Archibald McMurdo was a British naval officer, for whom Antarctica's McMurdo Sound

McMurdo Sound

The ice-clogged waters of Antarctica's McMurdo Sound extend about 55 km long and wide. The sound opens into the Ross Sea to the north. The Royal Society Range rises from sea level to 13,205 feet on the western shoreline. The nearby McMurdo Ice Shelf scribes McMurdo Sound's southern boundary...

, McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...

, McMurdo Ice Shelf

McMurdo Ice Shelf

McMurdo Ice Shelf is the portion of the Ross Ice Shelf bounded by McMurdo Sound and Ross Island on the north and Minna Bluff on the south. Studies show this feature has characteristics quite distinct from the Ross Ice Shelf and merits individual naming. A.J...

, McMurdo Dry Valleys

McMurdo Dry Valleys

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of snow-free valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The region is one of the world's most extreme deserts, and includes many interesting features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica's longest river.-Climate:The Dry...

 and McMurdo-South Pole Highway

McMurdo-South Pole highway

The South Pole Traverse, also called the McMurdo – South Pole Highway, is an approximately 900-mile compacted snow road in Antarctica that links the United States' McMurdo Station on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station...

 are named.

Biography

McMurdo joined the navy on 6 October 1824, at age 12. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant in 1836, Commander in 1843, and Captain in 1851. His career included two discovery expeditions aboard HMS Terror

HMS Terror (1813)

HMS Terror was a bomb vessel designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy in the Davy shipyard in Topsham, Devon. The ship, variously listed as being of either 326 or 340 tons, carried two mortars, one and one .-War service:...

, the first to north of Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay

Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

, the second to Antarctica. During the latter, McMurdo Sound was discovered and named.

McMurdo achieved command of HMS Contest

HMS Contest

Ten ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Contest: or Gunboat No. 16 was a 14-gun vessel launched in 1797 and broken up in 1799. was a 5-gun gun-brig, previously the Dutch Hell-hound. She was captured in 1799 and broken up in 1803. was a 14-gun schooner purchased in 1799 and broken up...

 in 1846, which was detailed to the coast of west Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. He retired as a vice-admiral.