Skulls of members of the Franklin expedition were discovered by William Skinner and Paddy Gibson in 1945 at King William Island in Nunavut. This summer's 2011 search, which begins Aug. 21, will focus on an area just west of the King William island.
Canadians are heading back to the Northwest Passage this summer to continue searching for the wrecks of Sir John Franklin's lost ships from 1845.Skulls of members of the Franklin expedition were discovered in 1945 at King William Island in Nunavut.
This summer's search will begin Aug. 21 and will focus on an area just west of the island.Archeologists with Parks Canada will use an autonomous underwater vehicle to scan the ocean floor, as part of this year's search for HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. Researchers will also explore wreck of HMS Investigator, found in 2010
The Environment Minister Peter Kent said:"This is the year I hope that we will solve one of the great mysteries of the history of Arctic exploration - the location and the final resting place of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror,"
The two ships disappeared during the British explorer's ill-fated 1845 expedition to chart the Northwest Passage. Neither Franklin nor any of his 128 crewmen returned.This will be the third summer in recent years that the Canadian government is funding a large-scale expedition to find Franklin's lost ships.
A Parks Canada archeologist said:"This year we are going to move northward and we're going to work west of King William Island, near the Royal Geographical [Society] Islands area," An underwater vehicle, which is being supplied by the University of Victoria, can move on its own while it detects and maps objects it finds.
Researchers are relying in part on traditional knowledge of local Inuit in the area. A local historian said:"We did find some nails and copper sheeting on those islands and Inuit camps, so that's good evidence that the boats are around that place," For further details consult this article.
No comments:
Post a Comment