The ship was launched on 8 December 2017, named for Sir John Franklin, an arctic explorer who led two Royal Navy expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage, the second ending with the death of all his crew around 1848.

Sir John Franklin is the first of three vessels ordered on 19 October 2011 by the Canadian government under the NSPS for offshore fisheries research.

[6][7] The ship was named for Sir John Franklin, an Arctic explorer, whose last mission into Canadian waters ended in death and failure.

[11] In August 2018 it was announced that, due to a number of welding faults totalling 44 metres (144 ft), the ship would be returned to the shipyard for re-welding.

[14] The vessel was repaired in two weeks using parts from its sister ship, the incomplete John Cabot, and returned to sea trials on 15 April.