Introduction
The 3rd Franklin expedition was a British expedition to the Arctic in 1845 to search for the Northwest passage to link Europe to Asia and to conduct science in the Arctic including magnetic observations to locate magnetic north.
The HMS Erebus and Terror were to be used for the expedition. For the voyage, the ships were fitted with steam engines—the first of wooden ships to be steam-driven. This would prove to be a controversial addition, with many experienced Arctic travelers expressing their concern.
The ships sailed from London to Greenland and then into the Arctic waters. For years there was no word of the mission’s fate or its 129 souls left on board. If they completed their goals, their knowledge of such became lost along with them.
This website aims to provide information on the 3rd Franklin expedition: the background in the search for the Northwest passage; the preparation, voyage, searches and final moments; as well as Inuit accounts. This website will take you on a journey to not only piece together what happened in one of Britain’s greatest maritime mysteries but to analyze why it occurred.
Explore
The Search for the Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage has Long been sought after as an an alternative to Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope as a path to Asia. The Northwest Passage… Read more
On May 19th, 1845, at 10:30 am, the HM Ships Erebus and Terror weighed anchor and were towed down the river Thames on their adventure to find the Northwest Passage … Read more
Inuit Oral Tradition and The Franklin Voyage
The discovery of the Erebus in 2014 wasn’t the product of technology alone but rather… Read more
Authors
Kyle Dolbow
Kyle Dolbow is a first year at Carleton College. His primary responsibilities for this project were to research and write about the provisions and goals of the mission, the voyage itself, and why it failed. He is the author of the “The 3rd Franklin Expedition” page and all pages under it including “Preparation”, “Voyage”, and “Searches & Final Moments”. Sources analyzed by Kyle include but are not limited to “Equipping HM Ships Erebus and Terror, 1845”, “Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time” by Michael Palin (Chapters 12-18), “The Gates of Hell: Sir John Franklin’s Tragic Quest for the North West Passage”, and “May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth: Letters of the Lost Franklin Arctic Expedition”
Abe Boardman
Abe Boardman is a current freshman at Carleton College. His primary area of research were the voyages leading up to the voyage of the Erebus and Terror. The main sources used for research were the books The Search for the Northwest Passage by Ann Savours, and Voyages of Delusion: The Quest for the Northwest Passage, By Glyn Williams. Outside of school, he plays ultimate frisbee for the Carleton CUT.
Matt Woods
Matt Woods is a sophomore at Carleton and focused on Inuit accounts and the recovery voyages led by McClintock and Hobson as well as the accounts that led to the 2014 finding of the Erebus. Main sources include several articles by Douglas Stenton and accounts collected by Charles Hall. Outside of school, Matt is a member of the Carleton Football team and Fellowship in Christ. He is a prospective Economics major.
References
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