Barents, Willem

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Barents, Willem (d.1597) Dutch navigator and Arctic explorer. He made three expeditions (1594–97) in search of the Northeast Passage. On his third voyage, he discovered Svalbard and, crossing the sea now named after him, reached Novaya Zemlya. His ship was trapped by ice, and the crew built a shelter – most survived until the following year's thaw, but Barents died before they reached safety.

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