John Davis (explorer)
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Sir John Davis (born October 1550 in Sandridge , Dartmouth , † December 29, 1605 near Bintan , Sumatra ) was an English navigator and explorer.
Career
John Davis began his seafaring career as a child. He set out for his first voyage into Arctic waters in 1585 and, in search of the Northwest Passage , landed near present-day Nuuk as the first newcomer to Greenland , which he called the Land of Desolation , that same year . He circumnavigated the southern tip of the island and gave Cape Farvel its name.
Davis explored the Davis Strait named after him and discovered the Cumberland Sound of Baffin Island . In 1586 and 1587 he continued his travels through Baffin Bay to the area of today's Upernavik . He reached Gilbert Sound , but had to give up his plans to cross the 80th parallel due to the ice masses at 73 ° north. In 1588 he is said to have commanded the Black Dog in the fight against the Spanish Armada .
In 1591 he accompanied Thomas Cavendish on his last voyage and discovered the Falkland Islands (Malvinen) on his own in 1592 . The drive home on this trip was very costly. He brought home only 14 men from the original 76-man crew.
In the 1590s he published several reference books on navigation (including The Seaman's Secrets (1594) and The World's Hydrographical Description (1595)). From 1596 to 1597 he is said to have accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh . From 1598 to 1600 he took part in an East India expedition by the Dutch .
Davis accompanied Sir James Lancaster from 1601 to 1603 as a helmsman on his East India expedition. On December 18, 1603 he was beaten by Lord Deputy Sir George Carey at Dublin Castle to Knight Bachelor ("Sir"). In 1604 he served as a helmsman on an expedition with the same goal under Sir Edward Michelborne (around 1562-1609). On this trip John Davis was killed by Japanese pirates near the island of Bintan , near Sumatra . Clements Robert Markham described the sad end of the discoverer. On Christmas Eve 1605, Davis and his ship are said to have met 90 shipwrecked Japanese off the coast of Sumatra who were floating in the remains of their cargo at sea. The alleged victims acted submissively and humbly obeyed the instructions of their rescuers. Davis reportedly ignored warnings to disarm the Japanese. He was one of the pirates' first victims.
additional
- Davis invented the Davis Quadrant (a further development of the conventional quadrant ) to determine geographical latitude . Davis was the first European to begin scientific research on the polar seas and their coasts.
- The Desire , the ship with which Davis discovered the Falkland Islands, is now part of the coat of arms of the Falkland Islands .
literature
- Clements R. Markham: A life of John Davis, the navigator, 1550-1605, discoverer of Davis Straits , Dodd, Mead & Co., New York; George Philip & Sons, London 1889, pp. 218-220.
- Albert Hastings Markham: The Voyages and Works of John Davis, the Navigator , Hakluyt Society, London 1880.
Individual evidence
- ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 2, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 129.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Davis, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English navigator and explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1550 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sandridge , Dartmouth |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 29, 1605 |
| Place of death | at Bintan , Sumatra |