Franklin’s route and the Northwest Passage

Did Franklin’s expedition effectively find the passage before the expedition died?

Franklin’s route came close, but the ice and the precise route around King William Island still made the passage impassable.

The discussion distinguishes reaching the Arctic waterways from finding a navigable route through them. A map places Franklin’s track close to the route Roald Amundsen later completed. The decisive divergence came around King William Island and through the passages south of Victoria Island and Banks Island. In Arctic navigation, a small difference on a chart could determine whether ice trapped an expedition or allowed it to continue westward.