The Franklin Expedition was a very Victorian expedition, and that is why it failed. The idea was to use to massive technological prowess of Victorian Britain to try and forge a way through the mythical Northwest Passage over the top of Canada. The two mighty warships of the Royal Navy that were given with the task were at the leading edge of what was possible. They had steam engines for when there was no wind. They could make their own fresh water. They were packed with enough food, preserved using the newly created tinning process, that they could last for years without fresh supplies. The officer's quarters were even nicely decorated with coloured tile. Towards the end those that were left started eating each other.
The Franklin expedition headed off from britain to the sound of cheering crouds, and was never seen again. Neither were the rescue missions that were sent to find them. Nor the rescue missions for the rescue missions. The artic just ate them up.
At least they were never seen again until modern archelologists started to find them. One of the latest discoveries is the wreak of one of the rescue expeditions HMS Investigator which has been found by Parks Canada and is producing a wealth of information on the lives of sailors in the mid-Victorian period.
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