 km) away which Cresswell and the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
interpreter J.A. Miertsching accomplished with no loss of life. Kellett then sent Cresswell with additional invalid men to Beechey Island
Beechey Island
Beechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is separated from the southwest corner of Devon Island by Barrow Strait...
. When ice conditions finally permitted ship travel, Cresswell finally headed for England, arriving in autumn 1853 with the announcement that the Northwest Passage had finally been located. Upon his return to England, Parry declared that Cresswell, then a Lieutenant, was the first person to traverse the Northwest Passage, though in actuality, Cresswell was the first naval officer to cross the entire Northwest Passage.
Cresswell's numerous water-colour paintings made during the Ross and McClure expeditions leave behind a pictorial record of the activities and terrain. Some of the sketches were presented to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. A subsequent folio volume of lithographic views of the drawings, A Series of Eight Sketches in Colour, together with a Chart of the Route of the Voyage of H.M.S. 'Investigator' during the Discovery of the North West Passage, was published in London in 1854. In the same year, he was promoted to the rank of commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
on 21 October (again for his Arctic service), and served in the Crimean War's Baltic theatre. Three years later, in command of HMS Surprise
HMS Surprise (1856)
HMS Surprise was a Vigilant-class gunvessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Blackwall Yard, London in 1856 and broken up in Plymouth in 1866.-Design:Her class were designed as second-class despatch and gunvessels...
, he participated in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
, receiving three further Mentions in Despatches, one being for the attack on the Taku Forts. He was also promoted to the rank of captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
on 17 September 1858 for his actions on the Hai River
Hai River
The Hai River , previously called Bai He , is a river in the People's Republic of China which flows through Beijing and Tianjin before emptying into the Yellow Sea at the Bohai Gulf.The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five rivers, the Southern Canal, Ziya...
, but due to ill-health, was unable to accept any further appointments.
Personal life
Cresswell never married. He was an avid book collectorBook collecting
Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given individual collector. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect...
. He retired in 1867 and died soon after at King's Lynn, age 39 .
Further reading
- Harrod, D., & Cresswell, S. G. (2000). War, ice & piracy: The remarkable career of a Victorian sailor : the journals and letters of Samuel Gurney Cresswell. London: Chatham.