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Henry Asbjorn Larsen, mounted policeman, seaman, explorer (born 30 Sept 1899 in Hvaler, Norway; died 29 Oct 1964 in Vancouver). Inspired by the career of his countryman Roald Amundsen, he dreamed of exploring the Arctic. After a voyage to the Beaufort Sea, he became a Canadian citizen in 1927 and, in 1928, joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Arctic Voyages
He was assigned as first mate to RCMP schooner St. Roch on her maiden voyage to the western Arctic in 1928. Later that year, he was made skipper, a position he retained until 1948. Under Larsen, the St. Roch patrolled the Canadian Arctic coast, often wintering in the North. With Henry Larsen as skipper, St. Roch was the first ship to traverse the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940–1942) and, consequently, the first to make the passage in both directions (1944). Later, it also became the first ship to circumnavigate North America (1950). Larsen retired with the rank of superintendent in 1961.
