Experts in Canada have published haunting images of HMS Terror, one of the world’s most famous ‘lost ships’, 170 years after the ship perished in the Arctic along with its 129 crewmen.
Led by explorer Sir John Franklin in 1848, the HMS Terror was on its way to find the Northwest Passage along with the ship ‘HMS Erebus’, when both ships became trapped in ice, forcing the crew to abandon them. However, all of the 129 crew perished.
The disappearance of the two ships and their entire crews was the start of a 15-year-long search effort which found some relics, human remains and accounts of the partial fate of the expedition.
However, the wrecks of Erebus and Terror were only discovered in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
The HMS Terror was found off King William Island in the suitably-named Terror Bay.
Experts from Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team spent one week exploring the remains of the ship, with help from a robot submarine.
The team obtained clear images of over 90% of the lower deck of the ship.
In the officers’ cabins, beds and desks are still in place, in addition to shelves with some items on them.
Best preserved is the captain’s cabin: his desk, map cabinets, boxes of scientific instruments, tripod and thermometers are all intact.
