The HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set sail from England in 1845 to find a navigable path through the Northwest Passage.

The wrecks have been found near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. Ryan Harris and colleagues at Parks Canada used a small, remotely-operated vehicle to give them video images underwater. Multi-beam sonar from an accompanying Canadian Hydrographic Service boat produced even clearer 3-D representations. They showed that the dimensions and design details of a surprisingly intact shipwreck that matched those of the Erebus about 40 feet underwater.

Featured image: Douglas Stenton (left) Ryan Harris (middle) and Jonathan Moore examine the ship’s bell.