HMS Erebus has been found! Watch the first video footage of the ill-fated ship of the 1845 Franklin Expedition to find a navigable route through the North-West Passage.
HMS Erebus has been found! Here’s the first video footage of the ill-fated ship of the 1845 Franklin Expedition to find a navigable route through the North-West Passage.
This video is the first underwater images of one of Sir John Franklin’s ships that was discovered by the Parks Canada underwater archaeology team. The video was captured using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
To read more – visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/franklin/index.aspx
To see the photo gallery – visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/franklin/photos/gal02.aspx
To learn more about the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror – visit: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/culture/franklin/nav-ves.aspx
Both HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were built as Royal Navy bomb vessels and carried mortars mounted on a rotating platform at the ship’s centreline, near the bow. The high angle of these mortars allowed them to fire explosive shells over long distances. Bomb vessels were designed for bombarding fixed positions on land, such as artillery formations, harbour installations and forts.
In order to support the strong recoil from the mortars, the rotating platform had to be supported by a strong internal wooden framework. Many bomb vessels were converted for peacetime exploration in the Arctic and Antarctic because this robust construction provided them with a greater chance of withstanding the constant menace of pack ice and icebergs.
The Royal Navy had used both ships for many years before they were assigned to Franklin and Crozier. HMS Terror, as the older vessel, saw action during the War of 1812. Notably, it was one of the ships involved in the bombardment of Fort McHenry, one of the war’s last battles. The bombardment provided the inspiration for Francis Scott Key to write the American national anthem ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ After being retrofitted for polar exploration, HMS Erebus went to the Arctic with Sir George Back [National Historic Person] in 1836-37 and both ships participated in James Clark Ross’ Antarctic Expedition 1839-1843.
