When it set out in 1845, the Franklin Expedition was considered to be the best equipped Arctic expedition ever mounted, but it turned out to be the biggest disaster in British expedition history. Not only did it fail, but the ships and most of the men completely disappeared (the wreck of the Erebus was eventually found in 2014, and the Terror was found in 2016) . Only a few of the men were found where they had been buried - preserved by the permafrost (Picture:Top).

There were however, some indirect benefits.

1. The size of the disaster created quite a buzz in England. Numerous searches were launched over the following years, keeping interest in the Arctic at a high level.

2. The search expeditions mapped many new areas, and made improvements to old maps. By 1859, most of the southern Arctic had been mapped.

3. The failure emphasized how poorly prepared explorers had been, and changes were made - often utilizing the survival methods of the Inuit.

4. There was a new level of respect for the Inuit. Instead of thinking of them as "Stone Age children", more advanced thinking recognized them as the key to survival in the North.