Parry's 1st Arctic expedition. Historical artwork of the British Royal Navy ships HMS Hecla and HMS Griper wintering while trapped in ice during the Arctic expedition of 1819-1820. This expedition, commanded by William Edward Parry (1790-1855), attempted to sail the Arctic's North-West Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific. They set records for distance travelled westwards, but were unable to find a way through the ice to reach the Pacific. The ships' crews wintered off Melville Island and returned to England the following year. This artwork is from a journal published in London by Parry in 1821.