Royal Navy · Northwest Passage Expedition

The Franklin Expedition

HMS Erebus & HMS Terror · 1845 – 1848

129 Men Lost

3 Years Icebound

169 Years to Find

2 Wrecks Discovered

HMS Erebus & HMS Terror beset in the ice of Victoria Strait, 12 September 1846

Voyage Timeline

May 1845

Departure from Greenhithe

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror depart Greenhithe, Kent on 19 May 1845 with 134 officers and men under Sir John Franklin's command.

51.4504°N, 0.2823°E

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Expedition Route Search Expeditions Historical Sightings Supply Points Victory Point Record Wreck Discoveries Notable Locations

129 Men aboard

0 Survivors

3 Years trapped

2014 Erebus found

The expedition was lost for 169 years before the wrecks were discovered using modern sonar and Inuit oral history.

Northwest Passage Attempt · Arctic Canada