The Arctic yields a secret
One of the Canadian Arctic’s most enduring mysteries appears to have been solved — and with an ironic twist worthy of a film script.
A search for a long-lost shipwreck that involved multiple missions, high-resolution side-scan sonar, the latest in remote-controlled underwater vehicles and images from a Canadian Space Agency satellite successfully ended earlier this month through the recollections of an Inuit hunter.
Explorers, scientists, historians and all Canadians should be grateful to Sammy Kogvik. He noticed what remained of a mast sticking through the Arctic ice while on a fishing expedition seven years ago, and he shared that information with the crew of the research vessel Martin Bergman this summer.
That insight led directly to the detection of a wreck believed to be HMS Terror, the second of two ships lost by the doomed Franklin expedition almost 170 years ago. Remains of the other vessel, the HMS Erebus, were found in 2014 in the Queen Maud Gulf. Taken together, the discoveries present a wealth of underwater evidence concerning the tragic fate of Sir John Franklin and his 128 crew members.
But there’s more to be gained here, beyond a treasure trove of historical data. The modern search, which began in 2008, has resulted in better mapping of the Arctic Ocean floor. More accurate charts are a necessity with global warming expected to open the Northwest Passage to navigation.
The hunt, plus actual discovery of the wrecks, informs the world that these disputed waters are historically important to this country, shoring up claims of Canadian sovereignty.
And the search has showcased the reach of Canadian technology, including the capabilities of the RADARSAT-2 imaging satellite, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and special side-scan sonar.
Rounding out this Canadian success story, Inuit experience and knowledge of barrens proved the decisive factor in finding the Terror in a bay on the coast of King William Island, about 100 kilometres due north of the Erebus.
Kogvik, a resident of the Inuit hamlet of Gjoa Haven, happened to be a crew member on the Martin Bergmann and mentioned what he had seen seven years earlier. To their credit, expedition leaders acted on his recollection.
The vessel made a detour, to the coincidentally named Terror Bay, deployed its ROV and detected the well-preserved remains of a Victorian ship. The find was all the more surprising because prevailing theory held that the Terror had likely been shattered in the crushing ice of Victoria Strait, causing it to sink in thousands of pieces.
On the contrary, video images of the wreck reveal a vessel resting upright, with its timbers, smokestack and even windows on the captain’s cabin still remarkably intact. Given how much has been preserved in the frigid waters of the Arctic, it’s likely that a considerable body of new knowledge will be gained into the ultimate demise of Franklin and his crew.
They set out in 1845, in two iron-reinforced ships equipped with the most up-to-date technology that Victorian England could provide, including three years worth of canned supplies and steam heating for the comfort of the crew. It was all for naught.
Details are sketchy, but it has been established that the vessels ended up hopelessly trapped in ice. Franklin died in 1847. A year later, the expedition’s last survivors tried walking across the ice to the mainland. None made it home.
In addition to learning more about what happened through discovery of the Terror, Canadians stand to gain a better understanding of their history and a stronger claim to northern sovereignty. All thanks to a timely tip from Sammy Kogvik.
Canadians can take pride in the discovery of HMS Terror, one of two ships lost in doomed expedition by Sir John Franklin