London (ANTARA News) – Britain will reward Canada with two shipwrecks from explorer Sir John Franklin’s Arctic expedition, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

The British Ministry of Defense said on Monday local time that ownership of the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, considered treasures of the British Royal Navy at the time, would be officially transferred to Canada’s National Park Service in the coming days. weeks.

But Britain will keep “a small sample of objects” recovered from the wrecks of the two ships for display in museums, according to the ministry.

“This extraordinary arrangement will recognize the historic value of the Franklin expedition to the Canadian people and ensure the preservation of the wrecks and artifacts for future generations,” said Defense Minister Michael Fallon, quoted by AFP.

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror departed England on May 19, 1845 under the command of Franklin on a mission to discover the Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

However, after encountering two whaling ships in Baffin Bay in August of that year, both ships disappeared. This event constitutes the worst tragedy in the history of Arctic exploration.

Erebus was finally found in Victoria Strait in 2014 while Terror was found in fairly good condition two years later in a 24 meter deep bay near King William Island.

Both wrecks will be designated historic sites in Canada, and Parks Canada is planning a major excavation of the Erebus next summer.

After both ships became stuck in the ice, the sailors finally ran out of supplies a year and a half later. A message reveals that Franklin and 23 crew members died on June 11, 1847.

On April 22, 1848, 105 survivors left the ship to attempt to reach dry land on foot, but none survived.

In the 1980s, Canadian researchers said the remains of the expedition members found on Beechey Island indicated they died from cold, hunger and lead poisoning from canned foods. . (a B/)