The Wellington Channel () (not to be confused with

Wellington Strait The Wellington Strait () (not to be confused with Wellington Channel) is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It separates the Tennent Islands (to the west) from Matty Island (to the east). ...

) is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in

Qikiqtaaluk Region The Qikiqtaaluk Region, Qikiqtani Region (Inuktitut syllabics: ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓗᒃ ) or Baffin Region is the easternmost, northernmost, and southernmost administrative region of Nunavut, Canada. Qikiqtaaluk is the traditional Inuktitut name f ...

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...

. It runs north–south, separating Cornwallis Island and

Devon Island Devon Island ( iu, ᑕᓪᓗᕈᑎᑦ, ) is an island in Canada and the largest uninhabited island (no permanent residents) in the world. It is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the largest members of the ...

Queens Channel The Queens Channel () is a natural waterway through the central Canadian Arctic Archipelago in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut. It is surrounded by Bathurst Island (to the west), Cornwallis and Little Cornwallis Islands (to the south), Baillie-Hamil ...

lies to the west, separated by

Baillie-Hamilton Island Baillie-Hamilton Island is one of the Canadian arctic islands in Nunavut, Canada. The island is rectangular in shape, , and has an area of . Baillie-Hamilton Island is surrounded by larger islands. Devon Island is to the north and the east, across ...

, Dundas Island, and

Margaret Island Margaret Island ( hu, Margitsziget ; german: Margareteninsel; tr, Kızadası) is a long island, wide, ( in area) in the middle of the Danube in central Budapest, Hungary. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recrea ...

Explorations

In 1845, Sir John Franklin wintered at

Beechey Island Beechey Island ( iu, Iluvialuit, script=Latn) is an island located in the Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada, in Wellington Channel. It is separated from the southwest corner of Devon Island by Barrow Strait. Other features include Wellington ...

at the channel's southeast end. In winter 1848, Franklin's ships got trapped in sea ice further south in Victoria Strait, leading to the tragic end of what became known as

Franklin's lost expedition Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, and , and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sect ...

. The

First Grinnell expedition The First Grinnell expedition of 1850 was the first American effort, financed by Henry Grinnell, to determine the fate of the lost Franklin Northwest Passage expedition. Led by Lieutenant Edwin De Haven, the team explored the accessible areas ...

, an American effort to determine the fate of Franklin's lost expedition, covered the Wellington Channel. They identified there the remains of Franklin's Beechey Island winter camp, providing the first solid clues to Franklin's activities before becoming icebound themselves. In spring 1851, the channel was explored by William Penny, who went by sledge to the northwest tip of Devon Island.Glyn Williams,"Arctic Labyrinth",2009, page 293 Edward Belcher explored the channel in 1852. In 1853, the French naval officer and explorer

Joseph René Bellot Joseph-René Bellot (18 March 1826 – 18 August 1853) was a French naval officer and Arctic explorer. Biography Bellot was born in Paris, the son of a farrier, but moved to Rochefort with his family in 1831. With the aid of the authori ...

died aged twenty-seven after falling through the ice in the Wellington Channel.

References

Channels of Qikiqtaaluk Region {{QikiqtaalukNU-geo-stub