The expedition was commanded by Captain Sir John Franklin, a seasoned polar explorer who had already led two previous searches for the Northwest Passage. However, his final journey to the Arctic would end in tragedy. Both ships were lost, and all 129 men on board perished.

In April 1848, after the expedition's leader Captain Sir John Franklin and almost two dozen men had died, the survivors led by Francis Crozier and James Fitzjames abandoned their ships and set out for the Canadian mainland. They were never seen again.