Timeline of the Franklin Expedition

## Pre-1845

June 1813: HMS Terror is launched at the Davy shipyard in Topsham, Devon.

August 1818: John Ross turns back from Lancaster Sound after mistakenly thinking it was blocked. He was scorned by the British Government and press afterwards.

August 1826: HMS Erebus is launched at the Pembroke dock in Wales.

December 1844: Sir John Barrow submits his proposal for a Northwest Passage expedition to the Admiralty

## 1845

April 1: Stephen Goldner is awarded the contract to supply expeditions tinned food.

May 19: The expedition departs Greenhithe England.

June 30: A note is deposited from the Erebus at the 66th parallel.

June-July: The crew write letters home, while five sailors and unneeded supplies are sent back.

July 22nd: The ships are seen by the whalers *Prince of Wales* and *Enterprise* in Baffin Bay. It is the last time Europeans will see the ships in 175 years.

Early September: After circumnavigating Cornwallis Island, the expedition anchors at Beechey Island.

## 1846

January 1: Terror's Chief Stoker John Torrington dies. He is the first casualty of the expedition.

January 4: Erebus sailor John Hartnell dies.

April 3: Private William Braine dies.

April/May: The expedition leaves Beechey Island and sail south through Peel Sound.

August: The expedition attempts to sail around the east side of King William Island. They lose one of the boats at Matty Island.

September 12: The ships become stuck in the ice off King William Island. They will not move for two years.

## 1847

April 21: Henry Peglar publishes his version of Bryan Proctor's poem "The Sea".

May 24: Lt. Graham Gore, mate Charles Des Voeux and six sailors leave the ship and head for the island.

May 28: The Gore party reaches Victory Point. They deposit a note in a cairn there.

May 29: The Party reaches Gore Point and deposit another note.

Late May/Early June: The Gore party reaches Cape Herschall on the southern coast of King William Island. They deposit a note before heading back to the ships.

June 11: Sir John Franklin dies of currently unknown causes. Captain Francis Crozier becomes commander of the expedition.

June/July: A camp is established at Cape Felix.

Late December/Early January: The men from the summer camp make a hasty retreat back to the ships.

## 1848

January: The officers begin debating what they will do if the ice doesn't open up.

January-April: Lt. Gore dies.

April 22: Captain Crozier and 104 sailors desert the ships and head for King William Island.

April 25: The Victory Point note is updated. By this point, nine officers and fifteen sailors are dead.

April 26: The camp is deserted and the men head south.

Late April/Early May: The ice opens up and the men head back to the ships. Around this time, Lt. John Irving dies and is buried near the camp.

Summer: Crozier sends a party of eight men south on a scouting trip to find a suitable camp for the winter. One officer and one sailor die during this mission.

September: The expedition harbors at what will later become Erebus bay.

November 8: The sun sets for the last time that year.

## 1849

Spring: The expedition leaves Erebus Bay and sail south. Two boats and 7-11 men stay behind.

Summer: The ships arrive at Terror bay. The sailors name it "Comfort Cove"

September/October: The crew encounter Inuit hunters.

September/October: An event known as "The Big Hunting" occurs, in which the Franklin sailors and the Inuit shoot a large number of wildfowl in the area.

## 1850

Spring: Crozier decides to leave several sailors and the ships behind at Comfort Cove, while he and around 43 others head east. Along the way they encounter Inuit hunters at Washington Bay.

## Post 1850

c. 1851: The Erebus is sailed to its current location. There are at least four others aboard before it is finally abandoned.

C.1852-1858: Captain Crozier and at least one other man are seen by Inuit in the Baker Lake area. It is the last known sighting of the Franklin sailors