An Ontario researcher has used modern technology to clearly identify the final resting place of an officer from the Franklin Expedition, adding fresh information to the ongoing quest for details on the ill-fated search for the Northwest Passage. No one returned, and search missions determined that both the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror became ice-bound and were abandoned. His records detailed skeletal human remains, pieces of navy blue cloth, and buttons presumably belonging to members of Franklin’s crew, Stenton said. Stenton said such accoutrements were likely only worn by officers or senior-ranking members of Franklin’s crew. Researchers, he said, have already extracted genetic profiles for 24 of the expedition’s crew members and are actively trying to connect them with present-day descendents to identify specific sets of remains.

Source: National Post October 28, 2018 23:15 UTC