The authors interest and fascination about HMS Terror is unbounded by his dedication and enthusiasm for historical accuracy of the humble bomb ship. It is an impressive, informative and enjoyable book - and highly recommended. But Matthew Betts’ book is a magnificent, detailed and timely tribute to the ship that is so central to the ‘North West Passage’ story and polar discovery more widely. The full story of HMS Terror is not yet over years of careful underwater archaeology and analysis of the wreck and its contents lie ahead. Read the review here David Hobbs - Australian Naval Institute It will continue be a valuable reference work that puts new discoveries by the archaeologists into context when they are found it is written in a very readable style and, as you may have gathered, I found it to be fascinating. In summary, this is a very well-researched, beautifully-illustrated book that draws the reader into the ship and helps us understand how people lived in it and operated its systems. This is a fascinating book that would appeal to a broad readership, not just those with an interest in the Franklin Expedition. He lays out with great clarity and authority, everything you want to know, and everything you ought to know about one of the great unsung heroic ships of Britain’s naval history ‘Michael Palin With patient and impeccable research Matthew Betts has re-created, literally at times, a ship that saw more action and adventure than almost any other vessel of its time. It is an ideal reference for those interested in the Franklin Mystery, in polar exploration, the Royal Navy, and in ship design and modelling. Based on meticulous historical research, the book details the ship's every bolt and belaying pin, and ends with the discovery and identification of the wreck in 2016, explaining how the successes and ice-worthiness of Terror may have contributed to the Franklin disaster itself. Part historical narrative and part technical design manual, this book provides, for the first time, a complete account of Terror’s unique career, as well as an assessment of her sailing abilities in polar conditions, a record of her design specifications, and a full set of accurate plans of her final 1845 configuration. This book documents the history, design, modification, and fitting of HMS Terror, one of the world’s most successful polar exploration vessels. Did the extraordinary capabilities of the ships in fact contribute to the disaster? Never before has the Franklin Mystery been comprehensively examined through the lens of its sailing technology. The extraordinarily well-preserved state and location of the ships, so far south of their last reported position, raises questions about the role they played in the tragedy. Two years later, the wreck of HMS Terror was found, sitting upright, in near pristine condition. With such sophisticated, rugged, and successful vessels, victory over the Northwest Passage seemed inevitable, yet the entire crew vanished, and the ships were never seen again by Europeans.įinally, in 2014, the wreck of HMS Erebus was discovered by Parks Canada. Both ships, but especially HMS Terror, had already proven their capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctic. The sturdy former bomb ships were substantially strengthened and fitted with the latest technologies for polar service and, at the time, were the most advanced sailing vessels developed for Polar exploration. In the summer of 1845, Sir John Franklin and a crew of 128 men entered Lancaster Sound on board HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in search of a Northwest Passage.
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