Unearthing Erebus

In April 2015, Parks Canada archaeologists returned to the Arctic to further explore a famous wreck discovered in 2014. The Erebus was one of two ships from Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition of 1845. Franklin was seeking the Northwest Passage.

The discovery of the Erebus near King William Island in Nunavut last September created quite a stir. Among the artifacts recovered was the ship’s bell. The ship, which rests on the ocean floor, was further explored in the spring.

In this video, Marty Magne, director of the Archeaology and History Branch at Parks Canada, says archaeologists are now trying to determine how the ship got to its current location. Did it drift there and sink? Or did the ship’s crew place it there?