Plates and other artifacts sitting on shelves next to a mess table where a group of lower-ranking crew members would have taken their meals on HMS Terror, underwater in Terror Bay, off King William Island, Nunavut. AFP/ Parks Canada Agency/Ryan Harris
Ottawa: Almost two centuries after descending to its watery grave, the HMS Terror could offer up new clues to the mystery of its demise, officials said Wednesday, announcing a survey of the shipwreck's well-preserved interior.
The ill-fated vessel vanished alongside the HMS Erebus during explorer Sir John Franklin's storied Arctic expedition that left Britain in 1845 to discover the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
After passing two whaling boats in Baffin Bay in August of that year, the ships would never be seen afloat again, marking the worst tragedy -- and one of the most enduring puzzles -- in the history of Arctic exploration.
The Erebus was located in Victoria Strait in 2014, while the Terror was found well-preserved under 24 meters (80 feet) of water two years later in what is now known as Terror Bay, off King William Island, Nunavut.
Underwater archeologists spent seven days exploring the Terror this summer and in a statement said they were stunned to discover its "extraordinary state of preservation" during the dives.
They believe that the captain's desk, map cabinets with drawers closed, and boxes could contain charts and logs preserved by the cold deep water, which may shed light on what exactly happened to the expedition.
"Sedimentation provides the best conditions for preservation as it allows for an environment with less oxygen, which helps preserve organics, like paper," the statement said.
The archeological team earlier this month "focused on 3D structural mapping and exploring the interior" of the Terror during the first systematic exploration.
They obtained clear images of over 90 percent of the lower deck, which includes the crew's living quarters.
Only the sleeping quarters of Captain Francis Crozier remained inaccessible, behind a closed door.
Video shows beds and desks in place, shelves with plates, glass bottles, tumblers and stemware in what is believed to have been the officers' mess pantry.
Rows of shelves with plates, bowls and glasses -- all intact -- can also be seen in the common sailors' quarters.
Sediment that seeped through the stern gallery windows covers most of the captain's cabin. A tripod and a pair of thermometers were identified there.
