The collaboration between Inuit, Parks Canada, and numerous public, private, and non-profits partners and organizations has led to the realization of several significant milestones over the past decades.
Here are a few notable achievements in chronological order:
· 1992: the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site was established in 1992 prior to the finding of the wrecks
· September 2, 2014: the wreck of HMS Erebus is located
· 2015: the wreck of HMS Erebus is added to the National Historic Sites of Canada Order, giving it legal protection under the Canada National Parks Act
· September 3, 2016: the wreck of HMS Terror is located
· 2015-2023: Parks Canada's Underwater Archaeology Team completes 11 episodes of underwater archaeological fieldwork at the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site. A 2019 landmark research season recovered over 350 artifacts from the site of HMS Erebus and captured remarkable interior footage of HMS Terror
· 2016: the Franklin Interim Advisory Committee, comprised of community members and representatives from the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Inuit Heritage Trust, Government of Nunavut, the heritage and tourism industry and Parks Canada, was formed to advise on the management of the wrecks until an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement could be finalized between Parks Canada and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association
· 2017: the wreck of HMS Terror is added to the National Historic Sites of Canada Order, giving it legal protection under the Canada National Parks Act
· 2017: the Franklin Interim Advisory Committee recommends the creation of an Inuit Guardian program to help safeguard the wreck sites and collaborate with Parks Canada to conduct field research and support the development and delivery of visitor experiences
· 2018: the United Kingdom signs a Deed of Gift and a Memorandum of Understanding to transfer ownership of the wrecks to Canada, and for the United Kingdom to retain a representative sample of artifacts
· 2018: all newly discovered artifacts from HMS Erebus and HMS Terror become jointly owned by the Government of Canada and Inuit
· 2019: the Government of Canada and Inuit Heritage Trust sign a Memorandum of Understanding detailing how the two organizations will work together to protect, study, conserve and share the Franklin artifacts
· 2023: The Government of Canada and Kitikmeot Inuit Association sign a $23-million Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement promoting Inuit leadership at the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site.
The Search for Franklin
In 1845, the Franklin Expedition -- two British Navy ships with 129 crewmembers HMS Erebus and HMS Terror-- sailed into the Arctic and disappeared while searching for a Northwest Passage.
Despite multiple search parties and decades of expeditions launched to try to find the wrecks or evidence regarding the fate of the Franklin crewmembers, the searches remained unsuccessful. The search for the Franklin Expedition helped map the Canadian Arctic. Eventually, the Northwest Passage was found and charted.
The disappearance of the two ships with its 129 officers and men captured public attention and interest for more than 160 years. Over the years, various individuals and groups studied the evidence, developed their own theories, and undertook searches. In 1992, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designated the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror as a national historic site in order to protect them if they were ever found. This designation along with a 1997 agreement with the British government gave Parks Canada a role in finding and protecting the ships.
In 2008, Parks Canada's Underwater Archaeology Team, supported by a variety of partners, began a new multi-year series of modern searches. Perseverance, technology, and Inuit knowledge led to the locating of the wrecks of HMS Erebus in 2014 and HMS Terror in 2016. The background story of the search for the Franklin Expedition can be read here: https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/nu/epaveswrecks
