27/07/13

John Franklin's last expedition, 1845 : Exploration, adventure and tragedy : Search for the North-West Passage : Maritime history features : Sea & ship

John Franklin's last expedition, 1845

Dates 1845 Explorer John Franklin Ships Outcomes

Ereb us, The most famous disappearance in Arctic history Terror and the loss of all hands

By 1845 further explorations of the Arctic coastline had led to great optimism that finding and charting the final part of the North-West Passage was now within reach and Franklin was eager to claim the prize. He sailed for the Arctic in May with the ships Ereb us and Terror. By previous standards the ships were powerful and luxurious with heating systems, vast supplies of preserved foods and large libraries. In late July the Ereb us and Terror were seen by a whaler in Baffin Bay, waiting for ice to clear in Lancaster Sound and to begin their journey to the Bering Strait. It was the last time any of the 129 crew members were ever seen alive. Searching for Franklin The loss of this British hero, and the efforts to find him (championed and often funded by his second wife Lady Jane Franklin) captured the public imagination. Over 30 subsequent expeditions searched for Franklin but with scant success. (An ironic fact is that more people died looking for Franklin than those who perished on his final voyage). Following clues gathered from Inuits by John Rae in 1854, an 1859 expedition led by Francis McClintock found relics and human remains on King William Island where it transpired the Erebus and Terror had become stuck in the ice, apparently on the brink of success in navigating the North-West Passage. Amongst the items found were two Standard Admiralty forms. In the margins of one was the following handwritten message:
Franklin's third expedition, 1845 - click to enlarge

April 25th, 1848HMs Ships Terror and Erebus were deserted on 22nd April, 5 leagues N.N.W. of this, having been beset since 12th September 1846. The Officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of Captain F.R.M. Crozier, landed here in Lat. 69-37-42 N., long. 98-41 WSir John Franklin died on 11th June 1847; the total loss by deaths in the Expedition has been to this date 9 officers and 15 men.James Fitzjames, Captain HMS Erebus, F.R.M. Crozier, Captain and Senior Officer, And Start tomorrow, 26th, for Back Fish River.
Historians cannot know all the facts but a popular analysis is that a combination of hunger, scurvy and lead poisoning (from the food cans taken on the voyage) rendered the men incapable of saving themselves and they died on the ice. It is almost certain they resorted to cannibalism as their situation became ever more desperate. Discovery of t he Passage? If any of the crew did make it to Back Fish River, then they have the accolade of discovering the passage west through the Arctic, though this has never been proven and for those concerned it would surely have seemed like a hollow victory.

www.rmg.co.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/in-depth/north-west-passage/exploration-adventure-and-tragedy/john-franklins-last-expedition-1845

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