The Sir John Franklin Mystery

Search for the Northwest Passage
May 18, 1845 - 1848

Franklin and his crew died during their search for the Northwest Passage, probably because their ships got frozen into the ice Copyright/Source

After seven years as governor of Tasmania, Franklin was given command of a new expedition to find the Northwest Passage. He had two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. With a crew of 134 men, he left England on the May 19, 1845. They had enough supplies to last three years. They never returned.

The search for the lost expedition began in 1847. In 1859, relics and bodies were found on King William Island. Two notes said the ships had frozen in the ice and that Sir John Franklin died aboard his ship in 1847. The survivors abandoned the ships the next year. All died trying to reach the mainland.

Items found buried with the bodies of Franklin's crew Copyright/Source

Items found buried with the bodies of Franklin's crew Copyright/Source