Parks Canada underwater archaeologists have released the results of a search conducted last summer on the HMS Erebus, one of two ships of the Franklin Expedition that disappeared in Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, in 1845.
According to diver Ryan Harris, the team was able to recover 275 artifacts in 11 days of diving. These items have been shipped to Ottawa, where they will now be analyzed at the Parks Canada laboratory and prepared for storage.
For Mr. Harris, one of the highlights of this expedition was finding a leather-bound notebook with some pages still inside, as well as the quill pen he used to write in.
The restorers are now hoping to find handwritten notes inside, or perhaps even the logbook of one of the sailors.
The researchers also recovered crockery, lieutenant’s shoulder pads and a lens for glasses from the icy waters.
Despite the importance of these discoveries, Harris stressed that many more expeditions will have to be made to uncover all the secrets of HMS Erebus, a job that will take several years. The same goes for the second ship sunk en route, HMS Terror.
The gold plated silver thread of a pair of Royal Navy Lieutenant’s Epaulettes forming part of a collection of HMS Erebus artefacts at Parks Canada Conservation Laboratories in Ottawa in 2020.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
Both vessels were led by Captain John Franklin, whose goal was to make a successful first crossing of the Northwest Passage. But after their departure in 1845, no one heard from them.
The wreck of HMS Erebus was found in 2014, while that of HMS Terror was located two years later.