A study genetic conducted in Canada by Waterloo University and Lakehead University, based on DNA obtained from a tooth, allowed us to identify the remains (found on King George Island, Canadian territory of Nunavut) of James Fitzjamescaptain of the Erebusone of the two ships of the Franklin’s Lost Expedition. On the body (in particular the jaw) there are also traces of butchering, a clear indication of cannibalism. The name “Franklin’s Lost Expedition” refers to a polar expedition led by the Royal Navy British in 1845 in the Canadian Arctic, in search of the Northwest Passage. The search was conducted by two ships, the Terror and the Erebus, which together with the 129 members of the shipment they disappeared into thin air leaving no survivors. The story also inspired a novel and one TV series very successful horror film, The Terror. The remains of many of the crew members and the wrecks of the two ships have only recently been found, as have studies to understand the dynamics of the tragedy.
“Franklin’s Lost Expedition”
The captain John Franklinone of the most experienced sailors of the Royal Navy, in 1845 was commissioned by the Admiralty of London to conduct a scientific expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, which it was believed could connect the Atlantic with the Pacific passing between polar waters.
Franklin, at the helm of two ships, the Terror and the Erebus, the latter commanded by the captain James Fitzjamesin the summer of 1845 he ventured into the Canadian Arctic equipped with some of the most advanced technologies of the time: reinforced metal bows to break ice and very modern steam engines. The experience of the officers and the technology of the two ships did not suggest this tragedy that would follow.
The two ships were sighted for the last time in Baffin Bay in August 1845, and nothing more was heard of them or the 129 men on board. In the 1848three years after the departure of Franklin’s expedition, the Royal Navy undertook the first search operationsThat during the 19th century they managed to shed some light on the sad story of Terror and Erebus.
Most likely, the two ships remained stuck in the ice already in the autumn of 1845, near theBeechey Island. During that winter three sailors diedwho were buried on the island, and whose graves were one of the first traces found by subsequent rescue expeditions. In the winter of 1846-1847 the ships remained trapped in the ice again near theKing William Islandthis time definitively. Men began to die of hardships and of Freddo. Thanks to a ticket left by Captain Fitzjames in a pile of stones, we know that Franklin had died in June 1847, and therefore his second, Francis Crozierhad taken command.
After another winter of isolation, that of 1847-1848, in desperation, the survivors tried to go walk southbut in these circumstances all of them died of cold, hunger and diseaseaccording to the accounts of the local Inuit populations. In the 80s and 90s of the 20th centurygroups of scholars ventured near King William Island to look for traces of the “Lost Expedition”, finding several artifacts And human remainswho witnessed episodes of cannibalism among the survivors, the presence of diseases such as scurvy and symptoms of lead poisoningprobably caused by gods welding defects of containers canned meat which were part of the provisions of the two ships. Finally, in 2014the wreck of the Erebuswhile in 2016 that of Terror. The two ships, about fifty km away from each other in the waters of the island, are located a few meters deep and in an excellent state of preservation.
The genetic study on the human remains of Terror and Erebus
Over the years, human remains belonging to 105 individuals. A research team from Waterloo University and Lakehead University, from 2021he collected DNA samples Of descendants living members of the expedition for identify human remains. Through samples taken from the teeth of the unfortunate sailors, it was identified in 2021 engineer officer John Gregory.
Recently, a sample taken from a jaw found during archaeological excavations that took place in 1993 has found a new comparison. It would be the remains of the Captain James Fitzjamescommander of the Erebus. Fitzjames was a highly experienced officer, having joined the Royal Navy at just 12 years of age. At the time of his death he had 34 years oldand had participated in many wars and explorations of His Majesty’s navy.
The study of the bones also revealed something else disturbing information. Inuit accounts had spoken of acts of cannibalism occurred among the desperate survivors, and this had been attested on the remains of some of the sailors found by archaeologists. Captain Fitzjames’ jaw also features tracks compatible with those of slaughterpointing out that in the desperate conditions in which the men found themselves, not even the officers’ bodies were spared from this practice.
