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Disagreements among geographersTwo conflicting views on how to reach Asia via the North were expressed in the Dutch Republic. ![]() The learned geographer Petrus Plancius however stated that by passing through the Waijgats Strait, one would merely reach an inland sea, currently known as the Kara Sea. He expected to find the North-East Passage by rounding Novaya Zemlya on the north, thus avoiding the Kara Sea on the island's south side. ![]() Illustration 2. This map of 1595 depicts geographical knowledge before the voyage
of Barentsz and Van Heemskerck. The west coast of Novaya Zemlya has been
meticulously mapped, while the east coast has yet to be charted. At the
time of printing, the situation of the Kara Sea - inland sea or open
water - was still unclear.
The second expedition (1595) built on the success of the discoveries of the first, following the route Van Linschoten had mapped out, through Waijgats Strait. No less than seven vessels were equipped with money and commodities for the Asian market, as the Dutch now expected to reach the Far East. To the huge disappointment of the navigators, the freezing temperatures made the Kara Sea impenetrable, unlike the previous year. The fleet was forced to return to Amsterdam. ![]() Illustration 3. Representation of the second Dutch expedition to find a Northern route to Asia. The fleet of seven ships is seen entering Waijgats Strait, into the Kara Sea - here called 'Nier Mare'. The southernmost point of Novaya Zemlya is depicted in the top-half of the engraving.
Only Plancius and Barentsz were prepared to make one more attempt to find a North-East Passage. Since investors were predictably wary, capital was raised for only two ships. Barentsz was to be accompanied by the equally experienced Jacob van Heemskerck. In May 1596, the third expedition led by >Barentsz and Van Heemskerck left Amsterdam, aiming to round Novaya Zemlya on the north, the route which Plancius had devised in 1594. |
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