What was the name of the second ship in the movie terror. Historical Detective: Ships Without Captains
American writer Dan Simmons is one of those authors who succeed in works of absolutely any genre. He has produced monumental sci-fi novels about the search for God in the world of the future, spy thrillers about the confrontation between intelligence agencies in the era of World War II, and simply cool detective stories.
At the same time, Simmons' books have one distinguishing feature: they almost always contain real historical figures. 19th-century English poet John Keats in the fantasy world of Hyperion's Songs. Writer Ernest Hemingway in the spy thriller Ham's Bell and Charles Dickens in Drood, or the Man in Black. And another 129 crew members of the two British ships "Erebus" and "Terror", which in 1845 went in search of the Northwest Passage and disappeared. About them, Simmons in 2007 published a voluminous novel "The Terror".
AMC launched a series of the same name based on the novel. An excellent occasion to remember what the book was about and how close Simmons managed to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of two ships.
The Lost Franklin Expedition
After the ships of Christopher Columbus ran into the lands of America at the end of the 15th century, navigators decided not to give up and still find a short way from Europe to Asia. They searched mainly in the north, which is why this hypothetical path got its name - the Northwest Passage. There were many expeditions to discover it, thanks to which the sailors studied in great detail the coast of what is now called North America. However, they still failed to pass through the ice of modern Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
But the sailors did not lose hope over and over again went on dangerous expeditions. Thanks to this, by the middle of the 19th century, only a small area of about 180 thousand square kilometers remained unexplored in the Canadian Arctic. This is approximately like four Moscow regions. It was assumed that somewhere in this uncharted area is the coveted Northwest Passage. It was there that the ships "Erebus" and "Terror" went.
Both "Erebus" and "Terror" belonged to the so-called "bombardier ships" - that is, they were built for war. In the 18th century, such ships, as a rule, were used for shelling seaside fortresses.
The Terror was launched in 1813 and took part in the Anglo-American War of 1812-1815. For example, it was used in battles in Connecticut and Georgia. "Erebus" first went sailing in 1826, so the war was not caught.
Both ships were designed with a large margin of safety - they had to withstand the monstrous recoil of a three-ton mortar. Therefore, when the English Admiralty needed strong ships for Antarctic exploration, the choice was made on these two ships.
Both ships could sail, but before the expeditions they were additionally equipped with locomotive engines, which made it possible to move at a speed of 7.5 kilometers per hour.
So that the teams would not freeze, they made a heating system on both ships - pipes with steam. In addition, the wooden hulls were reinforced with metal, and under the propellers and rudders, the engineers added special armored niches in which they could hide from the ice.
In 1840, ships sailed south from Tasmania and soon reached Antarctica. After that, two new geographical objects appeared on the map of the southernmost continent - the volcanoes Erebus and Terror.
Both ships were twice in Antarctica, where they performed well, so subsequently the Admiralty sent them to the Canadian Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. Officials thought about it for a short time.
But what I had to think about was who would lead the expedition. There were enough candidates, but they were all eliminated one by one. At first they wanted to send the man who organized one of the very first expeditions to the North Pole - William Perry. But he refused. Then the post of commander was offered to Sir James Ross, who, by the way, a couple of years before that, drove the Erebus with the Terror to Antarctica. But his wife forbade him.
After going through several more "inappropriate" candidates - one too young, the other with an unsuitable "Irish" origin - the officials decided to appoint an experienced polar explorer, John Franklin, as commander. He was 59 at the time.
Franklin led the expedition from the ship "Erebus", and the direct captains were two people who had previously claimed the role of commander. The Erebus was ruled by the young James Fitzjames, and the Terror by the Irishman Francis Crozier, who, by the way, had already commanded the ship during an expedition to Antarctica.
Left to right: Commander John Franklin, Capt.
Francis Crozier, Captain James Fitzjames. In life and in the series
Both ships set sail from England in May 1845. Initially, there were 134 people on board - among them 24 officers. Subsequently, five for inappropriate behavior were sent back to shore, so the final crew of both ships totaled 129 people.
In August 1845, the Erebus and the Terror caught the eye of two whaling ships. It was in the Baffin Sea - west of Greenland. After that, no one saw them again.
Cause of death
The expedition was designed for several years - the food supply would be enough for three years of well-fed life in the ice: 55 tons of flour, 8 thousand cans of vegetables, meat and soup. Therefore, two missing ships were not immediately missed in England - only in 1848 a search operation was launched. They searched both on water and on land. And in 1850, the search was partially crowned with success.
On the small island of Beachy, the graves of three members of the missing expedition were found, who died shortly after the Erebus and Terror hit the Canadian Arctic. Looking ahead, let's say that after more than a hundred years, in 1984, scientists exhumed their bodies to examine. It turned out that shortly before their death they had tuberculosis and pneumonia. In addition, elevated levels of lead were observed in dead tissues, which indicated lead poisoning.
In 1859, members of the search operation were lucky again - on King William Island, which is located about 700 kilometers south of Beechey Island, a pyramid made of stones was found. It contains two messages. The first was written in May 1847 by a group of two officers and six sailors who went ashore. The second - in April 1848 by the captain of the "Terror" Francis Crozier. The first report said that the ships had spent the previous winter off Beechey Island, that the expedition was still commanded by John Franklin, and that all was well.
The same note. The handwritten text says that everything is fine. In the margins is an entry made a year later. The mood of the team is already different: everything is bad. Printed text on different languages informs that anyone who finds this note should give it to the representatives of the Admiralty in London.
The second note, written in the margin of the first, said that the Erebus and Terror were locked in the ice near King William Island, and the crews had to leave them. By that time, out of 129 people, 105 remained alive. Under the leadership of Captain Francis Crozier, they set up camp on land.
It also stated that the commander of the expedition, John Franklin, died on June 11, 1847. The cause of death is unknown, as is the place of burial. Subsequently, it turned out that of the 105 people who went ashore under the command of Crozier, no one managed to survive either. Their bones, found much later in various parts of King William Island, testified that at some point the sailors became so desperate that they came to cannibalism.
The mystery of the disappearance of two ships worried mankind throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2014, researchers found the remains of the Erebus ship underwater near King William Island. And in September 2016, Terror was also found in the same area. The crew of one of the ships noticed an old mast poking out of the water. The Terror was almost intact, and some of its cabins were sealed for the winter.
There are many versions about what happened to Erebus and Terror. The most realistic this moment- poor preparation for the expedition. Provisions were collected in a hurry, due to which the food in many cans was poisoned with lead solder. In addition, lead entered the body of sailors with water from the desalination systems of ships. Mass poisoning with heavy metal was exacerbated by the outbreak of scurvy.
This disease occurs due to a lack of vitamin C in the body and can lead to a painful death. The Erebus and Terror had more than four tons of lemon juice to protect the crew from this scourge, but due to long storage, he lost his healing properties. The inexperience of the team also affected: out of 129 people, only commander John Franklin, captain Francis Crozier, and a couple of pilots were in the Arctic Circle.
The main enemy is not a monster, but poor preparation
Despite the recent revelations, there are still enough gaps in this story - and Dan Simmons in the novel The Terror tried to fill them. Whether it worked or not, it's hard to say. The author thoroughly worked with the sources, having thoroughly studied the way of life on a ship of the 19th century, stuck in the ice. Because of this, sometimes it seems that you are not reading piece of art, but someone's memoirs.
Like a sailor who has visited the Arctic Circle more than once, Simmons generously shares the nuances of such expeditions. A spacious animal skin coat worn over a naked body will save you from the cold better than a waterproof overcoat, sweatshirt, sweater and several layers of woolen shirts underneath. Fresh raw meat will save you from scurvy. But the liver polar bear not suitable for food, as it is poisonous. And getting to the human brain is easier if you pierce the palate in the mouth of a dead man with a spoon ...
But to name a novel historical language does not turn around, because where in reality there are not enough facts, Dan Simmons resorts to the mythology of the Greenland Eskimos.
According to the plot, "Erebus" and "Terror" were not just stuck in the ice, but also became the prey of a creature that looked like a huge polar bear. It deftly swims under water, effortlessly gnaws through metal bulkheads and is capable of tearing a person to pieces in one fell swoop. And worst of all, the monster is clearly sentient.
In the book, Simmons kept the creature's name and nature a secret almost until the very end. Mutant? Some kind of polar bear? Disguised Eskimos? But in the AMC series, the secret is revealed in the very first episode in the very first scene: “His name is Tuunbak. He's made of flesh and spell."
Time after time, the creature attacks the sailors, drags them under the ice or simply tears them apart, and then assembles a terrible puzzle from the bloody pieces, driving adult men into a panic. People do not know what they are facing and are trying to defeat the creature with the help of cunning and weapons.
They set traps, but the monster turns out to be more cunning, turning every new meeting with him into a massacre. One could accuse Dan Simmons of vulgarity: to take and turn rich historical material into a story in the spirit of Alien.
However, the author's Tuunbak is not so much a monster as an allegory for the Arctic, which kills people who are not ready to meet it. Tuunback in The Terror is almost always behind the scenes. He kills the sailors, but is not the main cause of the death of the expedition.
Erebus and Terror were doomed long before they met him. Ice, which gradually crushes ships stuck in it, lack of food, poisoned canned food and scurvy - these are the true enemies of people. Sailors do not know how to hunt walruses and seals, they cannot get fresh meat to eat. Day after day, hunger makes them weak, and neglected scurvy tears blood vessels, dooming them to a painful death.
Team morale is plummeting. On the verge of imminent death, rank and position in society no longer matter. The struggle for power begins. The vilest and low people, and some vile assistant of a caulker suddenly turns out to be the master of souls and destinies.
Here one could recall "Under the Dome" by Stephen King or his own "Mist". But Simmons' characters are not locked in a place isolated from the world. They are free to go anywhere, since the arctic air has turned even water into a solid surface. There are also plenty of means for survival, because the Eskimos survive in these parts.
However, you need to know exactly which direction to go and what to do in order to survive, because the slightest mistake is tantamount to death. But this is just the problem. The Eskimos, who could teach, now and then die from the bullets of white people. And an attempt to warn the command that it is necessary to turn, otherwise the ice will close soon, is ignored because of vanity.
In real life, Commander John Franklin was a respected polar explorer, but in Dan Simmons' novel, he is portrayed as a dim-witted man who keeps his high position only due to his past achievements.
He makes bad decisions, and at the moment of the greatest danger, he thinks only about what words he will later use to describe his miraculous salvation at some dinner party. It is him that Dan Simmons blames for the fact that the Erebus and the Terror got stuck in the ice.
One wrong decision by Franklin was the catalyst for all the ills that befell the crew of the two ships. It, and not the monster, caused the death of the expedition. The creators of the series captured this idea perfectly. Therefore, the first series focuses on the decisions of John Franklin. The monster Tuunbak is also present, but so far it is only an ominous silhouette in the distance, noticed by one of the sailors.
There are dozens of characters in Dan Simmons' novel, and the events span several years. This is a huge canvas with a thousand tiny details. I am glad that the authors of the series decided not to follow the path of simplification.
The beginning of the series inspires hope that we will get no less detailed picture of the death of the Franklin expedition than Simmons. One can only hope that the sense of proportion will not betray them and they will not turn the story of survival into a horror about people and a monster.
PS: in the third episode of the TV series "Terror" we are given a hint that in the death of the expedition it is possible leading role played by the Russians. No, not even Soviet soldiers!
The 2018 series The Terror, based on the best-selling science fiction writer Dan Simmons, is a mystical thriller. The real story of the missing polar expedition of John Franklin, which underlies the plot, without any mysticism is considered the darkest mystery of the Arctic. It has been solved for 170 years.
Frame from the series "Terror". 2018
Leaving Britain in May 1845, Sir John Franklin had no reason to fear that the two ships under his command would sail as they were called. "Terror" (translated from English - "horror") and "Erebus" (from the Greek Ἔρεβος - "darkness", the deity of darkness and the area in the ancient underworld) - former warships - names were given to the fear of enemies.
The ships were equipped with the latest technology before the expedition. Powerful steam engines were put on them, the hulls were reinforced with steel. Stocks of provisions should have been enough for three or four years, and if you reduce the ration, then for all five. The expedition was led by famous polar explorers - Franklin himself and the captain of the Terror, Francis Crozier. Sir John hoped to go down in history as the discoverer of the Northwest Passage from Europe to Asia between arctic ice and North America.
Departure of the Erebus and the Terror. Newspaper illustration The Illustrated London News. 1845
Erebus and Terror are missing. John Franklin's expedition turned out to be the biggest disaster in the history of Arctic exploration: none of the 129 people returned. The investigation into this tragedy is ongoing, with the last important discoveries made between 2014 and 2016.
Search expedition of Frederik Svatka (1878–1880). Newspaper illustration The Illustrated London News. 1881
19th century: in hot pursuit
“What can be the talk about 1849?!” - exclaimed the wife of Captain Franklin Lady Jane, convincing the officials of the British Admiralty in the shortest time equip a search expedition. Waiting in vain for news from her husband, she sent letters to various authorities, even wrote American President. She promised a reward to those who would get information about the fate of Sir John and his people. One search expedition returned with nothing, then another ...
In 1850, under pressure from the wife and friends of the missing captain, the Admiralty organized a large-scale search campaign. A total of seven British and American expeditions combed the Arctic by land and water. Finds appeared: traces of the first wintering of the Franklin expedition of 1845-1846 on Beachy Island and the graves of three of its members there.
In 1854, the doctor and traveler John Ray, while searching on the Boothia peninsula, met Inuit natives who said that they met white people, and later found them already dead. The Eskimos sold Ray some items from the Erebus and the Terror. The traveler's report was printed in the London Times and caused a public outcry. Talking about the polar explorers dying of hunger, the Inuit mentioned cannibalism, and Ray did not remain silent about this. Writer and journalist Charles Dickens criticized the "wild tales of a gang of barbarians." Lady Jane was outraged.
In the same year, Sir John and his men were officially declared dead by the Admiralty to stop the search. But Lady Franklin did not give up. She even resorted to séances as the only type of operational communication known at that time. Organized several search expeditions own funds and subscription money. One of them, led by Francis McClintock, explored the island of King William and found a note in a tin capsule, embedded in the houris - a cairn. “All is well,” read a message left on May 28, 1847, on the letterhead of the Admiralty. Postscripts in the fields were made 11 months later, on April 25, 1848, by captains James Fitzjames and Francis Crozier: the ships were stuck in the ice a year and a half ago, during which time 24 people died, including 9 officers. Sir John Franklin died on June 11, 1847, and the expedition was led by Crozier. The Erebus and Terror were abandoned three days ago, and the decision was made to move south to the Buck River, probably in the hope of taking it down to the Hudson's Bay Company trading post. The people never reached their destination.
Francis McClintock's expedition finds the remains of Franklin's men. Magazine illustration Le Voleur. 1877
XX century: new technologies
The northwestern tip of the Arctic island of King William has suddenly become a busy place. Helicopters chirped, Canadian Forces infantrymen set up tents, talked on walkie-talkies, cursing poor communications and weather conditions, walked around the coast with mine detectors. The purpose of the Franklin project, started by the Department national security to the centenary of Canadian statehood in August 1967, it was to find the grave of the missing captain and two of his ships. Searches took place at several points in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and on the mainland. The pilots inspected the surroundings from the air, the divers ransacked sea depths… The technical progress of the 20th century provided the search engines with a lot of new tools, but nothing significant was found.
At the end of the century, anthropologists and criminologists became interested in the fate of the missing polar explorers. The remains of the camps and the bones of sailors, found in different places on King William Island and on the mainland by travelers of the 19th century, testified that the detachment that abandoned the ships soon broke up into groups. Each was looking for a way to survive, but all died. In the 1980s, University of Alberta professor Owen Beatty and his co-workers tried to determine the cause of death from the surviving remains. Analyzes revealed a lack of vitamin C, characteristic of patients with scurvy, as well as a markedly excess lead content in bones and hair. That is, people weakened by illnesses, tormented by cold, barely pulling heavy boats with provisions, probably also suffered from the consequences of chronic lead poisoning: headaches, fainting, paralysis, up to coma. Beatty thought it was the lead-bonded tins of canned food. However, this metal began to accumulate in the body of sailors long before the voyage. In those days, in the cities of Europe, there was enough lead everywhere: in paints, fabrics, medicines, water pipes. Any British sailor existed in the same conditions, but then why did the members of other expeditions overcome difficult passages and stay alive? Archaeologist William Battersby has suggested that Franklin's men received a lethal dose of lead, even by Victorian standards, because of the water makers of this metal installed on the Erebus and Terror.
Canned food, however, played a fatal role in the fate of the expedition. Entrepreneur Stephen Goldner had been supplying them to the British Royal Navy for about a year when he received an order for a particularly large batch for the Franklin voyage. The businessman did not calculate the capacity of his factory. He did not meet the deadlines and hurried the workers, who at the same time paid pennies. They stole meat, filled jars with offal and rot, soldered them somehow and reduced the heat treatment time. Lead solder got into the food, and air entered through the holes in the seams of the can, the food spoiled. In the 1850s, Goldner was stripped of his naval contracts as a result of inspections, but Franklin's men were among the first to suffer. Perhaps the polar explorers decided on an exhausting trip precisely because a significant part of the canned food, on the stocks of which they so counted, was not good for food and there was no chance to survive the next winter on ships stuck in a poor game place. Meanwhile, scientists have proven that the Inuit did not lie to Ray: Franklin's people ate their dead.
Frame from the series "Terror". Francis Crozier (third from left) - Jared Harris, James Fitzjames (far right) - Tobias Menzies
XXI century: well-forgotten old
Long ago, white strangers came in big ships and angered the spirits, the Inuit said. And there were several very cold, hungry years in a row ... Local historian Louis Kamukak from King William Island has been collecting legends and memories of old people about the Franklin expedition for years. In these stories, information was found where her ships could sink. At least one has been sighted well south of King William Island. Kamukak suggested that the search should be off the western coast of the Adelaide Peninsula. Perhaps the Inuit names of the islets in those places are clues: Umiaktalik means "there is a boat here", and Kivevok means "where something sank". Another researcher, David Woodman, carefully studied the information received from the Eskimos in the diaries of search expeditions of the 19th century and found convincing indications of the vicinity of O'Reilly Island in the same area. There, the Inuit said, they saw a ship with white people, and later visited it, already empty, in the hope of finding useful things ...
Monument to Lieutenant Joseph-René Bello and others who died in search of the Franklin Expedition. Beachy Island
On September 1, 2014, a whole flotilla gathered in Queen Maud Bay: seven ships from public and private organizations were ready for painstaking search work. A Canadian Coast Guard helicopter landed on one of the islands, and the pilot's attention was drawn to a rusty piece of metal lying on a lichen-covered rock. Archaeologists have determined that this is a detail of a davit - a device for lifting and lowering boats from a ship. So, the ship itself can be very close! The next day, a sonar lowered from a diving vessel found a large object at the bottom. Soon scientists confirmed: this is Erebus. It seemed to drift southward with the ice for more than a hundred miles until it got stuck again. Perhaps with people on board; then it turned out that one of the members of the Franklin expedition was able to return to the ships.
The hint where to look for "Terror" appeared unexpectedly. Inuit Sammy Cogwick, a new employee at the Arctic Research Foundation, a private organization that also searched for Sir John's ships, suddenly remembered going fishing a few years ago and seeing a pole sticking out of the ice that could very well be a mast. According to Sammy, the case was off King William Island in Terror Bay—coincidentally named after the missing ship. As a result, on September 12, 2016, after two and a half hours of searching, the “Terror” was found there. “Based on the location of the find and the condition of the wreck,” founder Jim Balsillie said, “it’s highly likely that the sailors from the Terror hastily caulked it, boarded the Erebus, and sailed south.” David Woodman suggested that the polar explorers decided to leave the ship for the second time due to a lack of labor: people continued to die from hunger and disease.
Frame from the series "Terror". Sir John Franklin - Ciarán Hinds
The study of sensational findings continues. Meanwhile, Franklinologists are still dreaming of finding the grave of Sir John himself. And the Inuit believe that King William Island is cursed and inhabited by evil spirits, and that perhaps the curse will be lifted if the captain's remains are interred in his homeland.
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SCENE Expedition trailLocations of the most important finds
1 Beachy Island First Wintering Site (1845–1846), where the graves of three of Franklin's men were found in 1850. In 1984, the remains were exhumed and examined. The deceased were found to have signs of tuberculosis, pneumonia, as well as high levels of lead in the body.
2. Pelly Bay. Here, in 1854, the Inuit sold several artifacts from the Erebus and the Terror and the first information about the meeting with Franklin's people to John Ray in 1854.
3. Victory Point. Here the Francis McClintock Expedition in 1859 found the Victory Point Report, the most important search engine find of the 19th century. 4. Erebus Bay. The largest accumulation of artifacts of the expedition and the remains of its members. Here, McClintock's men found a boat turned to the north with the remains of two sailors, guns, 40 pounds of chocolate and a lot of extra items on the campaign: books, silk scarves, combs, etc.
5. Cape Herschel.
Here, the McClintock expedition in 1859 discovered the remains with papers in the name of Harry Peglar. 6. Camp Crozier with the grave of Lieutenant John Irving, third mate of the Terror. Discovered in 1879 by the expedition of Frederic Swatka.
7. Hunger Bay. The southernmost point where the remains of Franklin's men were found advancing overland. The dead lay under the overturned boat. Discovered in 1879 by the Swatki expedition. 8. Todd Islands with the remains of several of Franklin's men. The bones were first discovered in 1869 by Charles Hall's expedition.
9. Bay Queen Mode. Erebus was found here in 2014. 10. Terror Bay. Here in 2016 they found "Terror". |
Photo: EVERETT COLLECTION / LEGION-MEDIA , DIOMEDIA (X2), EVERETT COLLECTION, MARY EVANS (X2) / LEGION-MEDIA , DIOMEDIA (X3), AFP / EAST NEWS, EVERETT COLLECTION, IMAGEBROKER / LEGION-MEDIA , GETTY IMAGES
Dan Simmons
American writer of science fiction, horror and cryptohistory. Before focusing entirely on writing, Simmons taught English literature at school for almost twenty years, and his love for the subject is evident in all of his stories. The main work of the science fiction writer is considered to be four novels from the "Songs of Hyperion" cycle - space operas about the cyber world of the future. His latest novels are a fantasy about the adventures of Charles Dickens in underground London (“Drood”) and a climbing horror about the Nazi secrets of conquering Everest (“Abomination”). The Terror, Simmons' twenty-sixth book, was immediately enthusiastically received by readers, critics and masters of the genre, including Stephen King. The television adaptation of The Terror will be a kind of gift for the 70th anniversary of the writer, who was born on April 4, 1948.
In 2007, Dan Simmons released his best novel to date, The Terror. The book captivates even those who cannot stand any kind of fantasy: psychedelic horror against the backdrop of a detailed reconstruction of everything that was known at that time about John Franklin's missing expedition in the Arctic.
Today, March 26, the AMC channel begins showing the film adaptation of The Terror. The casting immediately attracts: the main roles are played by Kieran Hinds (John Franklin) and Jared Harris (Captain Crozier). Hinds is remembered by many as Julius Caesar in "Rome" and Mance the Raider in "Game of Thrones," and versatile artist Harris seems just right for the role. Directed by Tim Milants, Edward Berger, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. Audiences at the Berlin Film Festival have already seen the first two episodes, and the reviews so far have been positive. In any case, this is one of the most anticipated premieres of 2018. Let's get ready for it.
Kieran Hines as Admiral Franklin. "Terror", 2018
1. Franklin's last case
"Terror" is the case when knowledge real history will not be a spoiler, but only enhance the impression - Simmons' plot intrigue begins where historical information run out. So, on May 19, 1845, Her Majesty's ships Terror and Erebus departed from the berths of Greenhite in Kent and headed towards the Canadian Arctic. There were 134 people on board, but five were expelled almost immediately for misconduct or unfitness. They turned out to be the luckiest - like passengers who missed a crashed plane. As a result, 129 officers and sailors remained, led by Sir John Franklin, an experienced navigator and polar explorer who was ending his career.
The purpose of the expedition was to explore the Northwest Passage - a sea route along the northern coast of Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Bering Strait. It was assumed that it could be reached through the open Polar Sea, and a small area remained unexplored, where Franklin's ships headed.
"Sir John Franklin's ships Erebus and Terror on the River Thames in London"
The flagship "Erebus" was commanded by the 59-year-old head of the expedition himself, "Terror" - by 49-year-old captain Francis Crozier, who will become the main character in Simmons. The ships were specially prepared for the Arctic voyage: they were armored, equipped with steam installations for heating and a water distillation system, and supplied with a supply of various provisions for three years. At the same time, only four out of 129 sailors had polar experience - Franklin, Crozier and a couple of ice pilots. The campaign was supposed to be Franklin's triumph - he really left the admiral's name for centuries, but, alas, for completely different reasons.
The last time "Terror" and "Erebus" was seen in August of the same 1845 - English whalers met them, waiting for the weather to improve, in the Baffin Sea. Wintering in the ice was planned, the expedition was calculated for more than one year. Judging by a note found almost ten years later, the first wintering passed peacefully off Beachy Island. Two years later, the sailors left the ships, firmly worn out multi-year ice to set up camp on King William Island - and disappeared.
Four dozen search expeditions have searched for traces of Franklin for a century and a half. 166 years after the disappearance, both ships were found, but there is still no convincing answer to the question of what happened. The finds only add to the mysteries.
Admiral George Back. HMS Terror at anchor near an iceberg in the waters of Baffin Island
2. Darkness and horror
The name "Terror" is very fitting for Simmons' version - Franklin's people are indeed being terrorized. But even without that, the names of the ships are amazing. Is it reasonable to go on a long polar voyage on the ships Gloom and Horror? The ancient custom of giving frightening names to warships confirmed the wisdom of Captain Vrungel.
The British Admiralty announced a solid reward to whoever finds traces of Franklin, and the expedition was actively searched for. The search began in May 1848, three years after the loss of communication. Judging by a note on the official letterhead of the Admiralty, which was not discovered until ten years later, at that moment some of Franklin's people were most likely alive.
The note itself is an amazing document. It is, so to speak, two-part: the first optimistic message was left at the end of May 1847, the second was written right in the margins of the first a year later, and it crosses out all optimism. According to the first dispatch, the expedition has wintered safely, Sir John Franklin is still in charge of his men, and, on the whole, "everything is in order." According to the second, two weeks after the first report, Sir John died, and Captain Crozier took command. The following year, a total of 24 members of the expedition already died, the ships were tightly covered with ice, and the survivors left them. The coordinates of the place where they camped are given, and their intention "tomorrow" to march towards the Baka River on the northwestern coast of Canada. What caused Franklin's death and where his grave is is not said, but there are almost meaningless details of the bookmark of the message.
Admiral George Back. HMS Terror in the Arctic
In a number of oddities, the absence of Franklin's grave stands out. In all the years that have passed, nothing has been found that resembles the burial of the expedition leader, who died when everything was still “in order”. Or was it not? But disorder would also be worthy of mention. It is unlikely that they decided to bury Sir John in the frozen sea. Three ordinary members of the expedition, who died of illness before him, were buried properly on Beachy Island, and eternal ice has kept them incorruptible to this day. If desired, you can see creepy photos of bodies.
It should be noted that nature was clearly against the polar explorers. Just these years in the oral history of the Inuit Eskimos are considered the most difficult: there was actually no summer, the ice did not open, the natives left their old places. The British did not at all seek either contact with the "savages" or the use of their methods of survival. This is also why the Inuit legends about Franklin's expedition were not taken seriously for a long time - due attention was paid to them only in our days.
3. Cannibals in the ice
The note on the letterhead of the Admiralty was found in 1859, and the first information about people was received four years earlier from the Inuit on the northwest coast of Canada. According to them, fifty white people died of starvation there, reaching the extreme of cannibalism. It was difficult for the Victorian public to accept stories of cannibalism - after all, one gentleman cannot eat another. But the words were confirmed by the identified things from the Erebus, which were transmitted by the Eskimos. As if to counterbalance this, Wilkie Collins even wrote a romantic play, The Frozen Abyss, about the expedition: no cannibals, only heroism, love and northern lights. One of the characters was played by Charles Dickens himself, and Queen Victoria came to the premiere.
But the most famous work of art on this subject was the painting by Edwin Landseer "Man proposes, but God disposes" - a truly nightmarish canvas. In fact, Landseer was a peaceful animal painter and did not depart from his favorite topic in the Arctic story. He depicted two vicious polar bears in the ice, one of which gnaws at a human skeleton, and the other tears the British flag. The huge canvas scared people to fainting, but it continues to hang in the hall of King's College London University.
Edwin Henry Landseer. Man proposes, but God disposes. 1864
4. Dead Man's Notebook
According to various Inuit stories, they met the surviving members of the expedition even ten years after it disappeared. The fate of the Franklin expedition has since become firmly rooted in Eskimo history. Even today, Inuit historian Louis Kamukak says that his grandfather used a chisel made from Franklin's table knife, and school lessons on the expedition were supplemented by legends familiar from childhood. Now Kamukak is confident that he can find the admiral's grave.
The things of the Franklin expedition are amazing in themselves - polar explorers, like hobbits, took with them to the Arctic not only a huge library, but all the usual utensils up to monogrammed silver forks. The strangest arsenal was found on the coast of King William Island in a large boat with two skeletons, hoisted onto a huge heavy sled: silk scarves, scented soap, sponges, shoes, books, tea and 18 kg of chocolate.
Elsewhere on the island, a skeleton in the shape of a steward has been discovered, which will play a role in Simmons' plot. He had a sailor's passport in the name of Henry Peglar - not a steward, but a foreman of the upper team, as well as a comb and a notebook. (You can view this and other finds related to the Franklin expedition on the website of the Royal Museums Greenwich.)
Entries from this notebook are pulling on the eyeballs of horror. They are made by two different people, often in mirror type: the words are written backwards. On one page, the entries form a regular circle, and inside it are several incoherent, also mirror phrases, including the following: “Terror camp clear” - “The Terror camp is empty.” On the reverse side are the words of the funeral prayer.
And the Terror camp, whatever that meant, was indeed empty. In addition to these three skeletons, during the entire search, the first three dead men of 1846, when the expedition had not yet disappeared, scattered remains and burials were found and identified - a total of no more than three dozen people. Where another hundred disappeared, there is no answer. None of the versions - hypothermia, hunger, scurvy, lead poisoning from poorly sealed canned food or from a desalination system - does not explain the mass and rapid death and disappearance of traces. The most logical assumption is that Franklin's people suffered from some unforeseen emergency.
5. Return
Eight years after the release of Simmons' novel, Franklin's ships were suddenly found. It was "suddenly" - they literally stumbled upon them. First, the flooded Erebus was discovered. In September 2016, hydrographers and archaeologists who were mapping the unexplored section of Queen Maud Bay landed a helicopter on a convenient, unremarkable island.
Already on the ground, during a walk along the shore, the trained eye of a polar explorer noticed an unusual object - a metal fragment of the correct shape. It bore marks from the British Royal Navy, and further along the shore, more wrecks were found, identified as parts of a davit. As a result, the sonar sent to the bottom transmitted an image of a large sunken ship to the surface. On the ship's bell the name was clearly read: "Erebus". Without exaggeration - a find of the century.
Raising the Erebus bell, 2016
Archaeologists said that the ship itself seemed to want to be found. It seems to confirm the most spectacular story of the Eskimos, which for a hundred years was not taken seriously: they saw huge ship with a smiling dead man on board, drifting across the ice to the south.
Two years later, and also by chance, "Terror" was found. Surprisingly, he lies at the bottom in the Gulf of Terror, named at the beginning of the 20th century in his honor. The place was identified thanks to a selfie by one of the crew members of the Martin Bergmann research ship. Seven years ago, he captured himself against the backdrop of some kind of mast sticking out of the ice of the bay, and told the expedition leader about this when the Bergmann was nearby. They immediately moved in that direction, and near the southwestern part of King William Island, an echo sounder found a ship at the bottom. Unlike the badly damaged Erebus, the Terror turned out to be practically intact. It is carefully battened down for the winter and, as scientists suggest, could swim if it were freed from the ice. The main thing is that both ships were found very far from the place indicated in Captain Crozier's note, and from each other.
2018 should be a turning point for this story: a large-scale archaeological expedition begins, which will explore the ships. Until now, one of the main concerns of archaeologists has been the protection of finds from attempts by curious and enthusiastic people. With the release of the film adaptation, their number will clearly increase. In addition, before our eyes, another plot of the traditional horror may be born: no one can predict what secrets of "Horror" and "Gloom" will rise to the surface from under the age-old ice.
By the middle of the 19th century, two centuries had passed since the end of the Age of Discovery. However, enthusiastic researchers did not decrease. In many ways, they even had a harder time than those who opened new routes to America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The last places are always places that are much more difficult to get to.
It was in such studies that James Clark Ross covered himself with unfading glory. The main achievement of his life was the British Antarctic Expedition, which took place in 1839-1843. The ships under the command of Ross crossed the Antarctic Circle three times - an achievement that could only be surpassed at the beginning of the 20th century. Ross's expedition was the last one made to the poles on sailing ships. After it, Antarctic research was resumed only 30 years later.
Early years as an explorer
The fate of James Clark Ross, who was born in London in 1800, was predetermined by the occupation of his uncle John Ross, a British navigator and explorer of the Arctic. Under the influence of an eminent relative, the boy entered the Navy and at the age of 12 ended up on his uncle's ship.
At the age of 18, James went on his first trip to the Arctic with his uncle. He studied this region for the next fifteen years. The expedition, which included James, discovered the North Magnetic Pole in 1831.
Independent swimming
In 1839, the already experienced James Ross was appointed to command an expedition that was heading to explore the south polar waters. He was provided with two old warships: "Terror" and "Erebus". These were heavy and slow-moving vessels, but they had the strength necessary for navigation among the pack ice pressing on the sides - multi-year and at least 3 meters thick.
On September 30, 1839, the ships set sail from the British coast, each with 46 people. As a result of the expedition, a lot of new objects appeared on world maps:
- the Ross Sea;
- volcanic Ross Island;
- Victoria Land - the region of Antarctica discovered by Ross Jr.;
- volcanoes Terror and Erebus;
- The Ross Ice Barrier is the largest ice shelf in Antarctica.
Victoria Land The British Antarctic Expedition lasted three seasons. The first ended when the ships ran into Ross' Ice Barrier and were unable to clear it. James at this point correctly concluded that it was ice shelves that gave rise to icebergs.
During the second voyage (1841-1842), the ships rounded Antarctica, went east and reached the Falkland Islands. Here, special attention was paid to research magnetic field land and ornithological diversity of southern latitudes.
In the final season (1842-1843), the expedition did not penetrate as far beyond the Antarctic Circle as in previous years. She was prevented by too severe ice conditions.
Ross discovered several land areas at once, but still remained a supporter of the fact that the polar continent does not exist. He considered all the lands he saw to be islands. Nevertheless, the contribution of the expedition to science turned out to be enormous - more than 3,000 species of animals and plants were discovered alone. Based on the results of research, in 1859, the six-volume Flora of Antarctica was published.
The organizational talents of James Ross deserve special attention. In those days, when a sailboat could go from Britain to Australia for about a year, illness and death, even on ordinary merchant ships, were commonplace. The Ross expedition lasted 4 years in the most difficult conditions - sailors simply did not encounter many of the dangers characteristic of the Antarctic before. The equipment of the Terror and Erebus was so well thought out that out of 92 people, only one died in all the time - he was washed overboard during a storm.
After such a triumph, Ross was knighted in his homeland and received the title of "sir." In France, his achievements were noted with the Order of the Legion of Honor. In 1847, James wrote a book on his research. The route to Antarctica discovered by Ross is considered by many researchers to be the most convenient even today, so they continue to use it.
Fate of Erebus and Terror
The story of a pair of bombardment ships after the voyages of Ross Jr. continued and ended tragically. In 1845, they were handed over to Sir John Franklin, who set out to look for the Northwest Passage, which would allow access from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. The ships sailed on May 19, and for about 10 years there was no information about their participants.
Many went in search of the missing expedition, including James Ross in 1848-1849 on the ship Enterprise. However, his campaign did not bring success. Franklin's wife organized about 40 polar expeditions in search of the missing, spending all her fortune on this. The first fruits of the search brought in 1854. Scottish explorer John Ray guessed to talk to the Eskimos, who told about several dozen white people who died of starvation.
Advice on equipping an expedition to search for John Franklin The natives told about the facts of cannibalism among the dying sailors, and this news stirred up the British public. Many, including Charles Dickens, called Ray a slanderer. The writer on the pages of the British press stated that cannibalism is a fundamentally impossible phenomenon among the sailors of the Royal British Navy. However, the sad facts were later confirmed - characteristic traces were found on the bones of the dead.
Further research showed that both ships were covered in ice and abandoned by their crews, who died from cold and hunger in their entirety. People tried to get overland to the nearest outpost of the Hudson's Bay Company, but they could not do this - it was about 1,000 kilometers away. The situation was aggravated by the poor quality of canned food taken on board. The study of the remains of sailors showed that the supplies were spoiled by botulism and lead impurities.
Terror and Erebus Francis Crozier, who explored the Antarctic with Ross Jr. as the captain of the second ship and was his closest friend, also died on the Franklin expedition.
James Ross died in 1862, 5 years after the death of his wife. The researcher is buried in Buckinghamshire with his wife. The local abbey has a garden and a lake with two islands named after the ships Erebus and Terror.
Researchers have discovered the famous ship "Terror", which disappeared in the middle of the 19th century during the expedition of John Franklin (John Franklin).
"Terror" during the expedition of 1836-1837
The team of the British polar explorer was going to find the so-called northwestern passage through the Arctic Ocean, but went missing. It is reported by The Guardian.
The polar expedition, which ended in the worst tragedy in the history of the Royal Navy of Great Britain, was Sir John Franklin's fourth. In 1845, 129 people went to her on two ships, the Terror and the Erebus.
The unsuccessful search for the missing ships and sailors under pressure from the public and Franklin's wife began in 1848 and ended only 11 years after the disappearance of the ships. Erebus was found only in 2014, and the fate of the Terror was still unknown. It is believed that all members of the expedition died after they had to abandon ships stuck in the Arctic ice.
Reportedly, the "Terror" was found on September 3 thanks to the "tip" of one of the crew members (we are talking about the records left). On September 11, members of the Arctic Research Foundation launched a remote-controlled submersible into one of the holes found at the bottom of the Arctic bay.
“We successfully infiltrated the wardroom, searched several cabins and found a food storage, the plates in which were still on the shelves. We found two bottles of wine, tables and an empty rack. We found a work table with open drawers, in the far corner of one of which something was lying, ”- head of the expedition ship Martin Bergmann.
Terror steering wheel
A ship suitable for famous descriptions and drawings of the "Terror", was found 96 kilometers south of the alleged site of the flood. As noted by The Guardian, because of this, historians will have to offer new version tragedy.
“This find will change history. Judging by the location of the Terror and the condition of the vessel, it can almost certainly be said that the ship was deliberately “mothballed”, after which its crew moved to the Erebus, on which they met their tragic fate, ”Martin Bergmann, head of the expedition ship.
According to the researchers, the ship was so well preserved at a depth of 24 meters that, after pumping out the water, it could well have kept on the surface: all three masts were broken, but still stood, all hatches were closed, some window panes remained intact. Apparently, at the time of the sinking, the anchor was dropped from the ship.
The crew of Martin Bergmann spent a week to confirm the authenticity, compiling a detailed 3D model of the Terror. One of the main evidence that this particular ship was found was the chimney. The Terror was equipped with a steam locomotive engine with a propeller, which allowed the ship to break through the ice.
According to a previously found note from the captain of the Terror, Francis Crozier, dated April 25, 1848, John Franklin died on June 11, 1847. Under his command at that time there were 105 people, and 9 officers and 15 sailors had already died.
According to the main version, on April 26, the remaining crew members set off towards the Buck River on the Canadian coast, but most of them died on the way. And those who nevertheless made it to the northern part of the mainland met the same fate, since before nearest settlements they were still separated by hundreds of kilometers.
Writer Dan Simmons offered his own interpretation of the events of the tragic expedition in 2007 in the popular novel The Terror, adding elements of mysticism to the story.
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