On May 19, 1845, Sir John Franklin led 134 men out of Greenhithe, England, to find the fabled Northwest Passage. His two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, were the most advanced of their time. Formerly bomb vessels, their bows were reinforced with iron plating to withstand the Arctic ice. They even carried steam engines repurposed from locomotives to help push through frozen channels, and internal heating to fight the cold. With three years of provisions, including 8,000 tins of canned food, the British Admiralty was confident of success. Franklin himself, though the sixth choice for commander, told a whaling captain he expected to complete the passage in under two years. As crowds cheered from the docks, the two ships sailed toward the Arctic, and into mystery.
The Franklin Expedition
Sir John Franklin's 1845 Arctic expedition to find the Northwest Passage: how both ships and all 129 men were lost, what searchers and Inuit testimony revealed, and the wrecks found in 2014 and 2016.
Ships of Glass, Men of Iron
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Northwest Passage?
The Northwest Passage is a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. For centuries, European explorers sought this passage as a potential trade route to Asia. The Franklin expedition's goal was to chart the final unnavigated section of this legendary waterway.
Was lead poisoning from the canned food a major factor?
Yes, modern analysis of the crew's remains found on Beechey Island showed high levels of lead. The 8,000 food tins for the voyage were sealed with lead solder, which likely leached into the food. This poisoning would have caused severe physical and mental decline, contributing to the crew's inability to survive.
How were the lost ships finally found?
Inuit oral history was crucial. For generations, local Inuit communities passed down stories about seeing one of Franklin's ships crushed by ice and another that drifted south. Guided by these accounts, Canadian search teams located HMS Erebus in 2014 and the remarkably preserved HMS Terror in 2016.
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