Lost and Found

Doomed British Explorer Ship Found After Nearly 170 Years

Doomed U.K. expedition was huge tragedy in Arctic exploration.

A British explorer ship that went missing during an expedition in the Arctic nearly 170 years ago has been found in Canada’s far north. The Arctic Research Foundation announced the news Monday, saying the HMS Terror, last seen in 1845, was discovered by a research ship in Terror Bay, a small indentation on the coast of King William Island west of Gjoa Haven. The HMS Terror had set out on an expedition with another ship, the HMS Erebus, to find a possible North Passage—a shortcut to Asia that runs through the Arctic. Led by Sir John Franklin, the expedition involved 129 men and was one of the worst tragedies in Arctic exploration. The wreckage of the Erebus was found in 2014. The HMS Terror was recovered about 31 miles away from it. “Terror was found on Sept. 3. It is a perfect time capsule,” said Adrian Schimnowski, the leader of the research ship that found the HMS Terror. Canadian Rear-Admiral John Newton, who was also involved in the expedition to locate the ship, said there are no plans to raise it from the Arctic waters, but it will become a historic site for Canada.