Current:Home > ScamsDivers discover guns and coins in wrecks of ships that vanished nearly 2 centuries ago off Canada-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Divers discover guns and coins in wrecks of ships that vanished nearly 2 centuries ago off Canada
lotradecoin partnership View Date:2024-12-25 17:26:18
In 1845, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set sail from England on a mission to chart a passage around the top of North America. Led by Captain Sir John Franklin, the voyage ended in tragedy three years later when both ships were lost in the frigid waters off Canada's coast.
None of the 129 men on board the ships survived. The so-called Franklin Expedition marked the worst disaster in the history of British polar exploration, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich in London.
Nearly two centuries after the ships sank, divers exploring the HMS Erebus wreck have discovered an array of "fascinating artifacts," including pistols, coins and even an intact thermometer, officials announced this week.
Underwater archaeologists conducted 68 dives over 12 days in September to continue investigating and documenting the wreck of HMS Erebus, Parks Canada said in a news release. The team excavated a seamen's chest in the forward part of the ship, below deck, where most of the crew lived, finding "numerous artifacts including pistols, military items, footwear, medicinal bottles, and coins."
In an area believed to be Captain Franklin's pantry, archaeologists found a leather shoe, storage jars and a sealed medicine bottle. Inside another officer's cabin, researchers discovered "items related to navigation, science, and leisure" — including a parallel rule, thermometer, leather book cover, and a fishing rod with a brass reel.
Parks Canada released video of the expedition showing divers retrieving artifacts from the shipwreck and scientists examining the items in a lab.
The archaeologists also captured thousands of high-resolution photos of HMS Erebus. Parks Canada said the images would be used to produce 3-D models to better assess how the site of the wreck — which is in relatively shallow water and vulnerable to storm waves — is changing over time.
After exploring HMS Erebus, the team returned two days later to the wreck of HMS Terror to conduct remote sensing of the ship.
"This included surveying of the wreck to capture a snapshot of its condition and widening the mapping of a vessel access corridor into this mostly uncharted bay," the researchers wrote.
Exactly what doomed the ships, which likely got stuck in ice, remains unknown, and officials have relied thus far on Inuit oral histories to piece together what happened.
"A total of 39 missions were sent to the Arctic but it wasn't until the 1850s that evidence of what befell the men began to emerge," according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. "The exact circumstances of their deaths remain a mystery to this day."
Parks Canada has been working with the Nattilik Heritage Society and Inuit Heritage Trust for seveal years to explore the wrecks.
Officials said the artifacts that were recently retrieved would undergo conservation treatment before being displayed at the Nattilik Heritage Centre in Gjoa Haven, an Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle.
"The Franklin expedition remains one of the most popular mysteries from the 19th century," Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault said in a statement. "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."
- In:
- Shipwreck
- Canada
Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (2277)
Related
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- Serbia’s pro-Russia intelligence chief sanctioned by the US has resigned citing Western pressure
- Hundreds of Americans appear set to leave Gaza through Rafah border crossing into Egypt
- Judge, citing Trump’s ‘repeated public statements,’ orders anonymous jury in defamation suit trial
- Sofía Vergara Responds After Joe Manganiello Says Her Reason for Divorce Is “Not True”
- Job growth slowed last month, partly over the impact of the UAW strikes
- NFL coaching staffs are getting more diverse. But one prominent coaching position is not.
- A former Utah county clerk is accused of shredding and mishandling 2020 and 2022 ballots
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- We asked Hollywood actors and writers to imagine the strikes on screen
Ranking
- 51 Must-Try Stress Relief & Self-Care Products for National Relaxation Day (& National Wellness Month)
- 'White Lotus' star Haley Lu Richardson is 'proud' of surviving breakup: 'Life has gone on'
- A fire at a drug rehabilitation center in Iran kills 27 people, injures 17 others, state media say
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race promises wide-open battle among rising stars
- The State Fair of Texas is banning firearms, drawing threats of legal action from Republican AG
- Vanessa Hudgens Reveals Why She's So Overwhelmed Planning Her Wedding to Cole Tucker
- Steven Tyler accused of 'mauling and groping' teen model in new sexual assault lawsuit
- Michigan fires Stalions, football staffer at center of sign-stealing investigation, AP source says
Recommendation
-
NASA still hasn't decided the best way to get the Starliner crew home: 'We've got time'
-
Deep Rifts at UN Loss and Damage Talks Cast a Shadow on Upcoming Climate Conference
-
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Prove They're Two of a Kind During Rare Joint Outing in NYC
-
Jeff Bezos to leave Seattle for Miami
-
Andrew Shue's Sister Elisabeth Shares Rare Update on His Life Amid Marilee Fiebig Romance
-
Steven Tyler accused of 'mauling and groping' teen model in new sexual assault lawsuit
-
NFL Week 9 picks: Will Dolphins or Chiefs triumph in battle of AFC's best?
-
Pelosi bashes No Labels as perilous to our democracy and threat to Biden