Ice conditions keep Canadian divers from full exploration of Franklin wreck
OTTAWA — Unexpectedly intense ice conditions meant anxious archeologists had to limit their exploration of the two Franklin expedition shipwrecks earlier this month.
Persistent ice off the Yukon and Alaskan coasts caused a three-week delay for Parks Canada underwater archeologists just to access the wreck of HMS Erebus at its gravesite in shallow waters off the coast of King William Island in Nunavut.
The ice also meant they had to leave more than a week ahead of schedule, leaving them just a day and a half to explore the wreck or risk their research vessel being stuck in the ice — much like Sir John Franklin’s ships were more than a century and a half ago.
“This proved to be the worst ice conditions we have seen,” said Ryan Harris, a senior underwater archeologist with Parks Canada.