Stamps Commemorate the Franklin Expedition
Canada Post has unveiled three stamps commemorating Sir John Franklin’s 1845 search for the Northwest Passage and the discovery of his vanished flagship HMS Erebus. The stamps will be issued on August 6.
In 1845, Franklin set sail from England with two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, in search of a Northwest Passage across what is now Canada's Arctic. The ships and crews vanished, prompting a massive search that continues to this day.
Franklin commanded the expedition from HMS Erebus and is believed to have been on the ship when he died.
The Search
After the Franklin expedition disappeared, many follow-up expeditions were sent. These expeditions mapped much of the Arctic, and in 1853 Robert McClure and his crew from the trapped Investigator walked through the North-West Passage.
A breakthrough in the search for Franklin’s expedition was made in September 2014 when a group led by Parks Canada discovered the wreck of HMS Erebus. The initial discovery of a ship belonging to the Franklin Expedition, made by side-scan sonar towed from the Parks Canada research vessel Investigator, was confirmed on September 7 using Parks Canada’s remotely operated vehicle.
The wreck lies at the bottom of the eastern portion of Queen Maud Gulf, west of O'Reilly Island.
This expedition, the Victoria Strait Expedition, brought together the Government of Canada and public, private and non-profit organizations. The use of both state-of-the-art technology and 19th-century Inuit oral testimony made the historic discovery possible.
The wreck of HMS Terror has not yet been found.
The Ships
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were barque-rigged sailing ships with cutting edge technology of the day.
A full-size railway locomotive was built into the hold to supply power to the Erebus’ seven foot propeller. The propeller could be removed if there was danger of ice damage. The galley stove included a desalination plant and a boiler to pipe heating water throughout the ship. The bow was reinforced with iron plates to break through the ice.
On leaving England, the vessels carried a five year supply of food for the 128 men on board. Stores included 35 tons of flour, 24 tons of meat, 2,000 gallons of liquor, one and three quarter tons of tobacco and a ton of candles.
A Moment in History
“The mystery of Franklin’s expedition has long captured the imaginations of Canadians. It’s a story of leadership, brave exploration, our history, our culture and our iconic North, all wrapped together,” says the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice. “These stamps reflect Canadians’ pride in technology, while embracing the traditional stories and knowledge that helped make the discovery of Erebus possible and highlight a cherished moment in the history of our nation.”
“Canadian stamps have a long history of celebrating our great explorers,” says Deepak Chopra, Canada Post President and CEO. “These stamps honour Franklin and his bold men but also celebrate the discovery of a shipwreck that had eluded previous and perilous searches: the long-lost Erebus.”
The Stamps
A se-tenant issue – or side-by-side pair – the two Permanent stamps were designed by Roy White of Vancouver-based Subplot Design Inc., with illustrations from Halifax-based Mike Little, who worked on the Titanic collection issued in 2012 and other stamps. A white background and high relief embossing were used so that the stamps appear to have been carved from ice. The first stamp shows Erebus with HMS Terror in the background. The second features a map of the Arctic region that Franklin explored and uses Inuktut to mark places – reflecting the Inuit oral history that guided many searches, including the 2014 discovery.
The international-rate stamp, also designed by White, combines Matthew Betts’s illustration of HMS Erebus’s deck plan with a modern sonar image from the wreck, courtesy of the Canadian Hydrographic Service of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The accompanying souvenir sheet features an underwater photo provided by Parks Canada of the ship’s bell from the Erebus, as discovered by divers. A special phosphorescent ink on the stamp enhances the sonar image, while a metallic ink lends a sheen to the bell.