In the face of rising concerns regarding the fate of the Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, having left Britain in 1845 in search of the North West Passage, the British Government, in 1848, sent expeditions in search of the expedition. With few existing warships deemed suitable, six merchant ships were purchased between 1848 and 1850 and soon converted to exploration ships: two steamships, HMS "Pioneer" and HMS "Intrepid", the other four ("Resolute", , and ) seagoing sailing ships. The first ship to set sail in search of Franklin was HMS "Herald", and at the helm, Captain Henry Kellett. "Herald" went through the Bering Strait to search the western reaches of the Canadian Arctic. In 1850, HMS "Investigator", Captain McClure, and HMS "Enterprise", Captain Collinson were sent to the Arctic from the west.