(I’ve joined 100 passengers on board a small cruise ship to explore the Eastern coast of Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. Join me as I see wildlife, phenomenal landscapes and meet friendly locals with Adventure Canada.)
I had heard about the Franklin Expedition through the Canadian media. In Stephen Harper’s goal to have a larger presence in the arctic- our “northern sovereignty”- he sent a new ship to search for the remains of the British Franklin Expedition from 1848.
Franklin Expedition Graves on Beechey Island, Baffin Island (Nunavut)
In search of the Northwest Passage, Sir John Franklin and his men set sail on the Erebus and Terror ships. Canned food from England is thought to be the cause of the crew’s deterioration, eventually leading to starvation and death.
The English conducted many searches, but up to this day, no one has found the missing ships. Only a cairn with notes from the voyage and a partially written account of the expedition remain.
We got to visit Beechey Island today to see the graves of three of the sailors. Although I’m glad that Canada wants to have a bigger presence in the north, why is it that a few British sailors get so much attention from the press and money from the government? The ships “today [are] ranked among the greatest undiscovered prizes of international marine archaeology” (The Vancouver Sun, August 16, 2008).
The new expedition has a price tag of $75,000 for the six-week mission, which will sweep the floors of a mapped area looking for the ships and other remains. Two more six-week missions are planned if the first is unsuccessful. But doesn’t a stronger presence in the north mean building stronger communities? How does spending an extra $75,000 for each search expedition for British ships prove that the Canadian arctic is ours?
It was with this uncertainty that I approached the graves of the three sailors (and one searcher) and took my photos. Around 800-1,000 travellers visit the site per year. I just hope that they pay as much attention to the feats of those living up north as they do to those sailors.
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Thanks for good post
Hello
My name is Olivia Craword, I am an doing my Diploma in Architecture at the Architecture Association in London. I see you have done an amazing trip to Nunavut and I was wondering if you could possibly give me some advise on how you went about organising it, and also if you have any information or connections you think might help me?
I and am very interested in Nunavut’s geological, industrial and economic situation. I am at the start of my research and design project into the relationship between the mines and the Inuit people and how there situation is further strained due to climatic conditions. I am very keen to visit the area in either December or in January. I am finding it very difficult to decide on a location to visit. I am on a student budget but would really like to go to an area where there’s a mine development and Inuit people living near by. I was thinking of Jericho Diamonds which is near Yellowknife but i am unable to find out if there is an Inuit settlement nearby. Yellowknife seems like an accessible area. Would you be able to help me please? Is there any one who is researching into the lifestyle of the inuit and weather the mines can help benefit them, not necessarily providing them jobs in the mines but perhaps helping them to create their own industry. Are their groups of researchers who are organising trips over this period that i could perhaps join on their expedition?
I am at the start of my project to the exact approach or direction I am going in is rather vague, but i know i need to book flights and start organising whom i can meet as soon as possible.
This is probably a very unusual request for you, it is hard to start planning when you are on the other side of the world!
Best wishes
Olivia
http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/
Wow, you’re right, this is an unusual request for me! I have been up to Nunavut twice, but in a tourism capacity, and just don’t know the answers to your questions… I would go ahead and contact the government (www.gov.nu.ca) to find out more information about the industry you’re looking into. When planning the trip itself, contact the staff at Tourism Nunavut (www.nunavuttourism.com), who can help make all the arrangements. I should mention that Yellowknife is not in Nunavut, it is in the Northwest Territories, so I’m not sure what difference that makes for you. For Nunavut, you would probably fly into the capital city, Iqaluit, and then fly onto one of the small 24 other communities in the territory (there are no roads, so you have to fly everywhere). I hope that helps!