Fabled Franklin Arctic ship found

**Mr Lick** · 09-09-2014, 10:45 PM

Sir John Franklin and his crew were captured in this 1847 painting by W Turner Smith called The End In Sight

One of two British explorer ships that vanished in the Arctic more than 160 years ago has been found, Canada's prime minister says.

Stephen Harper said it was unclear which ship had been found, but photo evidence confirmed it was one of them.

Sir John Franklin led the two ships and 129 men in 1845 to chart the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic.

The expedition's disappearance shortly after became one of the great mysteries of the age of Victorian exploration.

"I am delighted to announce that this year's Victoria Strait expedition has solved one of Canada's greatest mysteries, with the discovery of one of the two ships belonging to the Franklin Expedition," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.

"Finding the first vessel will no doubt provide the momentum - or wind in our sails - necessary to locate its sister ship and find out even more about what happened to the Franklin Expedition's crew."

The loss of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror prompted one of largest searches in history, running from 1848 to 1859.

The mystery has gripped people for generations, in part because no one knows for sure exactly what happened to the crew.

Reports at the time from local Inuits say the men, desperate for food, resorted to cannibalism before they died.

Sir John Franklin's wife spearheaded an attempt to find him, launching five ships in search of her husband.

In total more than 50 expeditions joined the search.

Bodies eventually recovered were found to have a high lead content and to this day, many people believe the 129 crew members were poisoned by leaking lead in their poorly soldered tin cans.

More recent research suggests the canned food supplied to Franklin was not acidic enough for that to happen and the lead was more likely to have come from the internal pipe system on the ships.

The search resulted in the discovery of the Northwest Passage, which runs from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic archipelago.

A team of Canadian divers and archaeologists has been trying to find the ships since 2008

BBC News - Fabled Franklin Arctic ship found

**BaitongBoy** · 10-09-2014, 02:09 AM

^Thanks for that...Some fascinating history there, Mr Lick...

One day they might have definitive news on the missing Malaysian plane when that wreck is discovered...

**wasabi** · 10-09-2014, 03:00 AM

The desperate search for these ships in this day and age, was fuelled by the need to prove that we where there first, and the oil and mineral wealth lying around this wreck, belongs to Canada, who's head of state is The Queen of England.

**withnallstoke** · 10-09-2014, 05:58 AM

Originally Posted by Mr Lick

painting by W Turner Smith called The End In Sight

Can anybody find any more info on the painter and the painting?

Looks like somebody made them up.

**zygote1** · 10-09-2014, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by wasabi

The desperate search for these ships in this day and age, was fuelled by the need to prove that we where there first, and the oil and mineral wealth lying around this wreck, belongs to Canada, who's head of state is The Queen of England.

Not exactly. Her correct legal position is that of Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms. In Canada the Queen reigns, but does not rule.

There is no argument that finding the Franklin ships bolsters the position that the Franklin expedition was part of the early establishment of Canada's sovereignty of the Arctic, however, that position was established without need of the ships. The expedition was documented and bodies were previously recovered. However, substantiated sovereignty claims date back as far as the charter granted to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) by Charles II in 1670, giving the company title to Rupert's Land (the watershed of Hudson Bay, or about half of present-day Canada). In 1821, the rest of the present-day Northwest Territories and Nunavut south of the Arctic coast were added to the HBC charter. When the company transferred title to its lands to Canada in June 1870, the new Dominion acquired sovereignty over all of the present-day Northwest Territories and Nunavut except for the Arctic islands. This sovereignty has never been questioned.

Sovereignty of the islands was established when Canada created settlements including post offices. The settlements in the far north started in the early 1900's. Unfortunately, that did little to discourage the land grabbing attempts by Denmark and the USA. The USA has had a bad habit of encroaching on Canadian sovereignty by sending oil tankers through the northwest passage, and even having its nuclear submarines transit the passage. The Russians have recently encroached as well. The legitimate concern is that if Canada doesn't make its sovereignty known, the Chinese, USA, Koreans, Japanese and Russians will be sending their vessels, particularly their oil tankers through the passage. If there is another Exxon Valdez disaster, the north will irretrievably destroyed. Sovereignty means that the passage of these environmental disasters in the making just might be avoided if they can be kept out or at worst obliged to follow rigid safety standards. As we know from current Chinese maritime practices and Russians catastrophic disregard for the environment on its northern oilfields and the US history of oil spills, none of these countries can be trusted to engage in safe activities in environmentally sensitive areas.

**Phoenix** · 10-09-2014, 12:32 PM

Interesting post....thanks

**Mr Lick** · 10-09-2014, 08:15 PM

One of two ships from the lost Franklin expedition in this image released. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that a Parks Canada remotely operated underwater vehicle confirmed the find of one of two ships from Sir John Franklin's doomed Arctic expedition in the 1840's searching for the Northwest Passage.

**snakeeyes** · 10-09-2014, 08:19 PM

Here is a link to the underwater video .
The 2014 Search for the Lost Franklin Expedition

First underwater video of one of Franklin's lost ships

Parks Canada - The 2014 Search for the Lost Franklin Expedition - Underwater Video

**chassamui** · 10-09-2014, 10:38 PM

I have just finished reading a contemporary work of fiction based around the 2 ships that foundered from Franklin's expedition. The first 2 chapters dealt with the loss of first one, the the second vessel. It was bloody gripping stuff and I hope this thread goes on to reveal more.
Some excellent and informative posts on here. Thank you to all concerned.

**BaitongBoy** · 11-09-2014, 12:23 AM

Yep...Brilliant bit of history in that wreck...Poor crew...What a way to go...

**wasabi** · 11-09-2014, 12:50 AM

Ray Mears documentary Northern Wilderness about the explorer John Rae who looked for the Franklin crew and reported back to London his findings.

**crepitas** · 11-09-2014, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by chassamui

I have just finished reading a contemporary work of fiction based around the 2 ships that foundered from Franklin's expedition. The first 2 chapters dealt with the loss of first one, the the second vessel. It was bloody gripping stuff and I hope this thread goes on to reveal more.
Some excellent and informative posts on here. Thank you to all concerned.

Sounds like a good read mate..just love all arctic/antarctic exploration literature..can you tell us the title please?

**crepitas** · 11-09-2014, 08:57 AM

Meantime here is one for you Chassamui..:

Copper Mine Kieth Ross Leckie.

Novel based on a true story about NW Mounted Police and Inuit murder trial. makes mention of Arctic explorers..

**chassamui** · 11-09-2014, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by crepitas

Sounds like a good read mate..just love all arctic/antarctic exploration literature..can you tell us the title please?

I'm buggered if I can mate. I recycle real books through friends and my favourite watering hole. I read a few a week and this one was passed to a friend who is now out of country.
(It's my oldtimers really but don't let on eh)

**crepitas** · 12-09-2014, 06:46 AM

No worries mate..me I actually had to go to my bookshelf to get the title of the above..only kept it as it is hardcover and a present from my son..maybe I will google see what comes up..cheers

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