A tin flask, possibly a hip flask, from the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin. The flask is made of iron plate, tinned and soldered. The shape is flattened to fit into a pocket, the stopper is missing and the item is fitted with two loops to hold a cord.

The flask was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. It is described as 'Item 55. Tin flask found in cache at Wall Bay' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600]. This corresponds with the label that states '55 from Wall Bay'.

Schwatka's expedition was returning from Cape Felix at the top of King William Island. On around 12 July 1879 they passed close to Cape Maria Louisa, near Wall Bay on the west coast of King William Island. An Inuit boy Awanak located an Inuit cache of Franklin expedition items. Heinrich Klutschak reported that an Inuk had told the expedition that he had cached these items under a rock for lack of transport but was unable to find them when he came back [Klutschak, page 94].

The flask was displayed at the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, in 'Case 3, No. 24. Tin flask'. It was also in Display 14 at the Royal Naval Exhibition at Chelsea in 1891.