In 1845, two British ships entered the Arctic with 129 men searching for the Northwest Passage; both vessels and every member of the expedition disappeared

For decades, the fate of Sir John Franklin and the 128 men who sailed with him remained one of the Arctic’s most haunting mysteries. The expedition had left Britain with two specially equipped ships, experienced officers and supplies intended to last for years. Then the ships vanished.

What followed was one of the longest and most determined searches in polar exploration. More than 30 Arctic expeditions joined the official search effort between 1848 and 1854, while explorers continued looking for answers long afterward.