In 1845, John Franklin left England with the Erebus and Terror to search for a passage through the Arctic. After the departure of five men to Greenland, 129 continued the expedition. The ships were caught in the ice in September 1846. A preserved note indicates that they were abandoned in April 1848; no member of the expedition returned.
For a long time, research tries to reconstruct the journey and the fate of men. Inuit testimonies and knowledge play an essential role, often insufficiently recognized in ancient narratives. Today, Parks Canada recognizes this contribution to the location of wrecks and the interpretation of history.
The Erebus was found in 2014, the Terror in 2016. The wrecks bring physical traces to a disaster long known in fragments. They do not give a unique explanation for each death: their study allows to complete the story, not to erase all the uncertainties of recent years in the ice.
What we know
The number 129 concerns the pursuit after Greenland. Do not reduce deaths to a single cause or erase Inuit intake.
To go to the source
- Parcs Canada — Franklin’s 1845 expedition (new tab)↗
- Parcs Canada — Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror (new tab)↗
References accessed October 11, 2026. Linked pages may be in another language.
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