"Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Canada, took DNA samples from skeletal remains and compared them to the known crew members' living descendants. This revealed exact matches for three crew members who died on the shores of Erebus Bay, and a fourth whose body was found 80 miles away."
"The first three were all crew members of the HMS Erebus: William Orren, Able Seaman; David Young, Boy 1st Class; and John Bridgens, Subordinate Officers' Steward. The lone sailor was identified as Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop of HMS Terror."
"By the time Sir Franklin's two ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, set off from London in May 1845, multiple expeditions had already tried and failed to find the path. The ships were stocked with seven years' worth of food, state-of-the-art central heating systems, and even 1,000 copies of Punch magazine to keep the crew entertained."
Scientists have identified four men who died during Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage. DNA analysis of skeletal remains matched three crew members from HMS Erebus and one from HMS Terror. The identified crew members are William Orren, David Young, John Bridgens, and Harry Peglar. The expedition aimed to find a navigable route between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans but ended tragically when the ships became trapped in ice, leading to the crew's demise after they attempted to trek across King William Island.
Read at Mail Online
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