Franklin: Tragic Hero of Polar Navigation reconstructs the 1845 voyage that set out to find the Northwest Passage and never returned. The narrative follows the expedition’s journey into pack ice, the unresolved causes of the crew’s loss, and the chilling reports that shaped later interpretation.
Rather than repeat old legends, the book weighs contemporary testimony, scientific findings and later discoveries—including the 21st-century location of a wreck—to reassess why well‑equipped ships and experienced officers became trapped so far north. It addresses Victorian hero-making and later scepticism with clear, evidence‑based analysis.
Ideal for readers of Arctic history, maritime biography and historical investigation, the work balances archival research with readable storytelling. It explores leadership, navigation, survival in extreme conditions, and how societies remember disaster.
- Detailed re-examination of the Franklin expedition and its sources
- Discussion of Victorian mythmaking and forensic evidence
- Context for maritime archaeology and polar exploration
