Searching for Franklin where he was ordered to go: Captain Erasmus Ommanney's sledging campaign to Cape Walker and beyond, spring 1851

Abstract

ABSTRACTSince the Admiralty's instructions to Captain Sir John Franklin for his attempt at a transit of the northwest passage in HMS Erebus and Terror in 1845 specified that he should proceed to Cape Walker at the northeastern tip of Russell Island, and head southwest from there to the waterways already explored along the mainland coast of North America, as far as ice conditions and any intervening land permitted, it was natural that the first search expedition to come within striking distance of Cape Walker, should make this one of the starting points of its detailed search. This was the squadron of Captain Horatio Austin that wintered off the northeast coast of Griffith Island in 1850–1851. Following his orders, in the spring of 1851 Captain Erasmus Ommanney of HMS Assistance set off with an impressive cavalcade of seven man-hauled sledges, most of them support sledges. From Cape Walker Lt. William Browne searched the east coast of Prince of Wales Island, that is the western shores of Peel Sound while Ommanney himself and Lt. Sherard Osborn searched the west coast of Prince of Wales Island, that is the east shore of McClintock Channel. No traces of Franklin's expedition were found. Their conclusions were that both McClintock Channel and Peel Sound were permanently blocked with ice, and that Franklin's ships could not have travelled south by either route. While the conclusion as regards McClintock Channel was absolutely correct, that with regard to Peel Sound was incorrect. This must have been the route whereby Erebus and Terror had reached the vicinity of King William Island, and the conclusion that Peel Sound never cleared of ice was very unfortunate in that the next search expedition dispatched by the Admiralty, that of Captain Sir Edward Belcher in 1852–1854 made no attempt to penetrate south, when it is possible that Peel Sound was clear of ice.