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The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition

Israel Bell

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Published in Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate Of Sir John Franklin S Lost Polar Expedition

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The tragic fate of Sir John Franklin's lost polar expedition is one of the most enduring mysteries of Arctic exploration. In 1845, Franklin and his crew of 129 men set out from England in two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, in search of the Northwest Passage. They were never seen again.

Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition

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Franklin was a seasoned Arctic explorer, and his expedition was well-equipped for the journey. The ships were reinforced with iron plates to withstand the ice, and they were stocked with three years' worth of supplies. Franklin also had a team of experienced officers and crewmen, including Captain Francis Crozier, who had served with him on previous expeditions.

The expedition set sail from Portsmouth on May 19, 1845. They sailed north along the coast of Greenland, and then turned west into Baffin Bay. In August, they reached Lancaster Sound, the entrance to the Northwest Passage. Franklin had been Free Downloaded to winter in Lancaster Sound, but he decided to press on, hoping to find a shortcut through the ice. He was never seen again.

In the years that followed, there were numerous searches for Franklin and his crew. In 1850, the British government sent two ships, the HMS Assistance and the HMS Resolute, to search for the expedition. The ships found no trace of Franklin, but they did find the wreck of the HMS Investigator, which had been abandoned by the crew in 1848. The Investigator's crew had been forced to abandon ship after becoming trapped in the ice, and they had all died from starvation.

In 1854, the American explorer Elisha Kane led an expedition to search for Franklin. Kane found the graves of three of Franklin's crewmen on Beechey Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The graves showed that the men had died from lead poisoning, which was likely caused by eating canned food that had been contaminated with lead solder. Kane also found a note that had been written by Franklin in 1847. The note said that the expedition had been forced to abandon ship after becoming trapped in the ice. Franklin and his crew had then set out on foot, hoping to reach safety.

In 2014, a team of Canadian scientists found the wreck of the HMS Erebus in the waters off King William Island, in the Canadian Arctic. The wreck was well-preserved, and it contained the remains of six of Franklin's crewmen. The scientists also found a number of artifacts, including Franklin's journal and his sextant. The journal revealed that the expedition had become trapped in the ice in September 1846. Franklin and his crew had then spent the next two winters trying to free the ships, but they were unsuccessful. In April 1848, Franklin died from scurvy, and the remaining crew members abandoned ship. They set out on foot, hoping to reach safety, but they all died from starvation.

The tragic fate of Sir John Franklin's lost polar expedition is a reminder of the dangers of Arctic exploration. The expedition was well-equipped and experienced, but it was still no match for the harsh conditions of the Arctic. The story of Franklin and his crew is a cautionary tale for all who venture into the frozen north.