The names of the ships on which he went to wander did not bode well, but the sea wolf was not superstitious. He left the port and disappeared. Only in our days it was possible to find out the whole truth.
This man believed in the possibility of technical progress. He did not take into account that nature has its own laws, and she can present courageous travelers with many unpleasant surprises. Self-confidence and a thirst for discovery ruined the brave man.
early years
John Franklin was born in April 1786. The family lived in the provincial town of Spilsby, and its head was engaged in trade. The boy was attracted by distant wanderings, and not at all attracted by commerce. The poor father was not at all opposed to getting rid of one extra mouth, therefore, when Johnny enlisted in the fleet as a cabin boy, he was glad of his son's decision.
Since 1799, the teenager worked on a coaster. After 2 years, he managed to take part in a hike to the shores of Australia. On board, in addition to the crew, there were scientists who carried out hydrographic studies. During the wars with Napoleon, the boy became a participant in the Battle of Trafalgar. After this famous battle in the biography of our hero there was a war with the rebellious colonies of England. The rebels defeated and established the United States of America, and John rose to the rank of lieutenant, was wounded in action, and in 1814 was forced to go ashore.
Researcher
The veteran of the legendary battles liked the command. In 1818 he was entrusted with the ship "Trent", which sailed to the north. Britain equipped several ships, the task of which was to go around Eurasia, preferably visiting the North Pole, and reach the Bering Strait. Of course, this plan was not feasible. The ships froze into the ice near Svalbard and, after waiting for favorable conditions, returned home. The following year, John Franklin worked with a team exploring Canada. The traveler's courage was appreciated by conferring on him the rank of captain in 1821.
Success accompanied the sailor not only in his career, but also in his personal life. Returning to his homeland, he met two beauties, Eleanor and Jane. Both girls had excellent education and dreamed of traveling. John chose the first one and took her down the aisle in 1823. Two years later, the young husband went to the New World to study the Mackenzie River. There he was overtaken by tragic news - his wife died of tuberculosis.
Successes
Franklin did not remain a widower for long. He remembered Jane. In 1828 the captain remarried. The couple named their daughter Eleanor. The traveler's chosen one turned out to be a great original. She was keenly interested in the affairs of her faithful and she herself loved to wander. Fortunately, the woman was attracted not by unknown lands, but by the sights of southern Europe.
The respected captain in the navy was appointed governor of Tasmania in 1836. The high post did not bring joy to John Franklin - he was already in love with the North. He looked forward to the day when his superiors remembered his contribution to the study of the North American mainland and entrusted him with a similar task. Our hero was able to return to England in 1843. Here he got acquainted with the new ideas of geographers. London was interested in the possibility of organizing shipping around Canada.
Fatal expedition
For the search for the northern route, Britain was ready to allocate considerable funds. For this enterprise, two of the most modern ships, Erebus and Terror, were allocated, which have recently proven themselves excellently in the Antarctic voyage. They had sailing gear and a steam engine, and their hulls were double skinned and reinforced with metal to cope with the pressure of the ice. The holds were loaded with canned food, which would be enough for 5 years. The command of the expedition was entrusted to John Franklin.
No one was embarrassed by the fact that the names of the ships were translated as "Darkness" and "Horror". Their technical characteristics were supposed to ensure a brilliant victory of man over the harsh nature of the North. In May 1845, all the inhabitants of London poured onto the dock to see off the brave sailors. In August, several sailors who had been written off due to illness returned to their homeland. They were brought to Foggy Albion by whalers, who claimed that the travelers were doing fine. There was no more news from John Franklin.
Search
At first, the disappearance of the expedition was attributed to difficulties in delivering letters from distant shores. After 3 years, it became clear that a disaster had happened. In 1848, Jane Franklin demanded that the Admiralty equip a rescue expedition. The wife of a brave researcher was offered a pension for the loss of a breadwinner. The determined lady refused to consider herself a widow and financed the enterprise herself.
The search results were sad - the British discovered several graves, the belongings of the expedition members, and also learned from the aborigines the story of a meeting with white cannibals. In order not to tarnish the memory of the great man, many documents of the search engines were classified. A number of writers in their work voiced the opinion that ships with a crew were swallowed by a sea monster.
In 2014, the remains of "Erebus" were discovered near King William Island, later divers also found "Terror". The sailing years were cold, and the ice met the ships earlier than Franklin had expected. The products were found to be unusable, they were saturated with lead. The very first wintering had a negative impact on the health of the members of the expedition. An attempt to wait out the bad weather on the ships dragged on for several years. John Franklin died in 1847. His comrades tried to escape for another year, but failed.
