Martin Frobisher

image from: Canadian Arctic Profiles

Martin Frobisher was born around 1535 and died in 1594. Frobisher was one of the first English explorers to find and navigate the Northwest Passage that led to the Orient. Frobisher was also one of the greatest men of the Elizabethan seamen.

In the town of Altofts, Yorkshire, Martin Frobisher was born. He spent his early years in London after his father died. Frobisher was apprenticed as a cabin boy in 1544, and being a skillful and daring seaman, Frobisher steadily rose in rank. In 1565 Martin had finally become a captain.

Frobisher was placed in command of an expedition to the New World in 1576. This was the first attempt by an Englishman to search for the Northwest Passage. Frobisher set sail on June 7, 1576, with three small ships named the Gabriel, Michael, and Pinnace. Unfortunately, the Pinnace was sunk in a storm. Soon afterward, the Michael deserted and the Gabriel was left to sail onward alone. The Gabriel sighted the mouth of a bay, now known as Frobisher Bay, located on Baffin Island. Martin Frobisher accidentally mistook this for the entrance to the Northwest Passage, little after a month from starting his voyage.

When Frobisher returned to England, he brought back some pieces of "black earth" which were said to have gold in them. Frobisher returned to Canada in 1577 with a new fleet of ships which were outfitted by the Queen of England. This voyage and the following voyage were both unsuccessful in locating valuable ore and establishing new colonies, however, Martin Frobisher continued with the Queen's consent.

As Vice Admiral on the Primrose, Martin Frobisher participated in an expedition in 1585 to the West Indies to raid the Spanish colonies located there. They were led by an English seaman, also an adventurer, Sir Francis Drake. Frobisher was Knighted in 1588 for his strong role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Martin Frobisher then settled in Yorkshire in 1591.

Soon afterward, Frobisher grew tired of the country life and decided in 1592 to command a fleet. This new fleet was outfitted by Sir Walter Raleigh, its purpose to harry Spanish merchant ships that were bringing gold from Panama. When engaged in the relief of Fort Crozon near Brest, France, in November, 1594, against Spanish forces, Frobisher was mortally wounded. Frobisher died on November 22, 1594, in Plymouth, England.