http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/frank...discover-more-secrets-of-hms-erebus-1.3020860
Franklin Expedition search: Ice dive team ready to discover more secrets of HMS Erebus
Parks Canada underwater archeologists and Royal Canadian Navy divers join up to explore Nunavut site
By Janet Davison, CBC News Posted: Apr 06, 2015 5:00 AM ET| Last Updated: Apr 06, 2015 11:12 AM ET
Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Navy divers prepare for an icy plunge during a training exercise near Quebec City last month. The dive took place before a mission to an undisclosed spot on the Arctic sea ice - planned for early April - beneath which the HMS Erebus, part of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition, has been for nearly 170 years.
Spring, when the ice is thickest, makes for the best time to dive to the Erebus, senior Parks Canada archeologist and underwater specialist Ryan Harris says. Training exercises, which took place from March 2-6 in the St. Lawrence River, were held ahead of the Arctic expedition.
The ice in Queen Maud Gulf, off Nunavut, will also be home to a team of 32 Parks Canada and navy team members, who will be camping near the dive site over a 10-day period.
During the training sessions, Parks Canada underwater archeologists familiarized themselves with the navy's ice diving equipment and safety protocols while navy members learned about underwater archeology techniques. Here, a navy operator checks a decompression unit during a test dive in Quebec.
Once in the water, the divers verify each other’s suit for leaks before dipping below the surface, where they can stay in the -2 C water for over an hour, Bernier says.
Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Navy divers prepare for an icy plunge during a training exercise near Quebec City last month. The dive took place before a mission to an undisclosed spot on the Arctic sea ice - planned for early April - beneath which the HMS Erebus, part of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition, has been for nearly 170 years. (Parks Canada)
Nearly 170 years after the crushing forces of Arctic ice helped doom Sir John Franklin's quest for the Northwest Passage, there is more than a little irony in the fact that deep sea ice is about to provide new opportunities to delve into the mysteries of the expedition's fate.
Ice two metres thick will form the platform from which Parks Canada underwater archeologists and Royal Canadian Navy divers will launch an unprecedented exploration of the wreck of HMS Erebus this week.
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Franklin Expedition search: Ice dive team ready to discover more secrets of HMS Erebus
Parks Canada underwater archeologists and Royal Canadian Navy divers join up to explore Nunavut site
By Janet Davison, CBC News Posted: Apr 06, 2015 5:00 AM ET| Last Updated: Apr 06, 2015 11:12 AM ET
Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Navy divers prepare for an icy plunge during a training exercise near Quebec City last month. The dive took place before a mission to an undisclosed spot on the Arctic sea ice - planned for early April - beneath which the HMS Erebus, part of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition, has been for nearly 170 years.
Spring, when the ice is thickest, makes for the best time to dive to the Erebus, senior Parks Canada archeologist and underwater specialist Ryan Harris says. Training exercises, which took place from March 2-6 in the St. Lawrence River, were held ahead of the Arctic expedition.
The ice in Queen Maud Gulf, off Nunavut, will also be home to a team of 32 Parks Canada and navy team members, who will be camping near the dive site over a 10-day period.
During the training sessions, Parks Canada underwater archeologists familiarized themselves with the navy's ice diving equipment and safety protocols while navy members learned about underwater archeology techniques. Here, a navy operator checks a decompression unit during a test dive in Quebec.
Once in the water, the divers verify each other’s suit for leaks before dipping below the surface, where they can stay in the -2 C water for over an hour, Bernier says.
Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Navy divers prepare for an icy plunge during a training exercise near Quebec City last month. The dive took place before a mission to an undisclosed spot on the Arctic sea ice - planned for early April - beneath which the HMS Erebus, part of Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition, has been for nearly 170 years. (Parks Canada)
Nearly 170 years after the crushing forces of Arctic ice helped doom Sir John Franklin's quest for the Northwest Passage, there is more than a little irony in the fact that deep sea ice is about to provide new opportunities to delve into the mysteries of the expedition's fate.
Ice two metres thick will form the platform from which Parks Canada underwater archeologists and Royal Canadian Navy divers will launch an unprecedented exploration of the wreck of HMS Erebus this week.
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