The wreck discovered by the Victoria Strait expedition in early September (Barr Reference Barr2014) has now been positively identified as that of HMS Erebus. This identification was based on a thorough analysis of the acoustic imagery (side-scan and multi-beam sonar),comparison with the plans for both Erebus and Terror from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, visual measurements made during inspection dives by Parks Canada personnel on the site (particularly with regard to the 1845 modifications to the stern), as well as certain telling details which were captured with photo and video. The fact that Erebus was a longer and beamier vessel than Terror is readily discernible from the acoustic data. The locations of various deck fixtures such as the fore and main hatchways, forward suction pumps, bowsprit partners, deck illuminators, and ringbolts, as compared to the same fixtures shown on the plans, all offer very strong correlation with Erebus (and not Terror) (Ryan Harris, Parks Canada, personal communication, 3 November 2014).
On 6 November it was announced in Ottawa that the ship's bell had been recovered from the wreck. It bears the Royal Navy's broad arrow symbol and the date 1845. At present immersed in fresh water it will undergo cleaning and the use of chemical baths to extract salt from the surface of the metal (Fig. 1).
Ship's bell of HMS Erebus as discovered on the wreck by Parks Canada underwater archeologist Fillipo Ronca.
