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or centuries, the ever-chang- ter vehicles have limits. the objective of ? nally charting a North- ing sea ice of the Northwest In Canada, much of modern history in west Passage which had been an elusive

Passage made the route the Arctic comes back to Franklin and goal since Elizabethan times. Finally, it through the Arctic Ocean his lost ships. As a result, many of the would be realized. But, with all of these

Funpredictable and, on occa- search expeditions that were launched men to have disappeared nearly without sions, virtually impassable. Yet, since with the intent to locate them ultimately a trace, it has held captive the public’s the 1500s the promise of connecting charted much of the Arctic Archipelago, imagination since the Victorian age.” the Atlantic and Paci? c Oceans, and the geopolitically underpinning Canada’s In comparison to traditional archae- economic bene? ts which would follow, sovereignty Arctic territory. ology conducted on land, underwater were enough to entice many expeditions Parks Canada has the world’s oldest archaeology is inherently reliant on into this treacherous pass. One such ex- dedicated underwater archaeology team technology to a much greater extent. plorer, Sir John Franklin, set sail in 1845 in which Ryan Harris serves as one of The dif? culties that are represented by from England with his crew on board the senior underwater archaeologists. In searching for and locating sites within

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, vanish- the Arctic, Harris is the lead archaeolo- a marine environment, working on and ing almost without a trace. In September gist for Parks Canada’s ongoing work in under the water offers an array of chal- 2014, more than 170 years on, search studying the wrecks of HMS Erebus and lenges to the archaeologists involved. expeditions led by Parks Canada dis- HMS Terror, “It’s an enthralling story of This includes the caprice of weather, covered the wreck of HMS Erebus and human fortitude, deprivation and sac- often limited underwater visibility, cold two years later, HMS Terror was found. ri? ce. Even the initial reports of men water and its chilling effect on dexter-

While advancements in technology have desperately resorting to cannibalism ity and ability to concentrate, as well as proven useful to underwater archaeolo- add a chilling element to it. The Frank- having a limited supply of air to conduct gists in the search for Franklin’s ill-fated lin Expedition was well equipped with underwater tasks.

crossing, in a remote, harsh environ- state-of-the-art equipment for that time Harris explains, “When investigat- ment, even the most advanced underwa- and departed with much optimism with ing a location, simple things that you www.marinetechnologynews.com

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