Canadian scientists have found one of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition ships lost in the Arctic in 1846, coming one step closer to solving “one of the greatest mysteries of Arctic exploration,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday.
“Although we do not know yet whether the discovery is Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Erebus or HMS Terror, we do have enough information to confirm its authenticity,” Mr. Harper said in a statement.
Parks Canada image shows one of two ships from the lost Franklin expedition in this image.Photo: Reuters
Sir John Franklin’s British-backed effort to map and navigate the Northwest Passage through the Arctic Archipelago foundered after both of his ships became trapped in ice. The surviving crew members abandoned the ice-bound ships and tried to walk to safety, but not a single member of the 134 crew survived the ordeal.
The disappearance of the Franklin Expedition galvanized public opinion in Britain, leading to a series of search and recovery missions and helping to map large portions of the Arctic.
“This is truly a historic moment for Canada. Franklin’s ships are an important part of Canadian history given that his expeditions, which took place nearly 200 years ago, laid the foundations of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty,” said Mr. Harper, who has personally championed the search for the missing expedition.
