In the summer of 1845, Sir John Franklin and a crew of 128 men entered Lancaster Sound on board HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in search of a Northwest Passage. The sturdy former bomb ships were substantially strengthened and fitted with the latest technologies for polar service and, at the time, were the most advanced sailing vessels developed for Polar exploration. Both ships, but especially HMS Terror, had already proven their capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctic. With such sophisticated, rugged, and successful vessels, victory over the Northwest Passage seemed inevitable, yet the entire crew vanished, and the ships were never seen again by Europeans. Finally, in 2014, the wreck of HMS Erebus was discovered by Parks Canada. Two years later, the wreck of HMS Terror was found, sitting upright, in near pristine condition. The extraordinarily well-preserved state and location of the ships, so far south of their last reported position, raises questions about the role they played in the tragedy. Did the extraordinary capabilities of the ships in fact contribute to the disaster? Never before has the Franklin Mystery been comprehensively examined through the lens of its sailing technology. This book documents the history, design, modification, and fitting of HMS Terror, one of the world's most successful polar exploration vessels. Part historical narrative and part technical design manual, this book provides, for the first time, a complete account of Terror's unique career, as well as an assessment of her sailing abilities in polar conditions, a record of her design specifications, and a full set of accurate plans of her final 1845 configuration. Based on meticulous historical research, the book details the ship's every bolt and belaying pin, and ends with the discovery and identification of the wreck in 2016, explaining how the successes and ice-worthiness of Terror may have contributed to the Franklin disaster itself. It is an ideal reference for those interested in the Franklin Mystery, in polar exploration, the Royal Navy, and in ship design and modelling.

L'ouvrage decrit avec precision les resultats de cette initiative du Musee canadien de l'histoire, menee en collaboration avec la Premiere Nation d'Acadia, attribuables a cinq saisons (de 2008 a 2012) d'etudes et de fouilles menees a Port Joli ainsi qu'a 10 annees d'analyses en laboratoire. Il comprend aussi des donnees provenant de travaux archeologiques anterieurs menes a Port Joli par Erskine, Raddall, Millard et d'autres, offrant ainsi une synthese complete de l'un des plus importants inventaires archeologiques autochtones de la Nouvelle-Ecosse. Conjuguant l'approche monographique plus traditionnelle pour traiter d'un site archeologique, cet ouvrage fournit un portrait detaille de toutes les informations archeologiques recuperees, notamment des artefacts tels que des assiettes colorees, des dessins techniques, des profils et des cartes, en plus d'une description complete des donnees recueillies. Le dernier chapitre offre une histoire culturelle de Port Joli, resumant comment ce " joli port " est devenu un endroit central pour les Mi'kmaq avant l'arrivee des Europeens. Une coedition avec le Musee canadien de l'histoire. Ce livre est publie en anglais. - The book describes in detail the findings of five seasons (2008-2012) of survey and excavation in Port Joli, and ten years of laboratory analysis, undertaken by the Canadian Museum of History, in collaboration with Acadia First Nation. It also incorporates data recovered from previous archaeological work conducted in Port Joli by Erskine, Raddall, Millard, and others, providing a complete synthesis of one of Nova Scotia's richest Indigenous archaeological records. Reviving the art of a traditional archaeology "site monograph", the work provides a complete presentation of all the archaeological information recovered, including full-colour artifact plates, technical drawings, profiles, and maps, in addition to a complete data description and synthesis. The final chapter presents a culture history of the Port Joli, summarizing how the "pretty harbour" became a central place for Mi'kmaq prior to the arrival of Europeans. A copublication with the Canadian Museum of History. This book is published in English.