Allen, correspondence

• MS 116/4;D Letter to William Penny, 17 February 1851 [Written in HMS Resolute, greetings and personal news] holograph

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, 1850-1851 (leader Horatio Austin) was to search for the missing expedition via Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. Four ships HMS Resolute (Horatio Austin), HMS Assistance (Erasmus Ommanney), HMS Intrepid (John Cator) and HMS Pioneer (Sherard Osborn) sailed from London.

The expedition joined with the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850 (leader Charles Forsyth), the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader William Penny), the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Sir John Ross) and the United States Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Edwin De Haven). The expeditions proved that Franklin had wintered at Beechey Island. Costal surveys, sledging expeditions and scientific observations were conducted during the expedition.

Chronological

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to this expedition see SPRI collections GB 015 John Cator, GB 015 Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, GB 015 Sir Erasmus Ommanney, GB 015 Sherard Osborn GB 015 James Elliott, GB 015 Sir Clements Markham, GB 015 George Mecham and GB 015 Sir Horatio Austin