![]() It would be the best-equipped and most technologically advanced Arctic expedition to that date.Ĭredit: Master Seaman (MS) Peter Reed, Underwater Imaging Dept. Supported by friends and fellow explorers and bolstered by his professional reputation and his fame as an Arctic trailblazer, the Admiralty gave him command in February 1845. Although Franklin was now in his late fifties, he campaigned hard to lead the expedition. Since his earlier expeditions, new discoveries and mapping had reduced the unknown part of the Passage to a stretch of almost 500 km between Barrow Strait and the mainland. Fortuitously, his arrival back in Britain coincided with the Admiralty’s renewed efforts to complete the Northwest Passage. Although Franklin attempted to institute significant political and social reforms, he fell out of favour with the Colonial Office and was not reappointed. From 1836 to 1843 he served as the lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), a British penal colony. Ironically, Franklin’s career as an explorer stalled after his exploits of the 1820s, as the Admiralty lost interest in northern exploration in the following two decades. Through it all, he remained a modest and private man. He published Narratives of both journeys, was promoted to captain in the navy, elected a fellow of the Royal Society, and even knighted. Back in Britain, Franklin was celebrated as a hero. From the Mackenzie Delta, the party split into two groups: one ventured east to map as far as the Coppermine River, while Franklin led the other west toward Alaska. In his well-organized second expedition to the Arctic (1825–27), Franklin made the approach in boats up the Mackenzie River. Although it encountered serious problems, this expedition was the first to map large sections of the Arctic seaboard. ![]() His party travelled vast distances overland and by canoe down the Coppermine River, reaching the sea on 18 July 1821. The following year, Franklin was charged with mapping the northern shoreline of the American continent. After months of probing pack ice, the mission was called off. ![]() In 1818, he commanded a modified whaling ship, the Trent, in an expedition led by David Buchan to find a passage through the polar ice northwest of Spitsbergen (a Norwegian island in the Arctic Ocean). Franklin’s experience, particularly his surveying skills, made him a valuable asset in these endeavours. Surveying the Canadian NorthĪfter the wars, the British Admiralty resumed its interest in exploration, especially the almost mythical Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific. He also saw significant naval action during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812: he served under Horatio Nelson at the Battles of Copenhagen (1801) and Trafalgar (1805) and was later injured during the British offensive against New Orleans (1814). From 1801 to 1803, Franklin was part of an expedition led by his uncle, navigator Matthew Flinders, that surveyed much of the coastline of Australia. The Royal Navy was the leader in promoting voyages of exploration and scientific research throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Early in his career, he developed the surveying skills and interest in natural science that would determine his career as one of the greatest explorers of the Canadian Arctic. Early Naval Careerįranklin entered the Royal Navy in 1800 at the age of 14. ![]() The Franklin expedition remains one of the most enduring mysteries of Arctic exploration and Canadian history. All hands perished on that voyage, despite being close to discovering the elusive sea route through the Canadian North. He is best known for leading the tragic 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage. A respected naval officer and colonial governor, he was involved in several high-profile expeditions to the Canadian Arctic that mapped large stretches of unknown coastline. Franklin’s name is synonymous with Arctic exploration and the Northwest Passage. Sir John Franklin, naval officer, Arctic explorer (born 16 April 1786 in Spilsby, England died 11 June 1847 aboard HMS Erebus near King William Island, Nunavut). Credit: Library and Archives Canada/C-1352.
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