Remains found in Arctic likely belong to Franklin crew

Archeologists hunting for the wreckage of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition have discovered human remains they believe belong to a member of the crew, the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

While the underwater team has not found the remains of ships, they have discovered a human bone, a tooth, and a toothbrush in Erebus Bay.

The hunt for remains will improve when the team receives an underwater vehicle from the University of Victoria. The search, sponsored by Parks Canada, is one of several attempts to find the crew, which consisted of 135 men who went missing in 1845, in search of the Northwest Passage.

In 1859, a search party hired by Franklin’s widow found a message left by the crew, saying the ships had become trapped in the ice in late 1846, and Sir John Franklin died June 11, 1847. In April 1848, the rest of the crew left a note saying they were setting out from the ships on foot, with no word of what they were hoping to find.

Modern surveys have been conducted in 2008, 2010 and 2011. Rising temperatures and shrinking ice coverage have made a more extensive search possible.