Michael Palin on Erebus

It was down to the Royal Geographical Society on Thursday this week to see Michael Palin launch his new book, which tells the story of the HMS Erebus. It was a sell out event, and all there received a signed copy of the book. HMS Erebus had a varied career. I knew quite a lot about the ship already from my reading of Polar exploration, with the tales of James Clark Ross, Barrow, Franklin et al very much on my shelves.
The Erebus made some of the earliest and most successful Antarctic voyages, and found the Ross Ice Shelf, and a volcano (named after the ship)
It then made its way north, as one of the ships used by Franklin as he attempted to find the North West Passage. He told the story of the discovery of the ships, and the work of Owen Beattie, which I'm also familiar with from my reading, and previous news reports.

I was particularly taken by the fact that Michael Palin was able to visit Beechey Island, where three of the crew of 'Erebus' were discovered. This is a place that I would love to visit, along with neighbouring islands which were visited by Barry Lopez in his books.

Michael also showed images of Erebus taken by divers, and told the story of the discovery of 'Terror' too. It was good to see a packed Ondaatje theatre with around 700 people captivated by the story, and the speaker...
A late trip back home, but fortunately unaffected by the strong winds. En route, I read the first 80 pages of the book, and it's excellent. 

Palin on Erebus

Michael Palin has written a great deal about the journeys he made for the BBC, and as a former President of the RGS has also developed some serious geography credentials.
His latest project has been a book on the fate of the Erebus: one of the ships, along with Terror, which was involved in John Franklin's expedition to find the North West Passage.

The ship(s) disappeared in the 1830s, and remained lost for well over a century until their (spoiler alert) discovery in 2014.

Good to see that Michael is coming to speak at Ely Cathedral in October. Tickets as always include a copy of the book, so are essentially free.
This is one of many talks that Topping Books organises each year. I've previously seen quite a few of them, most recently Ray Mears, and Oliver Jeffers (quite different audiences)

Death in the Ice

Going to book to see this exhibition before it ends in early January 2018. With the interest following the discovery of the wrecks of 'Erebus' and 'Terror', it is an important chapter in Arctic history, and one we will be exploring in 2018 with Year 8 students.

Also a chance to visit a World Heritage Site.

HMS Terror found

After the earlier discovery of HMS Erebus, one of Sir John Franklin's long lost ships, it's now been announced that HMS Terror has been found. This has been one of the longest mysteries in Polar exploration, and it remains to be seen what may be found on or in the wreck.

Russell Potter, author of Finding Franklin: the Untold Story of a 165-Year Search, had this to say about the discovery of the HMS Terror:

“It’s hard to overestimate the significance of this new and magnificent find: the second ship of Sir John Franklin’s expedition, HMS “Terror,” has been found. Initial images show her to be in far better condition than her sister ship, the “Erebus” (found by Parks Canada searchers in 2014), with her hatches battened, her bowsprit still in place, and many of the glass panes in her captain’s cabin still intact, it’s enough to warm the heart of any marine archaeologist — or perhaps give them a heart attack! – certainly a discovery that exceeds anyone’s (mine included) wildest imaginings as to the vessel’s state of preservation.”

I like this tweet as well:

You’d think the 1st place to check for HMS Terror is *in* Terror Bay?! https://t.co/25YrGyV9KY

— Madeleine Redfern (@madinuk) September 12, 2016