The English explorer Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) is perhaps the most important figure in the search for the Northwest Passage.

In the 40-year period after the Napoleonic Wars, the British Admiralty took up the challenge of finding the elusive Northwest Passage, along the northern coast of North America between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Royal Navy could afford to undertake the search at this time because of British predominance in naval power. Moreover, Arctic expeditions were seen as a good training ground for officers and men. The voyages themselves, the Admiralty believed, would yield important scientific information and strengthen the British imperial position in northern North America. Sir John Franklin was of major importance in these undertakings.

John Franklin was born on April 16, 1786, at Spilsby in Lincolnshire. His parents had intended that he enter the Church, but a holiday at the seashore aroused in him an inextinguishable...