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One of Canada's greatest mysteries solved: Lost Franklin expedition ship found

For nearly a 170 years, one of the lost ships from the Franklin Expedition has sat patiently in the Arctic -- and now, finally, it's been discovered. Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the finding of one of the ships from Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest Passage. As every student knows, both ships in Franklin's 1845...
CBC Radio ·

For nearly a 170 years, one of the lost ships from the Franklin Expedition has sat patiently in the Arctic -- and now, finally, it's been discovered. Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the finding of one of the ships from Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest Passage. As every student knows, both ships in Franklin's 1845 expedition got trapped in ice. And no one from the expedition survived. But what exactly happened to the ships and the men has remained unknown.

Now experts hope the discovery will shed more light on a story that has captured the public imagination for years. But for Ottawa there may be other gains attached to the ship find.

Martin Crozier is related to Francis Crozier, who was second in command on the expedition. And for years, Martin Crozier has been following developments in the Franklin story. We reached Martin Crozier in Prague, Czech Republic.




Maclean's Senior Writer Chris Sorenson says there is more than just history at stake for Ottawa in this find. He talks to Carol about the politics behind the expedition and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Franklin fever:




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