Vice-Admiral Archibald McMurdo (24 September 1812 – 11 December 1875) was a
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
naval officer and polar explorer after whom
Antarctica's
McMurdo Sound,
McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the Unit ...
,
McMurdo Ice Shelf
The McMurdo Ice Shelf is the portion of the Ross Ice Shelf bounded by McMurdo Sound and Ross Island on the north and Minna Bluff on the south. Studies show this feature has characteristics quite distinct from the Ross Ice Shelf and merits indiv ...
,
McMurdo Dry Valleys and
McMurdo–South Pole Highway
The South Pole Traverse, also called the South Pole Overland Traverse, is an approximately flagged route over compacted snow and ice in Antarctica that links McMurdo Station on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, both operat ...
are named.
Early life
Archibald William McMurdo was born on September 24, 1812 in Scotland. He was the son of
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Archibald McMurdo and grandson of
John McMurdo
John McMurdo (1743–1803) was a friend of Robert Burns who became the chamberlain to the Duke of Queensberry at Drumlanrig Castle where the poet was a frequent visitor. His eldest daughter Jean (1777-1839) was also a close friend of Burns, who ...
, a
chamberlain at
Drumlanrig Castle.
Career
McMurdo joined the
Royal Navy on 6 October 1824, at the age of 12.
[William Loney RN - Background: "Archibald McMurdo, RN"](_blank)
/ref> He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1836 for his skill and courage in saving the crew of a shipwrecked whaler from hostile New Zealand natives
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Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
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.Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...
(1836-1837), the second to Antarctica (1839-1842).Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
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*The rank of admiral
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recommending McMurdo for promotion.
In 1845, McMurdo expressed doubt that Captain John Franklin would return from his ill-fated Northwest Passage 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 ...
, 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.
Death
McMurdo died on December 11, 1875 in Scotland.Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
on February 3, 1876.[
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861–1941.
]
See also
*
References
Explorers of Antarctica
Royal Navy vice admirals
1812 births
1875 deaths
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