Ross, Sir John (1777-1856), led a British expedition in 1818 to seek a northwest passage to Asia. Commanding the Isabella, he sailed into Baffin Bay as far as Lancaster Sound but turned back, thinking that mountains blocked his way. In 1829, he led a second expedition, but again failed. On this expedition, he surveyed the Gulf of Boothia, the Boothia Peninsula, and King William Island. Ross was born on June 24, 1777, in Inch, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. He joined the Navy at the age of 9 and rose to admiral. Ross was knighted in 1834. He died on Aug. 30, 1856. See also Arctic Ocean.