DAY 3 | TALLURUTIUP-IMANGA (LANCASTER SOUND) AND THE MYTH OF FRANKLIN Today we’ll head to the western end of Devon Island, on the north side of Tallurutiup-Imanga, and go ashore at wind-swept Beechey Island, which is home to Beechey Island Sites National Historic Sites. These sites, maintained by Parks Canada, tell the story—or at least the part that’s not still shrouded in mystery—of Sir John Franklin’s much- chronicled 1845-46 expedition to explore the Northwest Passage. The island is small, only 2.5 kilometres at its widest point, but its shores are steep, and rise to a flat plateau 244 metres high. That’s where Franklin and his crew of 128 men spent the winter after embarking from England aboard their two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror . The ill-fated 1845-46 expedition— to navigate and chart the Northwest Passage—ended in tragedy for all 129 men and their two vessels.
What happened to Franklin and his men is the stuff of legend—but also the focus for several search expeditions over the years, which discovered bodies, personal belongings of crew members, and hand- written notes that suggested starvation, deaths from hypothermia, scurvy, and lead poisoning from the tinned food supplies. Accounts by Inuit suggest the crew split up into small groups and subsequently perished. What is known for certainly is that no one survived. The graves of three officers from HMS Erebus — John Hartnell, William Braine, and John Torrington—were discovered in 1851. You will have an opportunity to visit their graves, and honor the memory of the entire Franklin crew who braved massive challenges to explore the Northwest Passage. Franklin’s story is an integral part of the history of Arctic exploration. The wrecks of Erebus and Terror were discovered in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
DAY 4 | AT SEA: EXPLORING THE LARGEST MARINE-PROTECTED AREA IN CANADA We continue our exploration of Tallurutiup-Imanga, which, in 2017, became the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area (Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area). At 109,000 square kilometres, it’s the largest marine-protected area in Canada. Heed the advice we always give to our guests whenever a voyage takes them above the Arctic Circle: keep your binoculars ready—especially when out on deck—to view the diverse wildlife that inhabit these waters. Upon leaving Tallurutiup-Imanga, Ultramarine heads into the Davis Strait, which separates Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and forms part of the historic Northwest Passage. Clear skies later in the evening herald the promise of a spectacular display of the Northern Lights. Prepare to be awestruck.
Call your Travel Professional or a Quark Polar Travel Adviser at 1.888.892.0073 | Visit QuarkExpeditions.com for additional details
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