On May 19, 1845, two ships set sail from Kent, England.
The trip, to put it mildly, would not go well.
Before they reached their destination, five crew members left the ship due to sickness.
Sailors abandoned the HMS Terror and Erebus, but were forced to resort to cannibalism in a failed effort to find help.© Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife via Getty
They would be the lucky ones, as both ships would end up trapped in Arctic ice.
In total, 129 sailors lost their lives.
At one location, 451 bones, belonging to at least 13 sailors, were found.
Cut marks on the jaw bone of James Fitzjames indicate his body was used as food by his fellow sailors. © University of Waterloo
Theypublishedsome of their findings in a recent edition of theJournal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
Fitzjames was a senior member of the expedition.
In fact, he was the one who wrote the report declaring Franklins death.
A portrait of James Fitzjames, captain of the HMS Erebus. © University of Waterloo
ScientistsrediscoveredtheErebusin 2014, while theTerrorwas found in 2016.
The archaeologists arent done.
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