The Franklin Expedition
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The Franklin Expedition

The Franklin Expedition

Journey through the mystery, hope, and tragedy of the doomed Franklin Expedition and its quest for the Northwest Passage.

Chapter 1

A Grand Dream Sets Sail

1:05

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Franklin Expedition and what was its goal?

The Franklin Expedition was a British Royal Navy voyage led by Sir John Franklin in 1845 to find the Northwest Passage through the Arctic. The expedition consisted of two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with 129 men seeking to discover a navigable sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Canadian Arctic archipelago.

What happened to the Franklin Expedition and why did it fail?

The Franklin Expedition became trapped in Arctic ice and all 129 crew members perished. The ships became icebound in 1846, and after Franklin died in 1847, the surviving crew attempted to walk to safety but succumbed to starvation, scurvy, lead poisoning from canned food, and extreme cold. No survivors were ever found despite numerous rescue missions.

When were the Franklin Expedition ships finally discovered?

HMS Erebus was discovered in 2014 by Parks Canada in the Queen Maud Gulf, followed by HMS Terror in 2016 in Terror Bay. These discoveries came 169 years after the expedition disappeared, solving one of the greatest mysteries in Arctic exploration history through advanced underwater archaeology and Inuit oral histories.

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