Lost Northwest Passage ship found by Canadian searchers, 170 years on

One of two British explorer ships that vanished in the Arctic nearly 170 years ago during a search for the fabled Northwest Passage has been found, Canada's prime minister announced in a discovery that could unlock one of history's biggest mysteries and swell Canadian pride.

Last seen in the 1840s while under the command of Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror have long been among the most sought-after prizes in marine archaeology and the subject of songs, poems and novels.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office said the well-preserved wreck of one of the ships was found on Sunday with the help of a remotely operated underwater vehicle. It was 11 metres below the surface near King William Island, about 1,900km northwest of Toronto.

Harper said that it was unclear which ship it was, but that sonar images yielded enough information to confirm it was one of Franklin's.

"This is truly a historic moment for Canada," said Harper. "This has been a great Canadian story and mystery and the subject of scientists, historians, writers and singers, so I think we really have an important day in mapping the history of our country."

Harper said the discovery would shed light on what happened to Franklin's crew.

Franklin and 128 officers and men disappeared after setting out in 1845 for the Northwest Passage, the long-sought shortcut to Asia that supposedly ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific by way of the harsh, ice-choked Arctic.