Archaeologists Uncover Over 200 Artifacts from a 19th-Century Shipwreck

A team of archaeologists took a deep dive into the depths of Northwest Passage and found some eye-catching finds in two of the most famous shipwrecks from the 19th century.

Now, the team from Parks Canada has studied the shipwreck, "Erebus", in its full condition after its groundbreaking discovery in September 2014, which was two years before they found another wreck called "Terror" just 45 miles away.

The Two Sunken Ships

The two ships, both commanded by explorer Sir John Franklin, set off from England in 1845 with 128 crew members in quest of the Northwest Passage, which would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Arctic.

The expedition's failure was described in a note that was later found. Both ships got stuck in ice and there were no recorded survivors.

Only a small portion of the year is appropriate for diving in arctic waters. Several items, such as a cannon and kitchenware, were discovered during Erebus' first investigation in the spring of 2015, as per Artnet News' report.

Sample gathering was the main focus of 2016. Due to technological issues, the 2017 excavations were moved to 2018.

Meanwhile, 350 objects, including wine bottles and a hairbrush, were found by archaeologists in the summer of 2019.

There were around 30 expeditions that looked for these sunken ships. However, they only found a few artifacts, a few tombs, and horrifying stories of cannibalism, according to CBC Canada.

56 Two-Hour Dives

The crew made its post-pandemic comeback last summer, performing 56 two-hour dives over 11 days.

The Arctic has short field seasons. Hence, the divers and conservators had only spent 11 days moored above the wreck with their tender barge and the RV David Thompson - a 29-meter research ship owned by Parks Canada.

However, the team managed to fit 56 dives within that period. The divers utilized suits heated by warm water poured from the surface, which allowed each dive to last around two hours.

The crew reported that the ship appears to have been left in fair condition, everything was organized with closed doors and drawers.

There were 275 objects found in all. The steward's pantry was a major area of attention over the summer, and a lot of the items recovered from there are pieces of stoneware dinnerware, such as plates and serving dishes.

Additionally, it wasn't until 2022 that archaeologists first opened the officers' cabins. They discovered a green box with drafting tools inside in 2nd Lt. Henry Thomas Dundas le Vesconte's chamber, where he worked as a mapmaker.

All recently found artifacts, according to Parks Canada, are jointly owned by the Canadian government and the Inuit as part of their ongoing casework cooperation.

Parks Canada's Ottawa lab is currently studying and conserving all 275 artifacts. Only a small portion of Erebus's area has been studied by researchers and they are yet to excavate Terror.