Brickwrecks: The Lasting Legacy of HMS TERROR & HMS EREBUS
Brickwrecks: The Lasting Legacy of HMS TERROR & HMS EREBUS
Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks is open in No.1 Smithery and features nine infamous shipwrecks, including HMS TERROR & HMS PANDORA. You can read all about HMS PANDORA in our previous Warship Wednesday here.
Naval ships TERROR and EREBUS set sail from Kent in May 1845, bound for the treacherous Northwest Passage in the Arctic Circle, led by Captain Sir John Franklin.
Both bomb vessels were experienced polar exploration ships and had undergone a refit at Chatham ahead of the Franklin-led expedition of 1845. You can read about their previous expeditions here.
Ships’ Company with a Chatham Connection
The Franklin Expedition left Greenhithe on 19 May 1845 and was tasked with plotting the final uncharted part of the Northwest Passage, a vital sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
During the expedition, Franklin commanded EREBUS (with James Fitzjames as second-in-command) whilst Francis Crozier captained TERROR.
The ships’ company consisted of 129 men. Recruitment of officers and men took place between March – April 1845, and was the responsibility of Third-in-Command, Commander James Fitzjames. The full list of those who served can be viewed on Royal Museums Greenwich (with a transcribed version available here).
Amongst the crew, 22 were listed as being from Kent. Three of the ships’ company were only 18 years old. Chatham sailors included Thomas Hartnell (able seaman, 23 years), William Orren (able seaman, 34 years), and Thomas Armitage (gun-room steward, 38 years).
Preparations for the Voyage
Both TERROR and EREBUS were built as bomb vessels but were later refitted as polar exploration vessels. Their original design meant that their strong framework was an advantage for working in arctic conditions. Both ships were specially strengthened and given flush upper decks.
Ahead of the Franklin Expedition, further preparations were made at Chatham to refit and equip the warships to undertake the treacherous voyage. The ships were fitted with auxiliary steam plant, engines, and ‘lifting’ screw propellors (an arrangement designed by Mr Oliver Lang, Master-Shipwright at Woolwich Dockyard).
The steam engines used were ex-railway locomotives. Under favourable conditions, the 20 hp steam engine could give a max speed of 4 knots. The steam plant for TERROR was fitted in the stern compartment, and the original locomotive funnel was retained. EREBUS had a steam plant obtained from the Greenwich Railway.
EREBUS and TERROR were the first polar ships fitted with steam plant and propulsion.
Also fitted as part of the preparations:
- Galley cooking stoves that also supplied desalinated seawater
- A hot-water boiler which supplied steam for a heating system, consisting of a 12-inch diameter pipe running under the deck to circulate warm water to the mess decks and other parts of the ship
- The bows were covered by sheet-iron for a distance of twenty feet on each side
These preparations were completed by the third week in April 1845.
Stores for the Journey
The expedition was equipped with three years’ worth of supplies in stores, provisions, and clothing.
Principal foodstuffs supplied:
| HMS EREBUS | HMS TERROR | |
|---|---|---|
| Beef (in 8lb pieces) | 16,416 lb 7,446.2 kg | 15,808 lb 7,170.4 kg |
| Biscuits | 18,355 lb 8,325.7 kg | 18,132 lb 8,224.5 kg |
| Chocolate | 4,822 lb 2,187.2 kg | 4,628 lb 2,099.2 kg |
| Cranberries | 85 gal 322 kg | 85 gal 322 kg |
| Flour | 69,888 lb 31,700 kg | 66,768 lb 30,285.5 kg |
| Lemon Juice | 4,750 lb 2,154.6 kg | 4,550 lb 2,063.8 kg |
| Mustard | 500 lb 226.8 kg | 500 lb 226.8 kg |
| Oatmeal | 690 gal 2,612 kg | 660 gal 2,498 kg |
| Peas | 75 bushel 2,642.9 kg | 72 bushel 2,537 kg |
| Pemmican (made with “choice cuts of meat, with pimento and other spices mixed, to make it more palatable”) | 612 lb 277.6 kg | 591 lb 268 kg |
| Pepper | 100 lb 45.4 kg | 100 lb 45.4 kg |
| Pickles | 300 gal 1,136 kg | 280 gal 1,056 kg |
| Pork (in 4lb pieces) | 16,320 lb 7,402.6 kg | 15,680 lb 7,122.3 kg |
| Preserved Meat | 16,066 lb 7,287.4 kg | 17,223 lb 7,812.2 kg |
| Raisins | 504 lb 228.6 kg | 504 lb 228.6 kg |
| Scotch Barley | 1,248 lb 566 kg | 1,248 lb 566 kg |
| Soup (Concentrated) | 10,920 pt 6,205 L | 9,543 pt 5,423 L |
| Spirits (Concentrated) | 1,896 gal 8,619 L | 1,788 gal 8,128 L |
| Suet | 1,568 lb 711.2 kg | 1,484 lb 673.1 kg |
| Sugar | 11,928 lb 5,410.5 kg | 11,648 lb 5,283.4 kg |
| Tea | 1,195 lb 542.04 kg | 1,162 lb 527.07 kg |
| Vegetables (Preserved) | 4,572 lb 2,073.8 kg | 4,328 lb 1,963.2 kg |
| Vinegar | 677 gal 3,078 L | 649 gal 2,950 L |
| Wine (for the sick) | 100 gal 455 L | 100 gal 455 L |
The assisting supply ship BARRETTO JUNIOR also carried live cattle to be slaughtered for fresh meat.
Lemon juice was supplied to prevent scurvy. Men would have been inspected weekly, with sore gums being an early sign. The disease can cause old wounds to reopen, teeth to loosen, and skin to bruise easily. Scurvy was a constant problem on polar expeditions, as fresh fruit and vegetables weren’t available. (Inuit ate their meat raw to get enough Vitamin C.)
Expedition Support
Due to the limited storage space on EREBUS and TERROR, a supply transport ship, BARRETTO JUNIOR, was used for part of the journey North. Two steam tugs, HMS RATTLER and Chatham-built HMS BLAZER (having replaced HMS MONKEY), were also ordered to accompany the expedition.
BARRETTO JUNIOR was a wood-hulled barque built in Calcutta in 1818. She served as a passenger-cargo ship and expeditionary support vessel.
The steamers were instructed to tow the EREBUS and TERROR until they left British waters and departed the group in June 1845. RATTLER was a 9-gun steam screw sloop of the Royal Navy, and one of the first British warships to be completed with screw propulsion. BLAZER was a wooden-paddle sloop.
A letter from Commander Fitzjohn to Elizabeth Coningham noted, “The steamers Ratler and Blazer left us at noon yesterday, near the Island of Rona, seventy or eighty miles from Stromness. Their captains came on board and took our letters; one from me will have told you of our doings up to that time.”
Final Preparations Before the Arctic
The three remaining ships reached Disko Bay, Greenland, in July 1845. Admiralty orders stated the transport ship was to go as far north as possible, without endangering itself from the risk of ice. At this point, all remaining stores, provisions, and clothing were transferred to EREBUS & TERROR. In return, BARRETTO JUNIOR received the sailors’ mail; a scientific paper “On the Anatomy of Forbesia,” written by Harry Duncan Spens Goodsir; and five men: William Aitken (marine, TERROR), John Brown (able seaman, TERROR), Thomas Burt (armourer, EREBUS), Robert Carr (armourer, TERROR), and James Elliot (sailmaker, TERROR).
Captain Francis Crozier wrote to his friend, the British Royal Naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross, Crozier described how overburdened TERROR was and his steps to lessen the load:
“We got here on the morning of the fourth and have been busily employed ever since clearing and stowing away from transport. ‘Tis very tedious work from the small space we have to stow things. We have now a mean draft of 16 feet and all our provisions not yet on board. I sent home our largest cutter (and fill launch with patent fuel), 2 anchors and cables, iron waist davits and various things of weight as I think it better to have the provisions, come what may afterwards.”
The transport ship returned to Kent in August 1845. At the time, it was reported that Franklin’s men were confident and in good health.
TRAGEDY IN THE ARCTIC
EREBUS and TERROR set sail for Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound, west of Greenland, in July 1845. It was the first time they had been by themselves since departing Kent. The ships wintered off Beechey Island waiting for the ice to clear.
On 31 December 1845, Commander Fitzjames was promoted to the rank of Captain, but he died before being informed.
During the following year, the expedition made little progress and spent a second winter trapped in ice off King William Island. The ships would be trapped in ice for 19 months.
Victory Pointe Note
Whilst it is not clear what happened to the crews of HMS TERROR and HMS EREBUS, the discovery of the Victory Pointe Note provides some vital insight.
The note was discovered in April 1859 by the crew of FOX, which was on a rescue expedition organised by Sir John Franklin’s wife, Lady Jane. The paper was found under a cairn built by Sir James Ross in 1831.
This important discovery detailed some of the events of the expedition, including the death of Captain Sir John Franklin on 11 June 1847. The note was written in two parts on a pre-printed Admiralty form. Part one was written on 28 May 1847 and signed by First Lieutenant Graham Gore and Charles Frederick Des Voeux; it ends with “All well.”
Part two was written on 25 April 1848 and details deserting both ships and the tally of deaths of “9 officers and 15 men.” This updated message was signed by both Captain Crozier and Commander Fitzjohn.
The Victory Point Note is a part of the collection of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Read about the paper being loaned to the Canadian Museum of History as a part of the exhibition “Death in the Ice – The Mystery of the Franklin Expedition”.
Shipwreck Discoveries
The wreck of HMS EREBUS was discovered on 7 September 2014. The wreck was found to be in good condition; however, four years later, it was announced that the ship was deteriorating quickly.
On 12 September 2016, it was announced that the wreck of HMS TERROR had been located. As it was a lower depth than EREBUS, the wreck was not subject to environmental stresses and was discovered in a pristine condition.
There are still discoveries being made, as in September 2024, the skeletal mandible (part of the jaw) of Commander Fitzjohn was identified through a DNA match made from a living descendant of Fitzjames’s great-grandfather James Gambier. The bone also reveals signs of cannibalism because of the cut marks visible on the bone. A memorial cairn with a commemorative plaque has been erected at the site of the sailor’s remains.
The ongoing work for Parks Canada underwater archaeologists, Inuit knowledge-holders and other experts revolves around researching, documenting, and preserving the shipwrecks.
Recovered artefacts from HMS EREBUS are cared for by the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec and Nattilik Heritage Centre. The exhibition “Death in the Ice: The Mystery of the Franklin Expedition” was displayed in Canada and the UK in 2017 and 2018.
In 2024, The National Museum of the Royal Navy received a representative example of salvaged artefacts. Under the agreement between the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Inuit of Nunavut, it was agreed that the UK would relinquish its claim to both shipwrecks and further discoveries. The UK would receive the first 65 salvaged artefacts, as well as any gold, objects of Royal Naval significance, and human remains, which would be repatriated.
Shipwreck Guardians
The wrecks of HMS TERROR & HMS EREBUS were designated as a National Historic Site of Canada (NHSC) in 1992 and are under the protection of the Government of Canada (represented by Parks Canada) and the Inuit Heritage Trust.
Public access to the wreck sites is not allowed, and the exact locations of the ships have not been revealed. Parks Canada has been trialling visits with limited numbers. In addition, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association will establish a visitor centre at Gjoa Haven.
Arctic Sea Ice
The Northwest Passage was plotted by the crew of HMS INVESTIGATOR, captained by Sir Robert McClure in 1850. The McClure Arctic expedition was one of many rescue searches to find the missing HMS TERROR and HMS EREBUS. The discovery of the Passage was made through the Prince of Wales Strait and accomplished by ship and sledge.
Passage through the Arctic is dependent on ice cover. It is believed that climate change is reducing ice cover, and passages are opening for longer periods. The Franklin expedition took place at the end of a time known as the “Little Ice Age”, meaning that winters in the Arctic would have been particularly harsh.
EREBUS & TERROR in LEGO
HMS TERROR & EREBUS feature in Brickwrecks: Sunken Ships in LEGO® Bricks. Presenter and historian, Dan Snow, describes them as being “locked in the enormous landscape of sea ice… how isolated and how brutal the environment was.”
The LEGO model is made of 20,748 bricks and took over 103 hours to build.
