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http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... omed-arcti" target="_blank

* Explorers find pipes, twine from doomed 1845 expedition

* Franklin, 128 men died trying to find Northwest Passage

* Both of Franklin's wooden ships are still missing

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Explorers looking for two ships from the tragic 1845 Franklin expedition to Canada's Arctic have found more personal effects from the doomed voyage, officials said on Thursday.

Sir John Franklin and his 128 crew in the British ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were seeking the fabled Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans when they became stuck in ice.

The men all died and the ships vanished, a calamity that still grips the public imagination. Tales handed down through the aboriginal Inuit people describe cannibalism among the desperate crew.

Divers and archeologists from Parks Canada, a government department, have been trying since 2008 to find the two ships, which became ice-bound off King William Island​ in the Arctic territory of Nunavut.

Last month the Parks Canada team examined a camp that had been set up by Franklin expedition members near Cape Felix on the very northern tip of King William Island.

"We found bottle glass -- possibly from wine or spirit bottles -- copper nails, tent canvas, twine, rope ... we found some pieces of clay tobacco smoking pipes," said Jonathan Moore of Parks Canada.

The search for Franklin started in the late 1840s and over the decades teams have discovered traces of 70 crew members, some of whom started trekking overland in desperation when it became clear the ships would never escape from the ice.

The two ships are still missing, in part because they drifted in ice for hundreds of miles and because Inuit folklore gives conflicting accounts of where they sank.

The Arctic is notorious for its harsh conditions and the Parks Canada team was only able to explore about 55 square miles (140 square km) under the sea.

"It is a tremendous area and to be honest, that's why they haven't been found yet," said Marc-Andre Bernier, head of the underwater archeology service at Parks Canada.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent -- who has overall responsibility for Parks Canada -- said the government would continue backing efforts to find the ships.

"This isn't a heroic tragedy just for Canada ... it's a mystery that has fascinated people around the world for centuries," he told a news conference. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Peter Galloway)

Sure, people are still searching and studying. It's a fascinating puzzle. If you're seriously interested in scholarly aspects rather than sensational though, here's a post-mortem report from one of the crew members who died early enough to get a grave site.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 2-0029.pdf" target="_blank (I work with Eric Damkjar)

Inconclusive results, but indications of pneumonia and elevated lead levels.

(I think I already knew too much about the expedition to think Simmons' treatment was particularly good. Meh.)

silverjon wrote: Inconclusive results, but indications of pneumonia and elevated lead levels.

(I think I already knew too much about the expedition to think Simmons' treatment was particularly good. Meh.)

?

I knew a great deal about the expedition as well, but thoroughly enjoyed The Terror. I think it was pretty obvious from the get-go that the book was going to combine historical fiction with a supernatural kick, and it worked that angle very well.

That sentence almost reads to me like you read the book as Dan Simmons legitimately postulating that the crew of the ships perished at the hands of a giant under-ice spaghetti monster.

Excellent book.

It was an acceptable read, but honestly never really gelled for me. The most engaging element was consulting Inuit dictionaries for translation. Maybe I just needed the book to be about 400 pages shorter....

One of the ships has been found!

Lost Ship from 19th-C. Franklin Expedition Found by Arctic Archaeologists

The ROV, a Saab Seaeye Falcon, carries a high-definition video camera that captured the wreck, resting with its bottom on the seafloor. Parks Canada says it is certain the ship belongs to the Franklin expedition, given its design.

Emphasis my own.

For some reason after reading the first line my thought was an expedition underground..like finding Harry Copperpot from The Goonies...would be cool this is amazing though.

triggercut wrote: I knew a great deal about the expedition as well, but thoroughly enjoyed The Terror. I think it was pretty obvious from the get-go that the book was going to combine historical fiction with a supernatural kick, and it worked that angle very well.

Agreed. I was originally skeptical that it could work, that he could pull it off, but the story itself and the imagination behind it was brilliant. FX I think is working on a miniseries based on the book.

When I read it I knew nothing about the expedition (still don't) and found the book to be decent.

edit: Also, would Obama take the time to announce the discovery of some famous wreck by a government department?

Harper is a douche.

Heh yeah, I liked how Harper seemed to take credit for the find.

GreenGoo wrote:When I read it I knew nothing about the expedition (still don't) and found the book to be decent.

edit: Also, would Obama take the time to announce the discovery of some famous wreck by a government department?

Harper is a douche.

Simmons story is fine, but the real story is far more interesting in my opinion. It doesn't end with the ships being lost either as the "rescue" missions sent after it are just as interesting.

Archinerd wrote:One of the ships has been found!

Lost Ship from 19th-C. Franklin Expedition Found by Arctic Archaeologists

The ROV, a Saab Seaeye Falcon, carries a high-definition video camera that captured the wreck, resting with its bottom on the seafloor. Parks Canada says it is certain the ship belongs to the Franklin expedition, given its design.

Emphasis my own.

It's the HMS Erebus!


Here's a sonar picture of it from the article.

From article

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper even participated in the search himself, such was his determination to resolve the mystery.

Grrr.

Like hell he did. He likes to take credit for everything, especially an important find such as this one. He likely wants this to be his legacy. He wants to be a footnote in the history books, "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper discovered the HMS Erebus..."

He probably stopped by one of the search vessels for a photo op.

Anyway, maybe he contributed. I doubt it, but maybe. I'm going to continue to hate on him rather than find out the truth.

I've decided to join the search for the HMS Terror so I can hopefully get credit.
So far it's not anywhere on top of my desk.


Edit: Not under it either.

Yeah, I seriously doubt it. Meanwhile, the Northwest Passage is being contested as International Waters, which I thought it was in the first place. But Harper being Harper is arguing Canadian, as it would give him extra bragging rights. Fuckin' hoser.


Haha, good one Archinerd. That one made me laugh

You're going to have to clue us Southies in on why the Harper hate.

Isgrimnur wrote:You're going to have to clue us Southies in on why the Harper hate.

Well, barring any specific issue with his politics, he's got his face out in front of this search like he's personally responsible, and then the BBC goes and writes that he was personally responsible, for some of it at least.

Maybe it is his pet project, and something that he personally is interested in and has pushed for in government. Maybe. I prefer to think of him as a glory hogging douche.

Basically, he's our George Bush. Without getting into it too much, he's basically overstayed his welcome, and I doubt he'll get in on another term.

The BBC writing that he's personally responsible is probably exactly what he'd like everyone to think. So, he's only going to work harder on that image. And pretty soon you'd have T-shirts proclaiming he found it.

Rumpy wrote:Basically, he's our George Bush. Without getting into it too much, he's basically overstayed his welcome, and I doubt he'll get in on another term.

The BBC writing that he's personally responsible is probably exactly what he'd like everyone to think.

This, Canada has changed under his leadership, I'm not a big fan either.

Thanks for the info, guys. Figure out a way to make cars run on maple syrup, and I'm sure we can come liberate you.

Isgrimnur wrote:Thanks for the info, guys. Figure out a way to make cars run on maple syrup, and I'm sure we can come liberate you.

We've got our top men working on it. I think I heard the lead guy's name is Harper.

edit: Ok, yeah, he stopped by to say hi to the scientists during his Northern Tour. It was nothing more than a photo-op.

Fucking guy. I'm sure the scientists involved wouldn't mind getting some public recognition for their work, outside of impersonal governmental department names.

Vorret wrote: This, Canada has changed under his leadership, I'm not a big fan either.

Yeah, basically, his policies have tended towards being more in terms of american ideals, something many have taken issue with, instead of Canadian ideals that let the country stand on its own.

GreenGoo wrote: Fucking guy. I'm sure the scientists involved wouldn't mind getting some public recognition for their work, outside of impersonal governmental department names.

Yeah, no kidding. Talk about hitting below the belt. Well, to be fair, he probably got to press a button.

With the Erebus found, can the Terror be far behind?

Cool find. Maybe they'll find the Malaysian plane while they're at it.

Update; HMS Terror found. The findings were reported earlier this month.

The well-preserved wreck matches the Terror in several key aspects, but it lies 60 miles (96km) south of where experts have long believed the ship was crushed by ice, and the discovery may force historians to rewrite a chapter in the history of exploration.

The ship's bell.

Also, I'm going to set aside my modesty for a moment and point out that I played a small part in the search for the HMS Terror.

Archinerd wrote:I've decided to join the search for the HMS Terror so I can hopefully get credit.
So far it's not anywhere on top of my desk.


Edit: Not under it either.

Ruling those places out probably helped narrow the search down immensely. You don't have to be modest when people call you a hero now.

Oh and speaking about the miniseries...

http://deadline.com/2016/09/the-terror- ... 201819189/

There are no immediate plans to use any of the findings from HMS Terror, whose discovery comes two years after Erebus’ remains were located, though the news would give the AMC project some unexpected free pre-launch awareness.

Archinerd wrote:Update; HMS Terror found. The findings were reported earlier this month.

The well-preserved wreck matches the Terror in several key aspects, but it lies 60 miles (96km) south of where experts have long believed the ship was crushed by ice, and the discovery may force historians to rewrite a chapter in the history of exploration.

The ship's bell.

It was discovered in Terror Bay! What are the odds? I hope the irony wasn't lost on the Franklin expedition.

I think it's a case of the bay being named for being what was thought of to be the most likely place for it to have been , historically speaking.

Rumpy wrote:I think it's a case of the bay being named for being what was thought of to be the most likely place for it to have been , historically speaking.

Nah. Just one of many.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_Bay

The better story is how HMS Erebus was found at "boat sank here" in Inuit.

Inuit testimony about HMS "Terror"

As we await further word about the finding of HMS Terror, I thought it useful to collect together the principal Inuit witness as to its fate. Now that we know, at least, its general location, we can use that to help us separate out some stories from others, and eliminate from consideration accounts which place the ship elsewhere.

The first person to hear reports that now clearly correspond with the Terror was, ironically enough, Francis Leopold McClintock -- the man who discovered the last known written record, and the man who gave "Terror Bay" its name, apparently unaware that one of the ships he sought so dearly lay beneath the surface only a few miles from where he stood! I should caution that this testimony has an issue -- Petersen, McClintock's translator, was clearly not familiar with the local dialects, and so one has to build in the possibility of misunderstandings.

Gizmodo

A genetic and genealogical analysis has allowed a team of archaeologists to identify the skeletal remains of a sailor who died during the ill-fated Franklin Expedition to map the Northwest Passage in 1845.

Warrant Officer John Gregory, an engineer aboard the HMS Erebus, will go down in archaeological history as the first member of the Franklin Expedition to have his skeletal remains positively identified by DNA analysis.
...
The research, which now appears in the science journal Polar Record, is adding some new color to the bedeviled voyage.
...
Gregory’s remains, along with those of two other sailors, were found on King William Island near Erebus Bay.