Three Hms Erebus sailors identified through DNA testing
Researchers have used DNA testing to identify three sailors from hms erebus, the ship that vanished after becoming trapped in Arctic ice. Living descendants of the men have been contacted by researchers at the University of Waterloo, bringing a direct family link to an expedition that ended in disaster.
Pembroke Dock and HMS Erebus
HMS Erebus was built in Pembroke Dock in 1826 and set sail in 1845 under the command of Sir John Franklin, alongside HMS Terror, in search of the Northwest Passage. The expedition included 128 seafarers. Both ships became imprisoned in ice in 1846, and after two years trapped, 24 sailors had already died.
Researchers say the newly identified remains came from men who died after the ship became stuck in ice. The latest work matched DNA from remains with living descendants, adding names to a story that had long been defined by loss and uncertainty. Researchers have been in contact with 130 families in 7 countries.
University of Waterloo findings
Dr Douglas Stenton, the University of Waterloo researcher who excavated the sailors' remains, said the escape attempt unfolded in near-impossible conditions. “We can't imagine that all 105 of those men were healthy enough to pull those very heavy sleds. They were almost 30 kilometres (19 miles) from shore, so the ability to get fresh food wasn't plentiful.”
He also described the expedition's failure as unresolved in basic scientific terms. “Something went seriously wrong. Was it lead poisoning? Was it scurvy? Was it beriberi (disease)? We don't know exactly.” A previous study of more than 400 bones found evidence of cannibalism on some bodies, and researchers say some sailors resorted to cannibalism during desperate attempts at survival.
Artifacts for Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre
Previously unseen artefacts from the wreck, including a bowl and a boot worn by an officer, will go on display at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. The wreckage of HMS Erebus was uncovered in 2014 in the icy waters of northern Canada, but the new DNA work adds a different kind of evidence: it connects the wreck to living families and to the names of three sailors who never came home.
The remaining question is what other remains can now be tied to descendants, as the University of Waterloo work extends through families across seven countries and leaves more of the expedition's dead identified through modern testing.
