John Davis: Master Navigator

After

In 1591, Davis joined another expedition that was to try to find the Northwest Passage from the Pacific Ocean. It failed when the ships could not go through the Strait of Magellan south of South America. He died on December 29, 1605, in a battle with Japanese pirates.

Davis was a master navigator and a careful explorer. His voyages opened the way for Hudson, and mapped a huge area. He showed creativity in his dealings with Native peoples of the North. Davis was also the inventor of the Davis Quadrant, which was used for 200 years, and the author of two books, The Seaman's Secret (1594) and The Worldes Hydrographical Discription (1595).