HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery

People's Collection Wales, Creative Archive License

The Pembroke Dockyard was once one of the chief ship-building yards in the British Isles; founded in 1814, it eventually built and launched more than 260 ships. Of course, it's just one of those that stands out to all of us who've been captivated by the history of the Franklin expedition, and that's HMS Erebus. Laid down in 1826, she was originally equipped with two mortars -- one 13-inch and one 10-inch -- and saw brief service in the Mediterranean before being re-outfitted as an exploration vessel for the Antarctic. As with her older companion HMS Terror, her origin as a "bomb" vessel made her well-suited for such service -- the broad beam and heavy construction, combined with a relatively shallow draught, seemed ideal for navigating through ice-infested waters. She served well under the command of James Clark Ross, and when, late in 1844, a new search for the elusive northwest passage was to be undertaken, she and her consort seemed the ideal choices once more.

Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

But for a moment, let's turn back to her launching in 1826 -- for it's this occasion whose bicentenary will be celebrated in the upcoming exhibit HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery, at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. Located in what was originally the chapel of the dockyard, the Heritage Centre will be host to a selection of artifacts recovered by Parks Canada's underwater archaeology team between 2014 and 2017 -- artifacts which were, as part of the agreement with the UK that transferred ownership of the ships to Canada -- sent to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, from which they are now being loaned. It will be a striking re-union, the first time any materials associated with Erebus have returned to her port of origin in these two centuries.

And I'm very happy to say that I'm going to be part of the opening weekend for this extraordinary exhibit! On Sunday, June 7th, I'll be delivering a talk, "From Land’s End to the Ends of the Earth:  The Eventful Career of HMS Erebus." The first phrase of my title is quite deliberate -- the name of Pembroke comes from the Welsh Penfro meaning 'land's end' or 'headland -- and of course will encompass both her Antarctic and Arctic voyages, as well as the archaeological work that's been done on the wreck site, and all that we've learned from it so far. The exhibit will be open to the general public on June 8th.

I hope that some of my readers here at Visions of the North, who've been kind enough to give it more than 2.4 million views over the seventeen years I've been writing it, will find their way to this exhibit -- and I hope we'll all have an opportunity, wherever we are, to raise a glass to this extraordinary vessel on the anniversary of her launching.

Lost as Where We Are

 Many years ago, it was music that brought me to the story of the Franklin expedition -- Mícheál Ó Domhnaill's version of "Lord Franklin." And now, in a poetic turn, it's the Franklin story that brought me back to music -- in this case, Eric Vieweg and Shawn Tavenier, who as "The Golden Low" have just released an extraordinary two-LP set, Lost as Where We Are, that draws its inspiration from that famously ill-fated undertaking. And, this time, it's not just the simple elegy of a mournful tune, but a lovely, lively engagement with the hearts and minds of Franklin and his men, a kind of musical journey from the high hopes of their sailing from Greenhithe, through to the lonely graves at Beechey Island, and on to the last stumbling steps of the sledge-haulers on the shores of King William Island.

It all began, of course, on May 19th 1845, when, as Eric and Shawn put it, "we said goodbye to friends and relations / and to the grass under English skies," and thus the songs begin. Next comes a meditation on "What's Left Behind," followed by my favorite track, "Anniversary." This song takes it chorus from a line on John Hartnell's grave marker, "Consider your Ways," and turns it into an extended meditation on mortality and meaning -- but it's not a mournful one. Indeed, the tune is so catchy that even my non-Franklin-obsessed friends find themselves humming along in the car. Not since Stan Rogers has the story come alive in such a way; these songs not only memorialize the past but capture something of the mood of moment, here among us "tardiest explorers."

The story continues through the many stages common both to life and expeditions -- "The Problem with Progress," "Wilderness Tips," and "Starting to Change" -- and then to the final and eventually the ghostly journey from ships stranded in the ice. Even the odd Franklin relic gets a song, with "Rusty Copper Hinge." The final track, "Warm of the Morning," reflects both on the loss of the men and the endless curiosity of those who've search for the rhyme and the reason of it all -- "you question all that's created / well, having the answer can be overrated." The final lines are the most evocative: "I'll hold below with my good companions / out in the darkness, you'll hear us singing."

I was honored when Eric and Shawn asked me to contribute some liner notes! If you'd like to get hold of this on vinyl; you can order copies directly from the Record Centre in Ottawa. Or, if digital music is more your groove, the album can be purchased and downloaded directly via Bandcamp. Either way, clear your decks, turn down the lights -- if you're anywhere near where the 'Blizzard of '26' deposited its drifts, have a look out the window. Then drop the needle and listen.