arm of the Arctic Ocean, extending northeastward for 170 miles (275 km) from Amundsen Gulf to Viscount Melville Sound and separating Banks and Victoria islands, Northwest Territories, Canada. It forms part of the Northwest Passage route through the Canadian Arctic archipelago between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was discovered in 1850 by Robert McClure, the Irish explorer, who came within sight of the Viscount Melville Sound before heavy ice forced him to turn back. The strait was named after Albert Edward, then the Prince of Wales.