Sherard Osborn Sherard Osborn ( 25 April 1822 – 6 May 1875 ) , was a Royal Navy admiral and Arctic explorer . Early life . Born in Madras , he was the son of an Indian army officer . Osborn entered the navy as a first - class volunteer in 1837 , serving until 1844 in " Hyacinth " , " Clio " & " Volage " . Active service in Malaya and China . In 1838 , he was entrusted with the command of a gunboat at the attack on Kedah in the Malay Peninsula , and was present at the reduction of Canton in 1841 and at the capture of Woosung in 1842 . From 1844 until 1848 , he was gunnery mate and lieutenant in HMS " Collingwood " , the flag - ship of Sir George Seymour in the Pacific . The search for Franklin . He took a prominent part in 1849 in advocating a new search expedition for Sir John Franklin , and in 1850 was appointed to the command of the steam - tender " Pioneer " in the Arctic expedition under Horatio Thomas Austin , in the course of which he performed ( 1851 ) a remarkable sledge - journey to the western extremity of Prince of Wales Island . He published an account of this voyage , entitled " Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal " ( 1852 ) , and was promoted to the rank of commander shortly afterwards . Marriage . In January 1852 he married Helen , daughter of John Hinksman of Queen Anne Street , London . The Belcher expedition . In the new expedition ( 1852 – 1854 ) under Sir Edward Belcher he again took part as commander of " Pioneer " . In 1856 , he published the journals of Captain Robert McClure , giving a narrative of the discovery of the Northwest Passage . Crimean War . Early in 1855 , he was called to active service in the Crimean War as the captain of " Vesuvius " . After seeing considerable action in the Black Sea he was promoted to post - rank in August 1855 and was appointed to " Medusa " , in which he commanded the Sea of Azov squadron until the end of the war . For these services he was appointed a Companion in the Order of the Bath ( CB ) , Légion d ' honneur ( 4th class ) , and the Turkish Order of the Medjidie ( 4th class ) . Second Opium War . As captain of " Furious " , he took a prominent part in the operations of the Second Opium War , and performed a piece of difficult and intricate navigation in taking his ship up the Yangtse to Hankow ( 1858 ) . He returned to England in broken health in 1859 , and at this time contributed a number of articles on naval and Chinese topics to " Blackwood ' s Magazine " , and wrote " The Career , Last Voyage and Fate of Sir John Franklin " ( 1860 ) . HMS " Donegal " and the " Vampire Fleet " . In 1861 , he commanded " Donegal " in the Gulf of Mexico during , and , in 1862 , undertook the command of a squadron ( the so - called " Vampire Fleet " ) fitted out by the Chinese government for the suppression of piracy on the coast of China ; but owing to the non - fulfilment of the condition that he should receive orders from the imperial government only , he quit the appointment . HMS " Royal Sovereign " . In 1864 , he was appointed to the command of " Royal Sovereign " , the first British turret - armed battleship , in order to test the turret system of shipbuilding . Commercial Interests . In 1865 , he became agent to the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company , and two years later was made managing director of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company , a post that he held until 1874 . From 1869 he was a Director of the International Mid - Channel Telegraph Co . Ltd . A cable ship was named for him and the SS Sherard Osborn was launched on the 4th April 1878 , for the Eastern Extension , Australasia and China Telegraph Company . HMS " Hercules " . In 1871 he was appointed as captain of " Hercules " in the Channel Fleet . On 12 June 1873 he was appointed Rear Admiral . Encouragement of the British Arctic Expedition . His interest in Arctic exploration had never ceased , and in 1873 he induced Commander Albert Markham to undertake a summer voyage for the purpose of testing the conditions of ice - navigation with the aid of steam . The result of this summer voyage was the British Arctic Expedition , under Sir George Nares . Osborn became a member of the expedition committee . Death . He died in London on 6 May 1875 a few days after the expedition had sailed . His body was interred at Highgate Cemetery on 10 May 1875 with the funeral attended by many of those who had served with him in the Royal Navy .