Kellett, Henry

Epithet: Vice. Admiral KCB

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000688.0x0003b9

Epithet: Captain; CB

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000509.0x0002a9

Epithet: Captain; RN, ViceAdm. 1868

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000509.0x0002ab

Henry Kellett was born on 2 November 1806 at Clonacody, Tipperary, Ireland. In 1822, he entered the Navy and was employed in the West Indies for five years before serving in survey vessels commanded by William Fitzwilliam Owen and Edward Belcher on the west coast of Africa and in the East Indies. Between 1836 and 1842, he commanded the schooner Starling, engaged in surveying in the Pacific and China, and was promoted captain shortly after distinguishing himself in the China War of 1840-1841.

In 1845, Kellett was selected to command the surveying ship HMS Herald, employed in survey work in the Pacific Ocean. During the summers of 1848 to 1850, he was detached from this service to lead the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1848-1850, assisting HMS Plover under Thomas Moore in the search for the missing northwest passage expedition in Bering Strait. In the summer of 1849, Kellett discovered and landed on Ostrov Geral'd [Herald Island] from where he obtained a distant view of Ostrov Vrangelya [Wrangel Island]. The following summer, Kellett met Robert McClure, commander of HMS Investigator, (British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1854) off Cape Lisburne, Alaska, just before Investigator entered the ice of the Beaufort Sea and disappeared from all contact with the outside world for three years.

Shortly after his return to England in June 1851, Kellett accepted a posting to the command of HMS Resolute on the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854 (leader Sir Edward Belcher), instructed by the Admiralty to search in the region of Melville Island in company with HMS Intrepid under Francis Leopold McClintock. Setting out from London in April 1852, Kellett's ships sailed with Belcher's as far as Beechey Island, Barrow Strait, before parting from the rest of the squadron and proceeding to Dealy Island off the south coast of Melville Island where they put into winter quarters. During a sledging journey in the autumn of 1852, George Mecham, first lieutenant of Resolute, discovered a note left by Robert McClure describing the position of HMS Investigator which had been beset by ice in Mercy Bay since autumn 1851. The crew of were later rescued and transferred to Resolute and Intrepid in the spring of 1853. On the voyage home in the summer of 1853, both vessels became beset in Melville Sound and were forced to spend a further winter in the Arctic. Receiving orders from Belcher to abandon both vessels, the crews travelled to Beechey Island where they returned to England in the depot ship HMS North Star and the supply ships HMS Phoenix and HMS Talbot . In addition to the rescue of McClure, Kellett's expedition was credited with the discovery and charting of Prince Patrick, Eglinton and Emerald Islands and the completion of the charting of Melville Island.

On his return to England, Kellett was appointed commodore in the West Indies and between 1864 and 1867 served as admiral superintendent of Malta Dockyard. He was knighted in 1869, the year in which he was appointed commander-in-chief on the China Station. Retiring with the rank of vice admiral, he died on 1 March 1875 at Clonacody.

From the guide to the Henry Kellett collection, 1845-1850, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)