Vice-Admiral Archibald McMurdo (24 September 1812 – 11 December 1875) was a Scottish naval officer and polar explorer after whom

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

McMurdo Sound McMurdo Sound is a sound in Antarctica. It is the southernmost navigable body of water in the world, and is about from the South Pole. Captain James Clark Ross discovered the sound in February 1841, and named it after Lt. Archibald McMurdo ...

McMurdo Dry Valleys The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains prevent the flow of ice from nearby ...

and McMurdo–South Pole Highway are named.

Early life

Archibald William McMurdo was born on September 24, 1812 in Scotland. He was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald McMurdo and grandson of John McMurdo, a

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

Drumlanrig Castle Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The category A listed castle is the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. It is open to the public at set times. Co ...

Career

McMurdo joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

on 6 October 1824, at the age of 12.William Loney RN - Background: "Archibald McMurdo, RN"
/ref> He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1836 for his skill and courage in saving the crew of a shipwrecked

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, Japa ...

from hostile New Zealand natives. He achieved the rank of Commander in 1843 and Captain in 1851. His career included two discovery expeditions aboard HMS ''Terror'', the first to Hudson Bay (1836-1837), the second to

(1839-1842). In 1836 he served on HMS Volage during its voyage to

East India East India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadh ...

. During the Antarctica voyage,

was discovered in February 1841, and named after McMurdo by Captain

James Clark Ross Sir James Clark Ross (15 April 1800 – 3 April 1862) was a British Royal Navy officer and polar explorer known for his explorations of the Arctic, participating in two expeditions led by his uncle John Ross, and four led by William Edwa ...

. Ross also wrote a letter to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

recommending McMurdo for promotion. In 1845, McMurdo expressed doubt that Captain

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through t ...

would return from his ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition, which ended with the loss of all 129 crewmen in mysterious circumstances. McMurdo achieved command of HMS ''Contest'' in 1846, which was detailed to the coast of West Africa. He retired as a rear-admiral, and was promoted in retirement to vice-admiral in 1873.

Death

McMurdo died on December 11, 1875 in Scotland. His estate was probated in Dumfries on February 3, 1876. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861–1941.

References

Explorers of Antarctica Royal Navy vice admirals 1812 births 1875 deaths {{Authority control

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References