The Arctic Fox: Francis Leopold McClintock, Discoverer of the Fate of Franklin

Peter Harmathy teaches secondary-school fine arts in Barrie, Ontario.

David Murphy is a true Irish patriot, specializing in naval and military
figures in Irish history. He has worked for the Dictionary of Irish
Biography since 1997, and recently published Ireland and the Crimean War
(2002).

The Arctic Fox is an account of the relatively unknown explorer Leopold
McClintock, who solved the greatest mystery of Arctic exploration in the
Victorian era. Following the disappearance of Sir John Franklin’s
ships and crew in 1846, dozens of search missions were sent out in vain.
On one of these missions, McClintock served as second officer and
pioneered successful sledging travel. For the British Admiralty,
sledging was a marvellous innovation, allowing men to expand their
search efforts while the ships were trapped in ice. It wasn’t until
1857 that Sir John Franklin’s widow, Lady Franklin, raised enough
funds for one more search mission. McClintock was placed in command of a
small steam vessel, Fox. While Fox was icebound, McClintock’s sledging
efforts helped to finally uncover the Franklin mystery.

There has always been a public fascination for polar explorers made
great by their dismal failures. Scott and Franklin share this crown.
Meanwhile, successful explorers such as John Rae, George Back, and
Leopold McClintock go largely unnoticed. History remembers the great
losers and forgets the true heroes. McClintock was such a hero: not only
did he navigate his small vessel in the same waters that had claimed
Franklin’s larger ships, but he sledged 920 miles in search of the
final harrowing details, then safely returned to England.

This book is a fascinating account, especially for readers familiar
with Franklin lore. Illustrations and maps help fill in the visual
details. For many, the book will reveal surprising new details of
Franklin’s fate (uncovered by the McClintock expedition), as well as
current revised information. The Arctic Fox is a great starting point in
understanding the breadth of Arctic exploration in the 19th century.