Many years ago, explorers wanted to find a way by sea from Europe to China, via Alaska. In 1845, John Franklin left England with 134 men to look for a route through the Arctic.

Franklin’s ships had everything they needed. They had enough food in tins for three years and thousands of liters of lemon juice to stop disease. They also had two libraries with 3 000 books, excellent maps, scientific instruments, musical instruments and a new invention: a camera.

Franklin and his crew left England on May 19th, 1845 and they sailed without a problem across the Atlantic towards Canada. When Franklin arrived at Baffin Bay in July 1845, things were going well for the expedition. On July 26th, some sailors saw Franklin’s ships when they were entering the bay. That was the last time that anyone saw Franklin and his men alive.

The British government became very worried when they heard nothing from Franklin. They sent expeditions to look for him, but they all returned without any news. The government offered ₤20 000 to anybody who can help Franklin or who has information about the expedition. Nobody came with information.

Then, in August 1850 some sailors found the first signs of the Franklin expedition while they were searching on Devon Island: some old food tins, some papers, and something very strange – the graves of three men. The men all died in January 1846 while Franklin was waiting in Baffin Bay for the ice to melt. But why did they die? The three men were all young and three deaths in the first months of the expedition were very strange. What happened to them? And where were the ships and the other sailors? The mystery of the Franklin expedition was growing stronger…