Pullen, British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854

• MS 274;BJ Papers, 1852 to 1854 [Transcripts of journals, ship's logs etc regarding the expedition 1852-1854] 1 volume, mimeographed
• MS 1044/5;D Report, 24 August 1853 [In HMS North Star] 6 leaves, (Xerox)
• MS 1044/7;D Notice, 24 August 1853 [To set afloat HMS North Star, brief report on ice conditions in Barrow Strait] 2 leaves, copy (Xerox)
• MS 1044/13;D Report, 16 August 1854 [Search of Beechey Island] 4 leaves (Xerox)

In 1845 Sir John Franklin sailed north in command of the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition. Sent by the Admiralty the two ships HMS Erebus (Franklin) and HMS Terror (Francis Crozier) were to search for a passage via Lancaster Sound. With provisions designed to last three years the expedition sailed north in May 1845. Whalers in Baffin Bay were the last Europeans to see the two ships in July of 1845.

Many searches were conducted for the missing expedition during the course of which the main facts regarding the route taken and the final fate of the expedition were established.

The British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854 (leader William Pullen), in HMS North Star, the store ship for the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854 (leader Sir Edward Belcher). The vessel spent two winters at Beechey Island and was the only ship of the five in Belcher's search expedition to return to England in 1854, the other four being abandoned on Belcher's orders when beset in the ice.

Chronological

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to this expedition see SPRI collections GB 15 John Cheyne, GB 15 Sir George Back, GB 15 William Harvey GB 15 Robert McCormack, GB 15 Thomas Pullen, GB 15 William Elliott, GB 15 Robert Charles Scott, GB 15 William Shellabear, GB 15 Israel Holmes and GB 15 William Snow.