Archeologists find hundreds more artifacts at Franklin Expedition wreck
After two-year hiatus, federal scientists again exploring the two ships from doomed Franklin expedition
Parks Canada underwater archeologist Marc-André Bernier carefully excavates a seaman’s chest in the forecastle (crew living quarters) on the lower deck of HMS Erebus, on Sept. 14, 2023. He holds a recovered medicinal vial in an artifact bag. (Photo courtesy of Brett Seymour, Parks Canada)
Parks Canada underwater archeologists have finished their seasonal research at two shipwrecks related to the doomed 1845 Franklin expedition, the agency said in a statement Monday.
Conducting 68 dives over a 12-day period at the wreck site of HMS Erebus, they found navigation, science and leisure equipment, including a parallel rule, intact thermometer, leather book cover and fishing rod, in what is believed be the officer’s cabin of Lt. Handry Dundas Le Vesconte.
As well, in a location believed to be the captain’s steward’s pantry, a leather shoe, boot bottom, storage jars and a sealed pharmaceutical bottle were located.
Archeologists also found “unidentified fossils” similar to those found during their 2022 work.
The largest finds were in a seamen’s travel chest.
“The team began excavating a seamen’s chest in the forecastle area, where most of the crew lived, that held numerous artifacts including pistols, military items, footwear, medicinal bottles, and coins,” Parks Canada said.
Exploration of HMS Terror site was limited to remote sensing, recording and surveying the site from aboard ship “to capture a snapshot of its condition and widening the mapping of a vessel access corridor into this mostly uncharted bay,” Parks Canada said.
The recovered artifacts will be sent to Ottawa for study and preservation. Many will then be returned for display at the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven.
On May 19, 1845, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set sail from England in search of the Northwest Passage, led by Sir John Franklin.
After reaching an area northwest of what is now Gjoa Haven, the expedition became locked in thick year-round ice and never returned.
The location of HMS Erebus was discovered in 2014 and HMS Terror was located in 2016. Since that time, the federal government has sent almost yearly expeditions to excavate the two ships and recovered hundreds of artifacts.
Ocean Gate should start offering tours
1845 was BiG Booty
2024 is Big Money Big Money
“The Erebus was DISCOVERED in 2014?!!!” By who?!
Is Parks Canada always going to attempt to giving Inuit “Savages” the credit? (I forgot that is Eskimo Savages ate John Franklin and his crew, like his wife said.)
Next thing y’know is that Christopher Columbus “discovered” ‘Murica, English is the Native language of North America and stay in the reservation where you belong.”
North American was either discovered or conquered by Europeans. Get over it. The Thule did.
All the artifacts belong in Nunavut. It people want to look at them and view them they can travel to Nunavut to do so.
Or maybe we can exchange the artifacts with the Crown for all our rights, surface and subsurface to the land and water ways we have lived on for thousands of years.
You just got back your mineral rights and you want to trade them away for a few historical trinkets that the territory doesn’t have the means to properly preserve or curate?
And people wonder why the comments section got a little… heated…
To whom said that you just got your mineral rights back think again bud in case you haven’t be informed that is still in the courts like it has for the past 10 years and further more it only gets heated when idiots like yourself insist on opening mouth and inserting their foot and talking about something they have no knowledge of
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavummiut-deserve-to-have-more-control-over-their-lives-trudeau-says/
What was this celebration all about then?
It’s Wednesday keyboard warriors, NTI and the GN have been silent , about all the Nunavut artifacts, and art sitting in Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and around the world, when is a Centre going to be built in Iqaluit, and bring it all back to Nunavut.
I was with you until you decided the centre would be built in the hamlet of Iqaluit.
Why Iqaluit? There are many other possible locations other than that.
Iqaluit can’t even form a council.
People have to stop thinking that Iqaluit is all that. It isn’t.
Because Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, over 8 thousand residents live in Iqaluit, highest amount of Inuit live in Iqaluit represented from all over Nunavut,, lots of meetings and conferences happen in Iqaluit, medical travel, more chance for Inuit to visit the centre.
Those are my thinking about why.
History – historically told by the conquerer. I would love to see this story told through the eyes of those who witnessed it first hand. The Inuit. Let it stay in the North where it happened. And for those who want to learn more, go see it.
Hi Lisa,
A good book to read is Encounters on the Passage, by Dorothy Eber.
She came North about twenty years ago and interviewed many people about Franklin
and other explorers.
A very good read.
TAI-MUK
Unless there are some 180 year old Inuit I don’t know about, there is nobody left that witnessed it first-hand.
I would too, but they never wrote it down and eyewitness testimony is notoriously erroneous.