Why did explorers search for a Northwest Passage?

Question

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Answer 1

They were looking for a cheap commercial sea route north and west around North America, in order to facilitate trade between Europe and India, China and Southeast Asia.

Answer 2

Short answer: Science and Exploration, Politics, Commerce, Individual Pride and Humanitarianism

English explorers were the first. The British, Spanish, and Americans, however, pushed explorations on the Pacific coast, and the explorations of the Russians about Kamchatka and Alaska, together with the voyages of Alexander Mackenzie, the Canadian explorer, and the expedition of the Americans Lewis and Clark, revealed the contours of the continental barrier.

Global politics, the need to project and protect a country's interests worldwide, as well as the resultant commercial rewards, doubtless played an important role in encouraging exploration. Great Britain, at that time, being the dominant naval superpower, had global political and commercial interests both in Europe and in Asia. She also happened to have the naval resources to sustain and protect those interests.

However, commerce (British or otherwise) relied mainly on ships, ships then being the only means of long distance travel. But they had to take either of two long and dangerous routes: (1) through the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, or (2) through the Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.

There was, thus, a compelling reason to find a shorter route to East Asia, (to China and India, in particular) by sailing either (1) over the North Pole, or (2) through a passage north of Europe and Asia (the Northeast Passage). Even as the 16th century explorers had already demonstrated that a route through the American continents was possible [See Note 1], the continents presented a true barrier to a short route to East Asia. Thus, the Northwest Passage through the Arctic presented itself as the biggest hope of linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for a shorter route from Europe to Asia. The search for the NW Passage remained the most important goal, a search that continued even though, at that time, such a route had no commercial value [See note 2].

Later, the interests of pure science and exploration drove efforts forward. Wars between Britain and France interrupted the search for the Northwest Passage, and, when resumed after the wars, the explorations were made in the interests of science, no longer primarily in the interest of commerce. The desire to extend human knowledge was the chief motivation in arctic exploration after the expeditions of British explorers John Ross and David Buchan were sent out in 1818. Ross’s later voyages, and those of Sir William Edward Parry, F. W. Beechey, Sir George Back, Thomas Simpson, and Sir John Franklin pushed forward the knowledge of the Arctic and of the Northwest Passage.

But if unselfish motives were not enough, English statesmen and merchants kept flagging spirits up, helped in part by prizes offered by the British Government for achievements in northern exploration. One who responded to this incentive was Captain James Cook who was inspired to make the first attempt at navigating the passage from the west, even if he died before he could accomplish anything.

Least of all was the humanitarian reason: Numerous government and privately-funded search parties were sent out to search for Sir John Franklin and his 129 men who were all lost in the last tragic 1845-48 expedition when Franklin's ships, the "Terror" and the "Erebus", became frozen in the ice near King William Island. Franklin, having been on the right track, the many expeditions of these search parties sent out to discover Franklin's fate contributed to the knowledge of the Arctic.
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Note 1 - The search began as soon as Columbus proved that mariners would not fall off the edge of a flat Earth, and it continued for almost 400 years.

Note 2 - The passage was finally discovered in 1905, but as the sea is frozen over for most of the year, it is not very practical. In 1969 a massive tanker set out to test the route for the shipment of Alaskan crude oil to eastern refineries, but one trip was enough - it took months to repair the battered ship. However, recent climate changes in the Arctic suggest that there will be a 50% reduction in sea ice within a century, and the Northwest Passage could open up as a practical shipping route within 50 years - about 550 years after the search began, and 150 years after it was first discovered!

Answer 3

So that they could reach the west coast without going all the way down and around South America.

Answer 4

Cause they wanted to

Answer 5

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