Four More Franklin Expedition Sailors Identified After 177 Years

Canadian researchers have identified four more sailors from the doomed 1845 Franklin expedition. Using genetic analysis, the team matched DNA from skeletal remains to living descendants of the crew.

One of those confirmed is Harry Peglar, a sailor aboard the HMS Terror. The Franklin expedition set out in 1845 but vanished after both ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, became trapped in Arctic ice. By 1848, the surviving sailors had abandoned the vessels, leaving no trace of their fate for over a century.

Researchers recently extracted DNA from recovered skeletal remains. They compared the samples with genetic material from descendants of the original crew. This process led to the positive identification of Peglar and three other sailors from the HMS Erebus. The findings bring the total number of identified expedition members to at least four. Their remains provide new clues about the final days of the Franklin crew. The research also confirms long-held theories about the sailors' movements after abandoning their ships.