But, notes Lockhart, “Given the location of the two ships, it is clear that the interpretation of the Franklin story and how it unfolded has to be re-examined.” The working theory remains that they died, one by one, succumbing to scurvy and exposure as they slogged vainly over land in search of safety. We may never know exactly what happened to the crews of Erebus and Terror. Lockhart notes that, since 2018, “Parks Canada has been working on the Franklin Expedition Inuit Oral History Project, to gather existing oral histories related to the 1845 Franklin Expedition and the Inuit lands where the wrecks were found, from Inuit knowledge-holders, community members, and Parks Canada experts.” In more recent times, however, the import and accuracy of these testimonies has been increasingly acknowledged. Initially, British officials gave short shrift to Inuit testimonies, repulsed by since-confirmed assertions that at least some of the desperate Franklin survivors resorted to cannibalism. While it may seem surprising that the ships should be found so far from where they were deserted, the Erebus wreck site is actually exactly where Inuit oral traditions have long said one of the ships sank. Members of the arctic expedition led by British explorer Sir John Franklin struggling in their attempt to discover the Northwest passage in 1847.
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