New artifacts and images emerge from latest Franklin expedition dives in Nunavut

The latest research season at the Franklin wrecks in Nunavut has produced new artifacts and thousands of images.

Over a 12-day period in September, underwater archeologists made 68 dives and recovered numerous artifacts from the ill-fated Franklin expedition, including navigational equipment, scientific instruments, and personal items like medicine bottles, footwear, pistols, coins and a fishing reel.

“This was another successful research season for the Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Team,” Parks Canada president and CEO Ron Hallman said in a news release on Monday. “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.”

Led by Capt. John Franklin, the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set sail from England in 1845 to search for a Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic. The ships eventually became trapped in sea ice near King William Island, which today forms part of Nunavut. Their 129 officers and crew members were never heard from again.

Subsequent expeditions uncovered clues like equipment and graves, but the ships remained lost for generations. By combining Inuit oral history with new technology, the Erebus and Terror were finally discovered on the seafloor in 2014 and 2016.

During the 2023 summer research season, divers explored the Erebus’ officer cabins and forecastle, where most of the crew lived. The artifacts they carefully recovered will be studied in Ottawa before many are returned for display in Nunavut at the Nattilik Heritage Centre in the nearby community of Gjoa Haven. New high-resolution photos will also be used to create three-dimensional models of the wreck sites.

The Erebus wreck is considered more vulnerable and has been the focus of recent dives. The Terror lies in deeper water and is better preserved. After dives concluded at the Erebus on Sept. 18, researchers travelled to the Terror to conduct remote sensing and continue surveying the site.

Parks Canada manages and protects the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site with local Inuit via the Nattilik Heritage Society. Public access to wrecks is currently prohibited.

All newly recovered artifacts are co-owned by Parks Canada and the Inuit Heritage Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving Inuit culture. Sixty-five artifacts were previously retained by the United Kingdom, which transferred ownership of the wrecks to Canada in 2018. Parks Canada plans to start sending artifacts like the ship’s bell and a cannon to the U.K. in 2024.

Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Arctic, the Northwest Passage long frustrated explorers until it was first traversed by sea in 1906. A 2021 Canadian intelligence brief on climate change and national security said disappearing sea ice will allow for routine navigation of the contested arctic route, which has already become a destination for both cargo and cruise ships.

“The Franklin expedition remains one of the most popular mysteries from the nineteenth century,” environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault said in the news release. “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.”

Under a 2023 agreement, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and the Nattilik Heritage Society in Gjoa Haven will receive more than $23 million from the federal government to collaboratively manage and operate the Franklin wreck sites with Parks Canada.

With files from The Canadian Press