No. 369

A whaletooth depicting Hms Terror and Erebus (however this sailor has spelled it Eribos!)

In 1848, the Franklin expedition’s two ships, H.M.S. Erebus and H.M.S. Terror, disappeared with all their crew while searching for the Northwest Passage. Their fate is one of the enduring mysteries of the age of exploration. Numerous expeditions were sent out to find them, numerous theories proposed to explain what happened.

The two ships on here are depicted in ice, with wooden barrels, tents, storage chests and the crew depicted in the foreground. The artist has given a great perspective here, you really sense the setting. To the reverse the wording '1846. HMS TERROR & EREBUS. abandoned Victoria Straits. Capts Franklin & Crozier.  all 128 men died'. Measures 10.5cm x 5cm.