More than 175 years after sinking in Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, the HMS Erebus still full of secrets. Parks Canada archaeologists were able to recover 275 artifacts from this boat, which is one of two ships of the Franklin Expedition that disappeared in 1845.
Last summer, a team of Parks Canada divers visited the wreck for 11 days to find items that would have survived all those years in the freezing waters.
Despite the short time available – Arctic research seasons are short – the divers found a multitude of artifacts that were still in the ship, including crockery, lieutenant’s epaulettes and a spectacle lens.
But for diver Ryan Harris, one discovery trumped all the others.
“We found a leather-bound notebook with some pages still inside,” he said. Even the quill pen that was used to write in it was still inside! It’s the kind of notebook that can lie on a bedside table and in which someone might write notes before going to bed. »
The notebook was found in a closet, so maybe it was just for taking inventory. Still, researchers are eager to learn more.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RYAN HARRIS, ARCHIVES
Crockery, lieutenant’s shoulder pads and a lens for glasses were also recovered from the freezing waters by the researchers.
“We’re excited to find handwritten notes inside,” Harris said. It is currently being analyzed in the lab. »
This is also the case for all the objects that were recovered, which were sent to Ottawa to be analyzed at the Parks Canada laboratory and prepared for conservation purposes.
Despite the importance of these discoveries, Mr Harris stressed that many more expeditions will have to be carried out to discover all the secrets of HMS Erebus, a job that will take several years. The same goes for the second ship that perished on the voyage, HMS Terror.
Mysterious disappearance
Led by Captain Sir John Franklin, the two ships left England in 1845 with the aim of successfully crossing the Northwest Passage, which connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean by passing, among other , by the arctic islands of Canada.
But after they left, no one heard from them. The 129 sailors on board never made it to their destination.
More than 30 expeditions have tried to find them, without success. But thanks to a mix of Inuit history and high-tech systematic surveys, the wreckage of the Erebus was found in 2014, just off the northwest coast of King William Island in Nunavut. Two years later, it’s the terror which was located, making headlines around the world.
Since then, Parks Canada has been working to find out what is hidden on these ships and to understand what happened to these sailors.
On their most recent trip to the Arctic, the divers completed 56 outings lasting approximately two hours.
A total of 275 artifacts were recovered. The divers concentrated their efforts on a pantry, where a lot of dishes could be recovered. They also began to search the officers’ cabins.
In the one believed to have been occupied by Second Lieutenant Henry Thomas Dundas le Vesconte, Mr Harris and his colleagues found a green box that at first looked like a book.
“We understood that it was not a book at all,” said Mr. Harris. It was actually a set of drawing instruments. It’s quite possible that these were the tools they used to make their way through the Northwest Passage, which I find fantastic. »
However, the work remains slow, meticulous and delicate. The leather notebook in particular was handled with great care.
All this therefore means that the researchers still have several years to explore this wreck, 36 meters long, nine meters wide and five meters deep.
They must always continue their exploration of the officers’ cabins, the sailors’ lockers, and enter the lower deck.
And then, they will have to tackle Terror.
“There are so many things that we will be able to find in these two ships,” concluded Mr. Harris.