Long-Lost HMS Terror Of Sir John Franklin’s Expedition Finally Discovered Underwater

In 1845, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set out to map out a ‘northwest passage’ between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Ice and weather conditions at the time of the expedition were especially harsh and extremely challenging. These brave explorers had no ability to forecast weather or ice conditions – factors that were totally outside their control. Both HMS Erebus and HMS Terror – were some of the biggest, strongest, vessels ever to make the journey, but this did not help.

The ships, both part of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition were lost. The disappearance of the “Franklin expedition” and the deaths of all 129 crewmen of Erebus and Terror in the grimmest of circumstances – made international headlines and led to the biggest search and rescue mission in history.

In 2014, HMS Erebus was discovered in the Arctic and now the long-lost, ill-fated HMS Terror has also finally been located in Nunavut’s Terror Bay, north of where the wreck of HMS Erebus the expedition’s flagship was found.

Resting proud on 24 meters of water, we found HMS Terror — 203 years old, it is perfectly preserved in the frigid waters of the Northwest Passage. We spotted two wine bottles, tables and empty shelving. Found a desk with open drawers with something in the back corner of the drawer,” Arctic Research Foundation spokesman Adrian Schimnowski said.

The wreck was found after the Martin Bergmann’s crew detoured to Terror Bay after hearing a story from an Inuk crew member, Gjoa Haven’s Sammy Kogvik. Kogvik told the crew that he noticed a large piece of wood sticking out of Terror Bay’s sea ice which looked like a mast, while on a fishing trip about six years ago.

“I was on my way to the lake to go put nets out,” Kogvik said. “And when we got in the bay … as I was getting off the snowmobile, I looked up to my left, and there was something weird sticking out of the ocean on the ice.

“And I told my hunting buddy, ‘what is that sticking out of the ice?’ And he didn’t know.”

One mystery still remains: the location of Franklin’s grave. Kamookak said according to Inuit oral tradition, Franklin was buried in a vault somewhere on the north part of King William Island.

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