Searchers find second ship from doomed British expedition, lost in Arctic for 170 years

The second of two British explorer ships that vanished in the Arctic nearly 170 years ago during a storied expedition to find the fabled Northwest Passage has been found.

The Arctic Research Foundation said Monday that the HMS Terror has been located by a research ship. Last seen in the 1840s while under the command of 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. The wreck of the Erebus was found in 2014.

“I can confirm it has been found,” said Aleta Brooke of the Arctic Research Foundation, one of the groups involved in the search.

Franklin and 128 hand-picked officers and men had set out in 1845 to find 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.

Few details were immediately available about the discovery of the remaining vessel from Franklin’s quest for the passage. Parks Canada, a government department, said it is “excited about the reports of the discovery of the wreck of HMS Terror.”

“The discovery of HMS Terror would be important for Canada, reflecting the ongoing and valuable role of Inuit traditional knowledge in the search and making a significant contribution to completing the Franklin story,” a government statement said. “Parks Canada is currently working with our partners to validate the details of the discovery.”