2-356-276 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

HMS 'Discovery' and HMS 'Alert', British Arctic expedition, 1875. The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. The expedition, aboard 'Discovery' and 'Alert' succeeded in making the first passage through the strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island (subsequently named the Nares Strait), but scurvy and inadequate winter clothing forced a retreat.