Zmizení Franklinovy výpravy tak zůstává dodnes neobjasněno. Svou zkázou paradoxně přispěla k poznání dalekého severu víc, než kdokoliv jiný. Přes třicet pátracích expedic přineslo o Arktidě řadu nových poznatků. Ale za jakou cenu...?

• Beattie Owen, Geiger John: Buried in Ice, 1992
• Cyriax R.J.: Sir John Franklin´s Last Arctic Expedition, London, 1939
• Davis, C.H.: Narrative of the North Polar Expedition. U.S. Ship Polaris, Captain Charles Francis Hall Commanding. Ed. G.M. Robeson, Washington, 1876
• Evans E.: British Polar Explorers, London, 1946
• Huish, Robert: The North-West Passage, London, 1851
• Kane, E.K.: The Second Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin, 1853,'54,'55. Philadelphia, London 1857
• Kirwan L.P.: History of Polar Exploration, London 1962
• McClintok L.: A Narrative of the Discovery of the Fate of Sir John Franklin, London 1859
• Neatby L.H.: Search for Franklin, New York 1971
• Shillinglaw, John Joseph: A narrative of Arctic discovery, from the earliest period to the present time, London 1850
• Simmonds, Peter Lund: Sir John Franklin and the Arctic regions, London 1851
• Stefansson: Unsolved Mysteries of the Arctic, New York 1945
• Wonders W.: Search for Franklin, Canadian Geographical Journal 1967
• Wright N.: Quest for Franklin, London 1959

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF  FRANKLIN´S EXPEDITION

Vladimir Vojir´s original text corrected and translated by Optomen Television (UK)

In The Disappearance of Franklin’s Expedition, we explore new revelations about a 150-year-old mystery. In 1845, the experienced, yet unstable Sir John Franklin set off in search of the North West Passage; a potentially invaluable trade route to Asia.  Three years later, the first of many expeditions set out in search of the missing crew. A number of graves were eventually found, and testimonies from local Inuit revealed indisputable evidence of cannibalism. However, Franklin’s body, along with the expedition’s logs, have never been found. In 1993, an expedition led by Dr. Peter Wadhams discovered a lifeboat on Prince William Island - an area previously ignored by researchers. In a new expedition, Wadhams hopes to excavate the ship and find the missing pieces to this fascinating puzzle.

In May 1845 Sir John Franklin set off in a bold new effort to search for the North West Passage. His two boats - the Erebus and Terror - carried 128 well-trained men, and enough supplies for 3 years. A brave and experienced explorer, he’d been enlisted by the British Admiralty to lead this vital new expedition due to a rapidly increasing demand for a direct trade route to Asia. At the age of 60, however, Franklin was becoming a little hesitant and unsure of himself. Even so, his crew were optimistic and they successfully reached an area to the north west of Greenland where they received supplies and mail from relatives. This was the last time that anyone heard from them, and the details of their fate still remain a mystery to this day.

After three years of waiting with no news, the British Admiralty and Franklin’s wife became desperately worried and sent out the first of many search expeditions. A huge reward was offered for anyone who returned with news, but by 1850 still no evidence had been found. Finally in August 1850, the Captain of a whaling ship discovered three graves on Beechey Island. He also found the ruins of a house and it was clear that the men had spent the first winter there. Another expedition, led by Dr. Rae in 1854, learnt something of the fate of the crew from the local Inuit. In a sequence of disasters, one of the boats had sunk and the other had been forced ashore by ice.

In April 1848 the surviving crew had abandoned their camp and headed south. Their exposed corpses were later discovered by the Inuit at Bachey River, and it was clear from the discarded body parts that they’d resorted to cannibalism. Later, in 1859, a new expedition funded by Franklin’s wife discovered the grave of Captain Crozier of the Terror, on King William Island. A message found there stated that Franklin and 23 other men were dead, but no one knew why or where they were. The remains of these men and the two original ships have never been found, and other than the brief message found on King William Island, all records and logs of the crew’s journey are missing.

However, dramatic new evidence has emerged which may reveal the true outcome of the Franklin expedition. In recent years, many search parties have scoured the areas that Franklin’s expedition covered – from Beechey Island in the North to the Adelaide Penisula to the south of King William Island. One of these search parties, led by Dr. Peter Wadhams (former head of the Scott Polar Institute), went to Prince William Island in 1993 to investigate a shipwreck found by local Inuit. Until then, the island had been ignored, as the early searches for Franklin found that the route to the island was impassable. However, the wreck found there resembles the lifeboats carried by Erebus and Terror, and this could throw new light on the Franklin story. Dr. Wadhams believes that some of the crew must have realised the trip south was pointless, and in warmer weather, headed north in a lifeboat back towards Beechey Island. There, food was abundant and rescue far more likely. Unfortunately, it seems they became trapped on Prince William Island, and tragically never made it…

Vladimir VOJIR

pozůstatky Franklinovy výpravy
objevené McClintokem

pátrací lodě Enterprise a Investigator
(1848)

socha Johna Franklina v jeho rodném městě - Spilsby