The true, horrifying story of the Franklin Expedition. Two advanced ships, one hundred twenty-…

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]In 1845, two ships sailed into the Arctic. They never returned.

[00:00:05]HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were the most advanced ships of their time.

[00:00:10]Iron hulls, steam engines, and years of food.

[00:00:14]In July 1845, whalers saw them waiting for ice to clear.

[00:00:19]It was the last time any European saw them alive.

[00:00:22]The first winter, a few sailors died.

[00:00:25]They were buried in uniform in proper coffins on Beechey Island.

[00:00:29]Then in September 1846, everything went wrong. The ships got stuck fast in the ice. They were trapped for two full winters, far from land, far from any game to hunt.

[00:00:41]In 1859, a note was found. The first message from 1847 said, "All well." But in the margins, a new message. Sir John Franklin was gone. 24 men were gone. The rest were abandoning the ships. 105 survivors tried to walk south. They dragged heavy boats full of silverware and books.

[00:01:02]Later, Inuit hunters told an explorer what they saw.

[00:01:06]Empty cooking pots and human remains.

[00:01:09]Cut with knives.

[00:01:10]In the 1990s, [music] bones confirmed it. Straight cut marks, the kind made by butchering. Some bones [music] were broken open. A last resort for calories from the marrow inside.

[00:01:21]Their food may have poisoned them.

[00:01:23]Thousands of tins sealed with lead, causing madness and confusion. In 2016, the HMS Terror was found. Almost perfect. Plates stacked on shelves, drawers shut.

[00:01:36]Two high-tech ships, 129 men.

[00:01:39]How does it all end in madness and ice?

[00:01:42]Follow for more crazy stories.

[00:01:47]Oh, and by the way, if you want to drop stories like this on autopilot and build a passive second income, link in bio or just comment with info.