Penny, William, 1809-1892 : William Penny was born 12 July 1809 in Peterhead, Scotland and by the age of 12 had made his first whaling voyage on his father's ship Alert. By 1829, he had attained the rank of mate and was making regular annual trips to Davis Strait on additional whaling expeditions. He obtained his first command in 1835 and quickly supported Captain James Clark Ross in his suggestion that whalers forego their dangerous summer voyages from Britain in favour of whaling from the safety of shore stations on Baffin Island (N.W.T.). In this way, Penny came to explore much of the south end of Baffin Island on his ship the Neptune, however, by 1841 with the decline of the whaling industry, Penny found himself without a ship. He began sailing again late in 1844 and by the end of the decade became intrigued by the search for Sir John Franklin's expedition which had been missing since 1845.
Penny searched for Franklin during the whaling seasons of 1846 and 1849 but was unsuccessful, however, he gained the support of Lady Franklin and won command of an Admiralty-backed search expedition with the ships Lady Franklin and Sophia. Penny sailed in April 1850 and helped locate the site of Franklin's first winter quarters on Beechey Island after which he wintered in Assistance Harbour, Cornwallis Island in close proximity to the naval expeditions led by Captain Horatio Thomas Austin and Sir John Ross. During subsequent exploration, Penny discovered and explored Queens Channel and sighted the strait to the north which now bears his name. A quarrel with Austin over the direction of Franklin's voyage, however, led to the break down of the joint venture and the return of both parties to England; Penny arrived on 21 September 1851.
Following their arrival, a special Arctic Committee was convened by the Admiralty to examine the conduct of both men after which time, Penny renewed his interest in whaling in the Arctic which would continue up to his death on 1 February 1892 in Aberdeen, Scotland.
