It’s one of the most famous nautical disasters in history — and a mystery older than Canada itself.Canadian archaeologists are sifting through a treasure trove of artifacts from its latest dives to the site of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition, which is turning out to be one of the most prolific finds in the country’s history.Divers completed 68 dives to the wrecks of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus in late September to map and catalogue the ships which became trapped in ice in what is now Nunavut in 1845. And recovered some intriguing items, including a sealed pharmaceutical bottle, storage jars, a leather shoe and even a pair of seaman’s glasses..According to a Parks Canada report — which administers the site — 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.They even managed to enter a cabin on HMS Erebus believed to be that of Third Lieutenant James Fairholme, in which a collection of unidentified fossils was uncovered. The research team was then able to make a short visit to the wreck of HMS Terror to conduct remote sensing recording, using the ship's multi-beam echo sounder and sub-bottom profiler for future excavation. All the recovered items will be forwarded to Ottawa for study and undergo conservation treatment before many are returned for display at the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut. .The archaeologists also captured thousands of high-resolution digital photos, that will be used to produce highly accurate three-dimensional models to better understand the fate of the ships crew and how the site is changing over time."This was another successful research season for the Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Team. Retrieving artifacts from the wrecks and taking high-quality imagery provides insight for the entire world as to what life was like for the crews aboard these ships during this expedition,” said Parks Canada CEO Ron Hallman.The fate of the Franklin Expedition has been one of the world’s long-standing nautical mysteries since it set out from the British Naval Academy in Greenwich for the mythical Northwest Passage in 1845..It was never heard from again and the British government launched a centuries-long quest to determine their fate. Expeditions were launched, to no avail. Some met the same fate.The full story only began to emerge when researchers from the University of Alberta discovered the graves and remains of crewmen who were dispatched to seek help.The actual ships themselves weren’t discovered until 2014, submerged in about 10 metres of icy waters.Former prime minister Stephen Harper declared the wrecks a national historic site in 2015.A little known point of fact is that the UK in 1982 renounced its Arctic claims when it repatriated the British North America Act. In 2018 it formally donated the wrecks to the Canadian government.Parks Canada said it would transfer a sample of HMS Erebus artifacts to the National Museum of the Royal Navy starting in 2024. These artifacts, including a ship's bell and a cannon, were retained by the United Kingdom as a “representative sample” of future discoveries to come.Even Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault — who is also responsible for national parks — was quick to take at least a little credit."The Franklin expedition remains one of the most popular mysteries from the Nineteenth Century,” he said. “However, thanks to the important work of Parks Canada and Inuit partners, pieces of this mysterious puzzle are being retrieved allowing us to better understand the fascinating events of this incredible expedition.”
