First Grinnell Expedition
Encyclopedia
The First Grinnell Expedition of 1850 was the first American effort, financed by Henry Grinnell
, to determine the fate of the lost Franklin Polar Expedition
. Led by Lieutenant Edwin De Haven
, the
team explored the accessible areas along Franklin's proposed route. In coordination with English expeditions, they identified the remains of Franklin's Beechy Island winter camp, providing the first solid clues to Franklin's activities during the winter of 1845 before becoming icebound themselves.
and 144-ton Advance
, refitted them for arctic service and offered them to the government, who quickly provided additional funds and volunteer Naval officers and crew
. The expedition was instructed to focus on the areas of Wellington Channel and Cape Walker as conditions permitted. Dr. Elisha Kent Kane was brought in from field work in Florida to serve as surgeon aboard the Advance. Preparation was managed quickly, and the expedition set out on May 22, 1850 from the Navy Yard at New York.
on June 20, the expedition made harbor at the Crown Prince Islands (Whale Fish) in Disco Bay
. From a British mail ship, they learned that British relief efforts were heading for the same region. Advance and Rescue left the islands on June 29, encountering the ice field on July 1 while proceeding towards Upernavik
. By July 7, the pack ice was dense enough to compel the Advance to tow the Rescue to prevent the vessels from becoming separated. The crews were periodically sent onto the ice to 'bore' a passage by hand, using crowbars, ice anchors and boathooks. For 21 days the ships were held nearly fast, only heaved slowly forward by efforts of the crew.
Finally freed of the pack ice on July 28, the expedition sailed across Melville Bay, amid persistent ice bergs. As August began, food supplies were supplemented by hunting the returning auk
s and the occasional polar bear
. On August 10, a wind change forced both ships to tie in and ride out dangerous pressure heaves as the ice closed in. After casting off to open water the next day, steady progress northward was made along the coast towards Lancaster Sound
where they encountered Inuit
hunters near Cape York
, at nearly 76° north. Crews occasionally made short trips inland for hunting and observation.
. On the 22nd, they met with Captain Forsyth aboard the Prince Albert, who suggested a joint sledge search of the lower Boothian and Cockburne lands. Discovery of a cairn
left two days earlier by Assistance and Intrepid at Cape Riley, Devon Island
indicated that traces of British encampments had been found at the cape, and also at Beechy Island. The Rescue
under Captain Griffin, had shared in this discovery with Captain Ommanney.
At Cape Riley, remnants of stone walls were found, presumably to support Franklin's tents. Remains of cases from salted meat as well as articles of clothing and boat fragments were found. No previous expeditions were known to have camped here. De Haven observed that the ice of Wellington Channel had every indication of having remained unbroken for several years previous. The joint team proceeded to Beechy Island on the 26th, meeting Captain Penny's ships Lady Franklin and Sophia. Penny was accompanied by Dr. R. Anstruther Goodsir, the brother of an assistant surgeon missing with Franklin's group. Other remains, including containers with London labels, newspapers from 1844, and papers signed by Franklin's officers, were tracked from the cape.
By now, the expeditions of Ross and Penny were in the area of the Advance and Rescue. Coordinated search plans were being made when a land party at Beechy Island reported the discovery of graves. The three graves were marked by traditional wooden markers and protected by slabs of limestone, facing Cape Riley. The inscriptions read:
The third grave's reference to Torrington perishing 'on board' the HMS Terror
gave confirmation that the ship was still intact as they camped on Beechy. The graves were not disturbed by the search party. Nearby was found an anvil block and metal pieces. Evidence of a carpenter's shop was found closer to the beach. Nearby was found other objects and even the remnants of an observatory and a kitchen garden still protecting transplanted mosses and anemones. Still further was located a cache of over 600 empty food cans, carefully stacked. Five year old sledge tracks bound eastward were located, but no explicit reports or memorandums describing the condition of Franklin's expedition were found. Based on this evidence, it was concluded that Franklin's expedition was still in 'highly effective order' while encamped at Beechy Island.
On August 28, they were joined by Resolute, under Captain Austin, bringing the collection of nearby ships to eight. By September 3, the Advance began probing for open waters towards Cape Spencer, making treks for exploration and hunting along the way. On the 7th, a storm blew up, and although the Rescue and Advance were able to stay together through Lancaster Sound, Austin's vessels were dragged miles away by the fast moving ice. All of the ships, however, were making their way west until they were anchored together near Griffith's Island. They were:
." The heavy ice nipped at the vessels and the floe dragged both ships northward as seasonal darkness began to set in.
By October 1, the two ships were prepared for the long winter, with the upper decks covered, sails stacked and stove pipes set. An emergency depot of provisions was cached on the nearest shore. Periodically violent ice movements threatened both ships, which drifted north or south as dictated by the wind. Lard lamps kept the cabin temperatures just above freezing. Several crew members began showing early signs of scurvy
, against which Dr. Kane hunted seals and foxes to provide fresh meat. Curious foxes were tamed to amuse the crew. Full winter preparations were completed by November 9, with the ships now in the vicinity of Beechy Island and temperatures generally below zero.
As December began, the crew made preparations for abandoning the vessels in an emergency, preparing supplies and readying sledges. The ice continued to grind the brigs. On December 7, dangerous conditions forced the desertion of the Rescue, with her crew brought onboard the Advance. The Advance was lifted by the ice, and crews were periodically sent out to pry the ice away from the bow, while the vacant Rescue was being slowly torn apart just 50 yards away. The floe continued drifting, now to the southeast towards new ice hazards in Baffin Bay
. Griffin led the practice of evacuation drills and snow was packed around the Advance as insulation from the increasing cold. Eight of the crew now displayed the blackened gums of scurvy as morale declined in the perpetual arctic night, despite an improvised Christmas theatrical.
1851 began at the edge of Baffin Bay, with temperatures generally around -25F as daylight began its return. On January 13, the ice activity increased amid fierce winds, and supplies cached on the ice were lost while the situation of the Rescue became more dire. The tedium of February was broken by occasional games of football on the ice, and more theatricals at night. The symptoms of scurvy advanced, and rations of fresh food were increased, but to little avail. On the 22nd, the coldest temperature of the voyage was noted at -53F.
As March began, the decision was made to refit the Rescue for service, including hull repairs in a drydock carved from the surrounding ice. The increased daylight, exercise and liberal rations of sauerkraut
and lime juice began to reduce the symptoms of scurvy among the crew. The movement of the ice packs slowed, until the ships were held around 72° north. At mid-March, the ice began to break up and wildlife began to return amid heavy snows. April brought some open water as the crew began salting the ice around the two brigs. On April 22, the crew of the Rescue completed their return to their ship, surprised that the brig had survived the winter after all.
. Slabs of ice were cut from the mass surrounding the ships, and winched away. Fresh meat from bird hunting and an occasional polar bear strengthened the crews. The open water crept closer to the ships, but remained tantalizingly out of reach. The break-up of the ice flow finally released the ships on June 5, 1851 after drifting some 1,050 miles; however the stern of the Advance was still held aloft by a last large table of ice. Ice saws were used, but gunpowder for blasting could not be spared. These efforts were ineffective, as the ice also firmly held the rudder of the brig. This ice violently released the Advance on June 8, after which both ships made sail through a labyrinth of ice. They reached the Whale Fish Islands on June 16 and recuperated for five days with the Inuit at Godhavn
before setting out north to resume their search for Franklin.
By June 24, they encountered the pack ice again and slowly made their way towards Upernavik. Hunting and visiting with the local Inuit passed the time until they harbored at a Danish settlement in early July. Setting out as the ice cleared, they encountered British whalers, exchanging news, mail, and fresh provisions before briefly visiting Upernavik. Nearby, they again met and joined forces with the Prince Albert, still searching for Franklin. The three ships made slow progress northward though the ice fields over the next weeks, before the way was blocked entirely. On August 5, the Prince Albert abandoned the situation, heading south through the pressing ice. Rescue and Advance continued their efforts to reach the search areas of the open waters of Wellington Channel as the summer season faded early. They slowly cut north, yard by yard, through the increasingly violent pack ice, as larger ice bergs drifted in and calved
still more loose ice. By August 17, they had pulled themselves to open water for the first time in nearly a month, and De Haven resolved to return home before winter caught them again. Upernavik was reached on August 23. They were met by Henry Grinnell at New York on September 30, 1851, to whom both ships were returned.
In 1853, Dr. Kane led the Second Grinnell Expedition
, failing to locate any new information regarding Franklin and ultimately abandoning the Advance to the ice.
Henry Grinnell
Henry Grinnell was an American merchant and philanthropist.-Career:In 1818, Grinnell moved to New York City where he became a clerk in the commission house of H.D. & E.B. Sewell. He married Sarah Minturn in 1822. In 1825, Henry joined his brother Joseph Grinnell in Fish, Grinnell & Company...
, to determine the fate of the lost Franklin Polar Expedition
Franklin's lost expedition
Franklin's lost expedition was a doomed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845. A Royal Navy officer and experienced explorer, Franklin had served on three previous Arctic expeditions, the latter two as commanding officer...
. Led by Lieutenant Edwin De Haven
Edwin De Haven
Edwin Jesse De Haven was a United States Navy officer and explorer of the first half of the 19th century.He was born in Philadelphia and became a midshipman at the age of 10, serving until 1857...
, the
team explored the accessible areas along Franklin's proposed route. In coordination with English expeditions, they identified the remains of Franklin's Beechy Island winter camp, providing the first solid clues to Franklin's activities during the winter of 1845 before becoming icebound themselves.
Preparation
By 1850, three British rescue attempts had already failed to locate Franklin. In April and December of 1849, Lady Jane Franklin sent appeals to American President Zachery Taylor that the search continue. When Congress lingered in passing the appropriations to purchase vessels, American merchant Henry Grinnell purchased two brigs, the 91-ton RescueUSS Rescue (1850)
The first USS Rescue was a brig in service with the United States Navy.The brigs Rescue and , specially reinforced and fitted out for Arctic service, were offered on loan to the U.S. Government by Henry Grinnell in 1850 for use in a rescue mission tracing the ill-fated expedition which, in May...
and 144-ton Advance
USS Advance (1850)
The first USS Advance was a brigantine in the United States Navy which participated in an arctic rescue expedition. Advance was built in 1847 as Augusta in New Kent County, Virginia and loaned to the Navy on 7 May 1850 by Mr. Henry Grinnell to participate in the search for Sir John Franklin's...
, refitted them for arctic service and offered them to the government, who quickly provided additional funds and volunteer Naval officers and crew
. The expedition was instructed to focus on the areas of Wellington Channel and Cape Walker as conditions permitted. Dr. Elisha Kent Kane was brought in from field work in Florida to serve as surgeon aboard the Advance. Preparation was managed quickly, and the expedition set out on May 22, 1850 from the Navy Yard at New York.
The Voyage
Sighting GreenlandGreenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
on June 20, the expedition made harbor at the Crown Prince Islands (Whale Fish) in Disco Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.- Geography :To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago...
. From a British mail ship, they learned that British relief efforts were heading for the same region. Advance and Rescue left the islands on June 29, encountering the ice field on July 1 while proceeding towards Upernavik
Upernavik
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance...
. By July 7, the pack ice was dense enough to compel the Advance to tow the Rescue to prevent the vessels from becoming separated. The crews were periodically sent onto the ice to 'bore' a passage by hand, using crowbars, ice anchors and boathooks. For 21 days the ships were held nearly fast, only heaved slowly forward by efforts of the crew.
Finally freed of the pack ice on July 28, the expedition sailed across Melville Bay, amid persistent ice bergs. As August began, food supplies were supplemented by hunting the returning auk
Auk
An auk is a bird of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. Auks are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits...
s and the occasional polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
. On August 10, a wind change forced both ships to tie in and ride out dangerous pressure heaves as the ice closed in. After casting off to open water the next day, steady progress northward was made along the coast towards Lancaster Sound
Lancaster Sound
Lancaster Sound is a body of water in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. It is located between Devon Island and Baffin Island, forming the eastern portion of the Northwest Passage. East of the sound lies Baffin Bay; to the west lies Viscount Melville Sound...
where they encountered Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
hunters near Cape York
Cape York (Greenland)
Cape York is a cape on the northwestern coast of Greenland, in northern Baffin Bay. The cape, located west-south-west of the Savissivik settlement, delimits the northwestern end of Melville Bay, with the other end commonly defined as Wilcox Head, the western promontory on Kiatassuaq Island.-...
, at nearly 76° north. Crews occasionally made short trips inland for hunting and observation.
Traces of Franklin
On August 18, the expedition made contact with British ship Lady Franklin under Captain William Penny, embarked on their own Franklin rescue mission. News of other concurrent British expeditions was exchanged. On the 21st, they encountered the Felix, under the command of Sir John RossJohn Ross (Arctic explorer)
Sir John Ross, CB, was a Scottish rear admiral and Arctic explorer.Ross was the son of the Rev. Andrew Ross, minister of Inch, near Stranraer in Scotland. In 1786, aged only nine, he joined the Royal Navy as an apprentice. He served in the Mediterranean until 1789 and then in the English Channel...
. On the 22nd, they met with Captain Forsyth aboard the Prince Albert, who suggested a joint sledge search of the lower Boothian and Cockburne lands. Discovery of a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
left two days earlier by Assistance and Intrepid at Cape Riley, Devon Island
Devon Island
Devon Island , claimed to be the largest uninhabited island on Earth, is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the second-largest of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada's sixth largest island, and the 27th...
indicated that traces of British encampments had been found at the cape, and also at Beechy Island. The Rescue
under Captain Griffin, had shared in this discovery with Captain Ommanney.
At Cape Riley, remnants of stone walls were found, presumably to support Franklin's tents. Remains of cases from salted meat as well as articles of clothing and boat fragments were found. No previous expeditions were known to have camped here. De Haven observed that the ice of Wellington Channel had every indication of having remained unbroken for several years previous. The joint team proceeded to Beechy Island on the 26th, meeting Captain Penny's ships Lady Franklin and Sophia. Penny was accompanied by Dr. R. Anstruther Goodsir, the brother of an assistant surgeon missing with Franklin's group. Other remains, including containers with London labels, newspapers from 1844, and papers signed by Franklin's officers, were tracked from the cape.
By now, the expeditions of Ross and Penny were in the area of the Advance and Rescue. Coordinated search plans were being made when a land party at Beechy Island reported the discovery of graves. The three graves were marked by traditional wooden markers and protected by slabs of limestone, facing Cape Riley. The inscriptions read:
Sacred to the memory of
W. BRAINE, R. M.,
H. M. S. Erebus.
Died April 3d, 1846,
aged 32 years.
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.
Joshua, ch. xxiv., 15.
Sacred to the memory of
JOHN HARTNELL, A. B. of H. M. S.
Erebus,
aged 23 years.
Thus saith the Lord, consider your ways.
Haggai, i., 7.
Sacred to the memory of
JOHN TORRINGTONJohn TorringtonPetty Officer John Shaw Torrington was an explorer and Royal Navy stoker. He was part of an expedition to find the Northwest Passage, but along with the rest of the crew, including the leader, Sir John Franklin, mysteriously died early in the trip. His preserved body was exhumed in 1984, to try to...
,
Who departed this life
January 1st, A.D. 1846,
on board of
H. M. ship Terror,
aged 20 years
The third grave's reference to Torrington perishing 'on board' the HMS Terror
HMS Terror (1813)
HMS Terror was a bomb vessel designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy in the Davy shipyard in Topsham, Devon. The ship, variously listed as being of either 326 or 340 tons, carried two mortars, one and one .-War service:...
gave confirmation that the ship was still intact as they camped on Beechy. The graves were not disturbed by the search party. Nearby was found an anvil block and metal pieces. Evidence of a carpenter's shop was found closer to the beach. Nearby was found other objects and even the remnants of an observatory and a kitchen garden still protecting transplanted mosses and anemones. Still further was located a cache of over 600 empty food cans, carefully stacked. Five year old sledge tracks bound eastward were located, but no explicit reports or memorandums describing the condition of Franklin's expedition were found. Based on this evidence, it was concluded that Franklin's expedition was still in 'highly effective order' while encamped at Beechy Island.
On August 28, they were joined by Resolute, under Captain Austin, bringing the collection of nearby ships to eight. By September 3, the Advance began probing for open waters towards Cape Spencer, making treks for exploration and hunting along the way. On the 7th, a storm blew up, and although the Rescue and Advance were able to stay together through Lancaster Sound, Austin's vessels were dragged miles away by the fast moving ice. All of the ships, however, were making their way west until they were anchored together near Griffith's Island. They were:
Resolute (Capt. Horatio AustinHoratio Thomas AustinSir Horatio Thomas Austin was a British officer in the Royal Navy, and an explorer of the Canadian arctic. Following the 1849 failure of James Clark Ross's attempt to locate the lost Franklin Expedition, Austin led an 1850 expedition that also attempted to find Sir John Franklin and his crew....
)
Intrepid (Steam tender to Resolute)
AssistanceHMS Assistance (1850)HMS Assistance was an Arctic discovery barque of the Royal Navy, and the sixth vessel to carry the name. She began her life in 1835 as an Indian-built merchant vessel, was purchased in 1850 and participated in two Arctic expeditions before being abandoned in the ice in 1854.-Merchant Navy...
(Capt. Erasmus OmmanneyErasmus Ommanneythumb|right|Sir Erasmus OmmanneyAdmiral Sir Erasmus Ommanney KCB, FRS, FRGS, JP was a Royal Navy officer and an Arctic explorer of the Victorian era.-Early life:...
)
Pioneer (Steam tender to Assistance)
Lady Franklin (Capt. William Penny)
Sophia (Capt. William Penny)
Advance (Edwin De Haven)
Rescue (Samuel Griffin)
Icebound
Winter storms soon separated the ships, including Rescue, which was driven south out to sea. The Advance made for the relative shelter of Griffith's Island, to joined by some of the others. The Rescue had regained control to the south, and De Haven, judging that the expedition had not reached a point from which the search could be resumed, decided to attempt a return of both ships home with the information gathered. The ice thickened, however, and the two ships were soon caught fast in Wellington's Straits at roughly 75° 24' north. De Haven named the mountains to the distant north "Grinnell LandGrinnell Land
Grinnell Land is the central section of Ellesmere Island in the northernmost part of Nunavut territory in Canada. It was named for Henry Grinnell, a shipping magnate from New York, who in the 1850s helped finance two expeditions to search for Franklin's lost expedition.The name was given by...
." The heavy ice nipped at the vessels and the floe dragged both ships northward as seasonal darkness began to set in.
By October 1, the two ships were prepared for the long winter, with the upper decks covered, sails stacked and stove pipes set. An emergency depot of provisions was cached on the nearest shore. Periodically violent ice movements threatened both ships, which drifted north or south as dictated by the wind. Lard lamps kept the cabin temperatures just above freezing. Several crew members began showing early signs of scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
, against which Dr. Kane hunted seals and foxes to provide fresh meat. Curious foxes were tamed to amuse the crew. Full winter preparations were completed by November 9, with the ships now in the vicinity of Beechy Island and temperatures generally below zero.
As December began, the crew made preparations for abandoning the vessels in an emergency, preparing supplies and readying sledges. The ice continued to grind the brigs. On December 7, dangerous conditions forced the desertion of the Rescue, with her crew brought onboard the Advance. The Advance was lifted by the ice, and crews were periodically sent out to pry the ice away from the bow, while the vacant Rescue was being slowly torn apart just 50 yards away. The floe continued drifting, now to the southeast towards new ice hazards in Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
. Griffin led the practice of evacuation drills and snow was packed around the Advance as insulation from the increasing cold. Eight of the crew now displayed the blackened gums of scurvy as morale declined in the perpetual arctic night, despite an improvised Christmas theatrical.
1851 began at the edge of Baffin Bay, with temperatures generally around -25F as daylight began its return. On January 13, the ice activity increased amid fierce winds, and supplies cached on the ice were lost while the situation of the Rescue became more dire. The tedium of February was broken by occasional games of football on the ice, and more theatricals at night. The symptoms of scurvy advanced, and rations of fresh food were increased, but to little avail. On the 22nd, the coldest temperature of the voyage was noted at -53F.
As March began, the decision was made to refit the Rescue for service, including hull repairs in a drydock carved from the surrounding ice. The increased daylight, exercise and liberal rations of sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
and lime juice began to reduce the symptoms of scurvy among the crew. The movement of the ice packs slowed, until the ships were held around 72° north. At mid-March, the ice began to break up and wildlife began to return amid heavy snows. April brought some open water as the crew began salting the ice around the two brigs. On April 22, the crew of the Rescue completed their return to their ship, surprised that the brig had survived the winter after all.
The Breakout
By mid May, efforts to weaken the ice at the ships with long saws began to show results as the ice floe approached Cape SearleCape Searle
Cape Searle is an uninhabited headland located on Qaqaluit Island's northeastern tip, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.It was named by Arctic explorer John Ross on 17 September 1818 in honor of John Clark Searle, Esq., then Chairman of the Victualling board.-Geography:The habitat is...
. Slabs of ice were cut from the mass surrounding the ships, and winched away. Fresh meat from bird hunting and an occasional polar bear strengthened the crews. The open water crept closer to the ships, but remained tantalizingly out of reach. The break-up of the ice flow finally released the ships on June 5, 1851 after drifting some 1,050 miles; however the stern of the Advance was still held aloft by a last large table of ice. Ice saws were used, but gunpowder for blasting could not be spared. These efforts were ineffective, as the ice also firmly held the rudder of the brig. This ice violently released the Advance on June 8, after which both ships made sail through a labyrinth of ice. They reached the Whale Fish Islands on June 16 and recuperated for five days with the Inuit at Godhavn
Qeqertarsuaq
Qeqertarsuaq is a port and a town in Qaasuitsup municipality, located on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq Island, an island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, it is home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen...
before setting out north to resume their search for Franklin.
By June 24, they encountered the pack ice again and slowly made their way towards Upernavik. Hunting and visiting with the local Inuit passed the time until they harbored at a Danish settlement in early July. Setting out as the ice cleared, they encountered British whalers, exchanging news, mail, and fresh provisions before briefly visiting Upernavik. Nearby, they again met and joined forces with the Prince Albert, still searching for Franklin. The three ships made slow progress northward though the ice fields over the next weeks, before the way was blocked entirely. On August 5, the Prince Albert abandoned the situation, heading south through the pressing ice. Rescue and Advance continued their efforts to reach the search areas of the open waters of Wellington Channel as the summer season faded early. They slowly cut north, yard by yard, through the increasingly violent pack ice, as larger ice bergs drifted in and calved
Ice calving
Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is a form of ice ablation or ice disruption. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of ice from a glacier, iceberg, ice front, ice shelf, or crevasse...
still more loose ice. By August 17, they had pulled themselves to open water for the first time in nearly a month, and De Haven resolved to return home before winter caught them again. Upernavik was reached on August 23. They were met by Henry Grinnell at New York on September 30, 1851, to whom both ships were returned.
Conclusions
In his official report, De Haven concluded that Franklin had probably made north for an unknown open sea following the winter near Beechy Island. Ultimately, it would be determined that the opposite was true, and that Franklin had continued south according to his original orders. De Haven, despondent over the premature conclusion of the expedition, regarded the voyage "with sad hearts that our labours had served to throw so little light upon the object of our search."In 1853, Dr. Kane led the Second Grinnell Expedition
Second Grinnell Expedition
The Second Grinnell Expedition of 1853 was an American effort, financed by Henry Grinnell, to determine the fate of the Franklin's lost expedition. Led by Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, the team explored areas northwest of Greenland, now called Grinnell Land...
, failing to locate any new information regarding Franklin and ultimately abandoning the Advance to the ice.
Crews
USS Advance
Edwin J. De Haven, Lieutenant Commanding, commanding the expedition
William H. Murdaugh, Passed Midshipman, acting master and first officer
William I. Lovell, Midshipman, second officer
Elisha K. Kane, M.D., Midshipman, Passed assistant surgeon
William Morton
Henry De Roque
John Blinn
Gibson Caruthers
Thomas Dunning
William West
Charles Berry
Louis Costa
William Holmes
Edward Wilson
William Benson
Edward C. Delano
James Smith
USS Rescue
Samuel P. Griffin, Acting Master, commanding the Rescue
Robert R. Carter, Passed Midshipman, acting master and first officer
Henry Brooks, Boatswain, second officer
Benjamin Vreeland, M.D., Boatswain, assistant surgeon
William J. Kurner
Auguste Canot
John Williams
Robert Bruce
William Lincoln
Smith Benjamin
Rufus C. Baggs
David Davis
James Johnson
James Steward
Alexander Daly
H. J. White