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British explorer ship likely found in Canadian Arctic


The second of two British exploration ships that vanished during a storied expedition to the Arctic in 1846 has been discovered, submerged but "perfectly preserved" in the Northwest Passage, Canadian scientists say.

British explorer ship likely found in Canadian Arctic
A sonar view of one of two ill-fated ships lost more than 160-years-ago when Sir John Franklin led an expedition
to chart the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic [Credit: AFP]
The ill-fated HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which were under the command of Sir John Franklin, left the shores of Britain on May 19, 1845, on a mission to discover the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

While the Erebus was located in 2014, the whereabouts of the Terror were unknown until September 3 when it was discovered by scientists from the Arctic Research Foundation, which showed the sunken ship in a video that aired Monday on public broadcaster CBC.

"Resting proud in 24 meters of water, we found HMS Terror... It is perfectly preserved in the frigid waters of the Northwest Passage," foundation spokesman Adrian Schimnowski said in the video.

The three-mast ship, which was built 203 years ago, was found in the same region as the Erebus, the organization said.