Illustration shows HMS Terror stuck in ice. Credit: Creative Commons
OTTAWA, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Explorers have found the wreck of HMS Terror, the second of two British ships lost in the disastrous 1845 Franklin expedition to Canada’s Arctic Northwest Passage, Britain’s Guardian newspaper said on Monday.
The Arctic Research Foundation, a private group that sent a vessel to help look for the ship, found it in pristine condition at the bottom of a bay earlier this month, a spokesman told the paper.
Sir John Franklin and his 128-member crew in the Terror and HMS Erebus all died after the vessels became stuck in ice during a search for the fabled Arctic passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The fate of the ships remained one of the great mysteries in Canadian history for almost 170 years until a team found the wreck of the Erebus in September 2014.
Canada’s federal parks ministry – which is coordinating the search for the Terror – said it was working to verify the report. Reuters was not immediately able to contact the foundation.
The expedition has become part of Canadian folklore, in part because of the crew’s appalling fate. Tales handed down from the aboriginal Inuit people describe cannibalism among the desperate seamen. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,099 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Global marine fuel sales jumped in 2024 after attacks by Yemen's Houthis starting in late 2023 prompted most shipping companies to divert vessels around southern Africa rather than through the Red Sea, according to data and analysts.
Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie said he expects traffic through the Egyptian waterway to gradually return to normal by late March and fully recover by mid-year, as long as the Gaza ceasefire holds up.
Liquid natural gas producers have been avoiding the Red Sea for much of 2024 amid continuous attacks by Houthi militants. This may now be changing as the first LNG carrier...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,099 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
