Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean permitting passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The discovery of the Passage was highly sought after by Europeans due to the economic benefits that would result from increased trade with China and India.

In 1845, the British Empire launched the Franklin expedition to fully chart the remaining unexplored regions of the Arctic Ocean in northern Canada and find the Passage. The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror became trapped in ice west of King William Island in 1846 while attempting to reach the coastline of the North American mainland and complete the Passage before the ocean froze for winter.

Thomas Blanky inadvertently discovered the Northwest Passage in 1848 while luring Tuunbaq away from the remaining crew members of the two ships, though his subsequent death prevented him from sharing his discovery.