Icebound In The Arctic: The Mystery of Captain Francis Crozier and the Franklin Expedition

By Michael Smith

Captain Francis Crozier was a major figure in 19th century Arctic and Antarctic exploration who led the doomed Franklin Expedition’s battle to survive against the odds. It is a compelling story which refuses to be laid to rest and recent discovery of his lost ships above the Arctic Circle gives it a new urgency.  

The ships may hold vital clues to how two navy vessels and 129 men disappeared 170 years ago and why Crozier, in command after Franklin’s early death, left the only written clue to the biggest disaster in Polar history.

Drawn from historic records and modern revelations, this is the only comprehensive account of Crozier’s extraordinary life. It is a tale of a great explorer, a lost love affair and an enduring mystery.  

Crozier’s epic story began comfortably in Banbridge, Co Down and involved six gruelling expeditions on three of the 19th century’s great endeavours – navigating the North West Passage, reaching the North Pole and mapping Antarctica. But it ended in disaster.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The O'Brien Press
• Release date: Apr 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781788492652

Michael Smith

Professor Michael B. Smith received an A.A. from Ferrum College in 1967 and a BS in chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1969. After working for 3 years at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. in New- port News VA as an analytical chemist, he entered graduate school at Purdue University. He received a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 1977. He spent 1 year as a faculty research associate at the Arizona State University with Professor G. Robert Pettit, working on the isolation of cytotoxic principles from plants and sponges. He spent a second year of postdoctoral work with Professor Sidney M. Hecht at the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology, working on the synthesis of bleomycin A2.? Smith began his academic career at the University of Connecticut in 1979, where he is currently professor of chemistry.?In addition to this research, he is the author of the fifth, sixth, and seventh editions of March’s Advanced Organic Chemistry. He is also the author of an undergraduate textbook in organic chemistry titled Organic Chemistry. An Acid-Base Approach, now in its second edition. He is the editor of the Compendium of Organic Synthetic Methods, Volumes 6–13. He is the author of Organic Chemistry: Two Semesters, in its second edition, which is an outline of undergraduate organic chemistry to be used as a study guide for the first organic course. He has authored a research monograph titled Synthesis of Non-alpha Amino Acids, in its second edition.

Reviews for Icebound In The Arctic

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story mostly revolves around the under-recognized explorer, Francis Crozier, an Irishman and member of the Royal Navy, who during the 19th century made over 5 polar expeditions. Crozier’s character was discussed at some length, fairly and without a great deal of partiality though it had been suggested that he didn't take the place he deserved in Arctic exploration history because of his humble beginnings. Franklin, on the other hand, was almost Crozier's exact opposite. Franklin’s various ventures had never ended well, and although genial, friendly and popular he was clearly not the seaman that Crozier was, his Arctic experience was woefully out of date, and he was an overweight 59 years old, which was years older than 59 would be considered today. It seems, as the author writes, that Franklin was given command of the expedition because everyone "felt sorry" for him following his unpleasant time and unfair treatment as Governor of Tasmania, combined with the relentless lobbying of his formidable wife. I think she just wanted him out of her way. Another individual was given the task of choosing the crew and outfitting the ship which turned out to be a very bad choice when he appointed Franklin as second in command. Over the nearly 180 years the "WHAT IF'S" have made more than one round though several generations of seamen. Would things have turned out different if Crozier had had more command and authority, or if a different route had been chosen? We will never know. Papers found later described all the trouble they ran into with the storms and the ice, the damage to one of the supply ships that had to be cut loose. Fritzjames, the man allowed to pick the crew and set the route had no Arctic experience whatsoever and neither did most of the men he chose. Can we say, "disaster going somewhere to happen"? The reader will find no stunning insights because Crozier wasn't a man to leave emotional materials behind, but the author did his homework and gathered enough of his letters and traces that we can get a genuine feel for the man. Although I watched The Terror when it was televised, this book is as far from my reading interest as the Earth is from the sun...but I found that I truly enjoyed the adventure and seeing Francis Crozier get his well-earned rewards even if they were over 100 years late.