Martin Frobisher's Northwest Passage Voyages (1576–1578)

1. Cathay Company backs Frobisher’s first voyage

   Jun 7, 1576Labels: Cathay Company, Muscovy Company, Queen Elizabeth

   • DCB
   • Britannica
   • Cambridge NWP

2. Fleet leaves London; storm splits expedition

   Jun 26, 1576Labels: Gabriel ship, Michael ship, Thames departure

   • DCB
   • Wikipedia

3. Frobisher reaches Baffin Island and enters Frobisher Bay

   Aug 1, 1576Labels: Baffin Island, Frobisher Bay, Martin Frobisher

   • Britannica Arctic
   • Britannica
   • Wikipedia

4. First Inuit contact; five Englishmen taken

   Aug 18, 1576Labels: Inuit, captivity incident, Frobisher crew

   • Wikipedia
   • Cambridge NWP

5. Black stone sample sparks gold-mine hopes in England

   Oct 1, 1576Labels: black stone, assayers, England investors

   • Britannica Arctic
   • Cambridge NWP

6. Second voyage launches as a mining-focused expedition

   May 1, 1577Labels: Aid ship, second voyage, mining expedition

   • Cambridge NWP
   • Britannica
   • Wikipedia

7. Ore mining and Inuit captives taken to England

   Sep 23, 1577Labels: Inuit captives, ore shipment, assayers

   • Wikipedia
   • Britannica Arctic

8. “Meta Incognita” idea grows; third voyage planned as colony

   Mar 1, 1578Labels: Meta Incognita, colony plan, investors

   • Wikipedia
   • Cambridge NWP
   • Britannica

9. Third voyage departs with fifteen ships and 400+ men

   Jun 3, 1578Labels: 1578 fleet, miners, assayers

   • Wikipedia
   • Britannica Arctic

10. Fleet scattered by ice; enters Hudson Strait

    Jul 2, 1578Labels: Hudson Strait, ice scattering, shipwreck

    • Britannica
    • Wikipedia

11. Colony attempt fails; ore cargo prioritized for return

    Aug 31, 1578Labels: colony attempt, ore cargo, Frobisher Bay

    • Britannica
    • Britannica Arctic
    • Wikipedia

12. Ore proves worthless; financing for Arctic scheme collapses

    Jan 1, 1583Labels: smelting tests, financial collapse, Frobisher voyages

    • Britannica
    • Britannica Arctic