Why Did John Franklin Explore?

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Published Online January 2, 2008 Last Edited March 8, 2018

Who was Franklin and what is his connection to the Northwest Passage?

Sir John Franklin, (born April 16, 1786, Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England—died June 11, 1847, near King William Island, British Arctic Islands [now in Nunavut territory, Canada]), English rear admiral and explorer who led an ill-fated expedition (1845) in search of the Northwest Passage, a Canadian Arctic waterway ...

Why did John Franklin explore the Northwest Passage?

Franklin’s lost expedition was a British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed from England in 1845 aboard two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and was assigned to traverse the last unnavigated sections of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic and to record magnetic data to ...

What really happened to the Franklin expedition?

The expedition was a disaster, ending in the deaths of all 129 crew members . When their two ships – HMS Erebus and HMS Terror – became trapped in the ice, the crew vanished into the frozen Arctic.

What is the story of the Northwest Passage?

The Northwest Passage is a famed sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through a group of sparsely populated Canadian islands known as the Arctic Archipelago. ... Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage in 1906 .

How historically accurate is the terror?

Ice-monsters may be fictional (at least, one would hope so), but the show is based on historical fact . It’s the latest retelling of the doomed 1845-46 expedition of Captain John Franklin and Francis Crozier, and their two ominously named ships – Erebus (one of the rivers in the Greek underworld) and Terror.

Did they ever find a Northwest Passage?

The belief that a route lay to the far north persisted for several centuries and led to numerous expeditions into the Arctic. Many ended in disaster, including that by Sir John Franklin in 1845. While searching for him the McClure Arctic Expedition discovered the Northwest Passage in 1850 .

Was the Terror and Erebus ever found?

In September 2014, an expedition led by Parks Canada discovered the wreck of HMS Erebus in an area that had been identified by Inuit. Two years later the wreck of HMS Terror was located. Historical research, Inuit knowledge and the support of many partners made these discoveries possible.

Do ships sail the Northwest Passage?

Five general cargo ships and five passenger ships made a full transit through the Northwest Passage, a series of routes snaking through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago between the Baffin Bay in the east and the Beaufort Sea in the west.

Who finally found the Northwest Passage?

The many searches for the missing explorer John Franklin led to the discovery of all the Arctic waterways. The knowledge gained from these voyages helped Amundsen to finally cross the Northwest Passage in 1903-06.

Could anyone have survived the Franklin Expedition?

Not a single man survived the journey although some did reach the mainland, the bodies of thirty men being subsequently found near the Great Fish River.

What is the monster in the terror?

The Tuunbaq is a monstrous spirit bear creature which appears in the novel and AMC TV series The Terror. It is a creation by Dan Simmons, author of the novel, and is possibly based on the Inuit mythology of the Tupilaq, a vengeful spirit that takes the form of both man and animal.

Did anyone survive the Terror and Erebus?

Two ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, left England in 1845 in order to search for the North-West Passage – a vital sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. ... Both ships were lost , and all 129 men on board perished.

Why the Northwest Passage was important?

Northwest Passage, historical sea passage of the North American continent. It represents centuries of effort to find a route westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Archipelago of what became Canada .

Did the Infinity make the Northwest Passage?

Both of them made history as the only vessels to make the transit in 2018 . However, Infinity still has to get at least to Baffin Bay to collect the prize.

What is a synonym for Northwest Passage?

(noun) Northwest Passage, path, route, itinerary . ...

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.