For over 160 years, Western searchers scoured the wrong locations or dismissed the only witnesses to the disaster. The rediscovery of the ships is a testament to the accuracy of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit oral history).

The Value of Oral History

Victorian searchers often dismissed Inuit testimony as vague or unreliable. However, Inuit families passed down specific accounts for generations:

• Stories of a ship seen sinking in deep water (now confirmed as HMS Erebus).
• Stories of a ship that “sat on the ice” and was harvested for wood and metal (now confirmed as HMS Terror).
• Accounts of “Aglooka” (Crozier) and men dragging boats south.

The Discovery (2014 & 2016)

The breakthrough came when modern archaeologists began treating these oral histories as navigational data.

• 2014 (HMS Erebus): Historian Louie Kamookak analyzed oral traditions that pointed to the Queen Maud Gulf. A Parks Canada search team, following these leads, located the Erebus in shallow water.
• 2016 (HMS Terror): Inuk Ranger Sammy Kogvik reported seeing a “piece of wood that looked like a mast” in Terror Bay years earlier. acting on this tip, the research vessel Martin Bergmann detoured to the bay and found the Terror in pristine condition.

Artifact Gallery

Since the discovery, divers have recovered hundreds of items that offer a glimpse into life onboard.

(Placeholder for Image Gallery)

• The Bell of HMS Erebus: Found on the deck, dated 1845.
• Seamen’s Chests: Personal items including combs, boots, and letters.
• Navigational Instruments: Sextants and chronometers used in the vain hope of charting the passage.

“The Inuit have always known where the ships were. We just had to listen.” — Louie Kamookak