Cruises visiting Mercy Bay, Banks Island (Canada)

Discover Mercy Bay northeast of Banks Island, in the Aulavik National Park. The Bay is famous for having trapped within its pack ice the HMS Investigator commanded by Captain McClure, who was trying to find the traces of Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition to the Northwest Passage. In this waterway in Beaufort Sea, exposed to the most dramatic elements, McClure and his crew had to abandon ship – the wreck still remains in the bottom of the bay - and undergo several winterings on the island before they were rescued. Opposite the polar desert and the tundra that cover the shores, follow in the footsteps of these explorers who paved the way.