HMS Resolute (1850)
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HMS ''Resolute'' was a
barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...
-rigged ship of the British
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, specially outfitted for Arctic exploration. ''Resolute'' became trapped in the ice searching for
Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sections of the Northwest ...
and was abandoned in 1854. Recovered by an American
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...
, she was returned to
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
in 1856. Timbers from the ship were later used to construct the ''Resolute'' desk which was presented to the President of the United States and is located in the
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.


History

In the face of rising concerns regarding the fate of the Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, having left Britain in 1845 in search of the North West Passage, the British Government sent expeditions in 1848 in search of the expedition. With few existing warships deemed suitable, six merchant ships were purchased between 1848 and 1850 and soon converted to exploration ships: two steamships, HMS ''Pioneer'' and HMS ''Intrepid'', the other four (''Resolute'', , and ) seagoing sailing ships. The first ship to set sail in search of Franklin was HMS ''Herald'', and at the helm, Captain Henry Kellett. ''Herald'' went through the
Bering Strait The Bering Strait ( , ; ) is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, separating the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The present Russia–United States maritime boundary is at 168° 58' ...
to search the western reaches of the Canadian Arctic. In 1850, HMS ''Investigator'', Captain McClure, and HMS ''Enterprise'', Captain Collinson were sent to the Arctic from the west. ''Resolute'', formerly known as the
barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...
''Ptarmigan'', was purchased on 21 February 1850 and renamed a month later. Fitted for Arctic service by the Blackwall Civilian Shipyard
Blackwall Yard Blackwall Yard is a small body of water that used to be a shipyard on the River Thames in Blackwall, engaged in ship building and later ship repairs for over 350 years. The yard closed in 1987. History East India Company Blackwall was a sh ...
, the refitting included installation of strong timbers, an internal heating system, and a polar bear as a figurehead. During 1850–51, ''Resolute'' (
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
), ''Assistance'', ''Pioneer'' and ''Intrepid'', sailed the eastern Arctic under the command of
Horatio Thomas Austin Sir Horatio Thomas Austin (10 March 1800 – 16 November 1865) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. Biography Austin was born in England on 18 March 1800, the son of an official in the Chatham Dockyard. In 1828, was dispatched on ...
. The expedition found traces of Franklin's first winter camp on Beechey Island. During the winter months, from October 1850 to March 1851, Second Master George F. McDougall, from ''Resolute'' and Lieutenant
Sherard Osborn Sherard Osborn (25 April 1822 â€“ 6 May 1875) was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer. Biography Born in Madras, he was the son of an Indian army officer. Osborn entered the navy as a first-class volunteer in 1837, serving until 1 ...
of ''Intrepid'' published five accounts in ''The Illustrated Arctic News'', in what the editors identified as the "Barrow Strait". Upon returning the ''Resolute'' to her home port in England, the manuscript paper was printed in London in 1852. Atwood (1997) references extant copies of the papers at both the
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and the
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, Cambridge.


Belcher Expedition

After returning to England, the squadron assigned to Austin received provisions and placed under the command of Sir Edward Belcher. The Belcher Expedition was augmented by the addition of a fifth ship, ''North Star'' that remained at Beechey Island as a depot ship. Belcher's orders contained the following objectives: to find Franklin, or evidence regarding his fate by broadening the search to the Eastern Canadian Arctic; and to split the expedition at Beechey Island and send ''Resolute'' and ''Intrepid'' west in search of Franklin, as well as secure provisions for ''Investigator'' and ''Enterprise''.''Eventful Voyage of H. M. Discovery Ship Resolute'', by George F. McDougall The expedition left England in April 1852, and later crossed
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; ; ; ), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a s ...
westward in August 1852. After the rendezvous of the five ships at Beechey Island, splitting the squadron was necessary. The flagship ''Assistance'' and her steam tender, ''Pioneer'', headed north up
Wellington Channel The Wellington Channel () (not to be confused with Wellington Strait) is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It runs north–south, separating Cornwallis Island and Devon Island. Que ...
. ''Resolute'', then under Captain Kellett, and her steam tender, ''Intrepid'', headed west and ''North Star'' remained at Beechey Island. In 1852, of the seven Royal Navy ships searching the Arctic, only ''Enterprise'' found traces of Franklin's expedition in the form of a small quantity of timber on the eastern coast of Victoria Island. The crew of ''Resolute'' set up winter camp and a temporary dock on the stationary land ice of Dealy Island near the north shore of Viscount Melville Sound. During the spring and summer of 1853, the crews of ''Resolute'' and ''Intrepid'' sledged aboard in search of clues to Franklin's whereabouts in hope to locate ''Investigator'' and ''Enterprise''. They found neither Franklin nor ''Enterprise'', but did succeed in finding and rescuing Captain McClure and his crew upon the ice-bound ship, HMS ''Investigator'' in April 1853. Captain Kellett ordered McClure to abandon ''Investigator'' due to the ship being frozen in ice since 1850. The lack of a proper spring and summer thaw kept the ship at bay. The conditions caused severe hardship for the crew, forcing the crew to reduce their rations for over a year. Before winter set in, and while passage remained open at Dealy Island, the 1852–53 winter camp was dissolved and ''Resolute'' and ''Intrepid'' sailed eastward. In August 1853, a cold front caused the open passage to freeze, encasing ''Resolute'' in ice. Since the flow direction of the water, and therefore the ice, was from the west to the east, ''Resolute'' moved east at about per day. The crew prepared the ship for the winter by stowing her sails and upper rigging below deck. ''Resolute'' was still beset by this floe ice in the spring of 1854. In April, Belcher ordered Captain Kellett to abandon ''Resolute''. Despite his protest, Kellett obeyed orders and prepared the ship for winter. In May, Captain Kellett left ''Resolute'' locked in the slowly moving floe ice, and led his men in a hard march across the ice to reach the ships of the expedition at Beechey Island. Their number included the officers and crew of ''Investigator'', rescued by Kellett in the spring of 1853, and the men from ''Intrepid'' and ''Resolute''. Two of the other main vessels of Belcher's fleet were abandoned, the flagship ''Assistance'' and her steam tender, ''Pioneer''. Belcher arrived at Beechey Island between May–August 1854. The men were divided into roles as crew to ''North Star'' and two relief ships: and , which arrived at Beechey Island just as the overcrowded ''North Star'' was about to sail. The men left Beechey Island on 29 August 1854. The British Government announced in ''The London Gazette'' that the ships, including ''Resolute'', were still Her Majesty's property, but no salvage was attempted. On 10 September 1855, the abandoned ''Resolute'' was found adrift by the American
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...
''George Henry'', captained by James Buddington of
Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...
in an ice floe off Cape Walsingham of
Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada, the second-largest island in the Americas (behind Greenland), and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is (slightly smal ...
, from where she had been abandoned. An October 1856, ''
New York Journal :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...
'' article relates Captain Budington and crew's encounter: Buddington split his crew, and took 13 men with him on the ''Resolute''. He arrived home in New London, Connecticut on Christmas Eve. Although most of the expeditions in search of the lost Franklin expedition, before 1856, were funded by either the British government or by public subscription from within the British Empire, two expeditions were funded by Henry Grinnell, a New York merchant and shipowner in New Bedford, in addition to the assistance offered by the United States Government. Senator James Mason of Virginia presented Congress with the bill to restore ''Resolute'' and return her to England as a gesture of "national courtesy". Grinnell wrote in support of this bill. The
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
purchased the ''Resolute'' for $40,000. Once refitted, Commander Henry J. Hartstene sailed ''Resolute'' to England to present the ship to Queen Victoria on 13 December 1856, at
East Cowes East Cowes is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina, next to its west bank neighbour Cowes. It has a population of 8,428 according to the United Kingdom Census ...
as a token of comity. Both Grinnell and Lady Jane Franklin hoped the restored ''Resolute'' would once again be employed for a new expedition in search of the Franklin expedition. Evidence found by John Rae proved beyond reasonable doubt that the crew had suffered harsh conditions that led to their deaths. The British Government declined. Lady Franklin organized a private expedition under Francis Leopold McClintock, who, in 1859, located the only written account of the fate of Franklin. ''Resolute'' served in the Royal Navy from 1856, but never left home waters. Retired in 1879, ''Resolute'' was later salvaged for timber. The
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
settlement of
Resolute, Nunavut Resolute or Resolute Bay () is an Inuit List of hamlets in Nunavut, hamlet on Cornwallis Island (Nunavut), Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk ...
, is named after the ship. In March 2009, British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
presented US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
with the framed commission of ''Resolute'', and a pen holder made from the wood of another Royal Navy ship, .


The ''Resolute'' desks

The British government ordered at least four desks to be made from the timbers of the ship, and they were constructed by cabinetmakers at the Joiner's Shop of
Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...
. A large partner's desk was presented to
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 as a gesture of thanks for the rescue and return of ''Resolute''. Since then, this desk—known as the ''Resolute'' desk—has been used by every American President in some capacity except
Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...
,
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
, and
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
. Eight Presidents have used it as their official desk in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval room has three lar ...
starting with John F. Kennedy, but some have had it in their private study in the
Executive Residence The Executive Residence is the central building of the White House complex located between the East Wing and West Wing. It is the most recognizable part of the complex, being the actual "house" part of the White House. This central building, f ...
. A second desk, called the Grinnell Desk or the Queen Victoria Desk, was also made from the timbers of HMS ''Resolute''. This smaller lady's desk was presented to the widow of Henry Grinnell in 1880 in recognition of her husband's generous contributions to the search for Franklin. In 1983, it was given to the New Bedford Whaling Museum and is in their collection in
New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...
. A third desk, or more accurately a writing table, was commissioned by Queen Victoria; it remains part of the
Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...
. A fourth desk was a folding desk made for the Royal yacht; it is in Portsmouth.


HMS ''Resolute'' in popular media

*The 2007 novel ''HMS Resolute'' by Elizabeth Matthews is about the discovery of ''Resolute'' by the whaler ''George Henry''. *HMS ''Resolute''s story is an integral clue in the plot of the film '' National Treasure: Book of Secrets''. The relevance of the two desks to the discovery of further clues is concealed in the version of the Statue of Liberty upon the ÃŽle aux Cygnes in Paris, France. The aphorism "These twins stand resolute to preserve what we are looking for" refers to the twin ''Resolute'' desks made from the ship's timbers, with one located in
The White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800 whe ...
and the other in the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth (though in the film, the desk is located in
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
). *The book ''Resolute'', by Martin Sandler, tells the story, with historical accuracy, of all the different expeditions tied to the one by
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 â€“ 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...
, HMS ''Resolute'' being one of them.


References


Further reading

*Roderic Owen (1978). ''The Fate of Franklin'', Hutchinson. . *John Brown, F.R.G.S. (1860). ''The North-West Passage and the Plans for the Search for Sir John Franklin: A Review with maps, &c., Second Edition with a Sequel Including the Voyage of the "Fox"'' London, E. Stanford, 1860. *Sherard Osborn and George F. McDougall, eds. (1852) Facsimile of the ''Illustrated Arctic News'', Published on Board H.M.S. ''Resolute'', Captain Horatio T. Austin, C.B., In Search of the Expedition Under Sir John Franklin (London, Ackerman, 1852). *Sandler, Martin W. (2006). ''Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship''. *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Resolute (1850) Ships of the Royal Navy Victorian-era naval ships of the United Kingdom Exploration ships of the United Kingdom Baffin Island Ships built on the River Tyne Arctic exploration vessels Maritime incidents in May 1854 Ghost ships 1850s ships Maritime folklore