.gif)
HMS Terror (1813)
Encyclopedia
HMS Terror was a bomb vessel
designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy
in the Davy shipyard in Topsham, Devon
. The ship, variously listed as being of either 326 or 340 tons, carried two mortar
s, one 13 in (330.2 mm) and one 10 in (254 mm).
Terror saw service in the War of 1812
against the United States
. Under the command of John Sheridan
, she took part in the bombardment of Stonington, Connecticut
on 9–12 August 1814 and of Fort McHenry
in the Battle of Baltimore
on 13–14 September 1814; the latter attack inspired Francis Scott Key
to write the poem that eventually became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner
". In January 1815, still under Sheridan's command, Terror was involved in the Battle of Fort Peter
and the attack on St. Marys, Georgia
.
After the end of the War, Terror was laid up until 1828, when she was recommissioned for service in the Mediterranean
under the command of David Hope. On 18 February 1828, she ran aground on a lee shore
near Lisbon
, Portugal
as a result of a hurricane; eventually refloated, she was withdrawn from service after repairs.
service. In 1836, command of Terror was given to George Back
for an expedition to the northern part of Hudson Bay
, with a view to entering Repulse Bay
, where landing parties were to be sent out to determine whether the Boothia Peninsula
was an island or a peninsula. However, Terror failed to reach Repulse Bay and barely survived the winter off Southampton Island
, at one point being forced 40 feet (12.2 m) up the side of a cliff by the ice. In the spring of 1837, an encounter with an iceberg
further damaged the ship, which was in a sinking condition by the time Back was able to beach the ship on the coast of Ireland
at Lough Swilly
in company with under the overall command of James Clark Ross
. Francis Crozier
was commander of Terror on this expedition, which spanned three seasons from 1840-1843 during which Terror and Erebus made three forays into Antarctic waters, crossing the Ross Sea
twice, and sailing through the Weddell Sea
southeast of the Falkland Islands
. The volcano Mount Terror
on Ross Island
was named after the ship.
in overall command of the expedition in Erebus, and Terror again under the command of Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier
. The expedition was ordered to gather magnetic data in the Canadian Arctic
and complete a crossing of the Northwest Passage
, which had already been charted from both the east and west but never entirely navigated.
The expedition sailed from Greenhithe
on 19 May 1845 and the ships were last seen entering Baffin Bay
in August 1845. The disappearance of the Franklin expedition set off a massive search effort in the Arctic and the broad circumstances of the expedition's fate was revealed during a series of expeditions between 1848 and 1866. Both ships had become icebound and were abandoned by their crews, all of whom subsequently died of exposure and starvation while trying to trek overland to Fort Resolution
, a Hudson's Bay Company
outpost 600 mi (965.6 km) to the southwest. Subsequent expeditions up until the late 1980s, including autopsies of crew members, also revealed that their canned rations may have been tainted by both lead
and botulism
. Oral reports by local Inuit
that some of the crew members resorted to cannibalism
were at least somewhat supported by forensic evidence of cut marks on the skeletal remains of crew members found on King William Island
during the late 20th century.
The remains of the ship have yet to be found, but are listed by Parks Canada
as a national historic site.
On 15 August 2008, Parks Canada, an agency of the Government of Canada
announced a CDN$75,000 six week search, deploying the icebreaker CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier
with the goal of finding the two ships. The search is also intended to strengthen Canada's claims of sovereignty over large portions of the Arctic
.
A British transport ship, the Renovation, spotted two ships on a large ice floe off the coast of Newfoundland in April of 1851. The identities of the two ships were not confirmed. It has been suggested that these ships may have been the Erebus and the Terror, though it is more likely that they were abandoned whaling ships.
uses the Terror and the Erebus as part of the plot as well as the establishing backstory.
Terror features heavily in Dan Simmons
's 2007 novel The Terror
.
The Terror and the Erebus are featured in the Doctor Who Audio Drama story Terror of the Arctic.
The Terror and the Erebus
are mentioned, in the context of Captain Ross
’s expedition, by Captain Nemo
in Jules Verne
’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea on background to establish the difficulty of attaining the South Pole
, while Captain Nemo stands upon its fictional summit.
The Terror and the Erebus are mentioned in Joseph Conrad
's novel "Heart of Darkness
".
Ships of the World listing
Naval History of Great Britain, volume VI
Bomb vessel
A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannon —although bomb vessels carried a few cannon for self-defence—but rather mortars mounted forward near the bow and elevated to a high angle, and projecting their fire in a...
designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the Davy shipyard in Topsham, Devon
Topsham, Devon
Topsham is a suburb of Exeter in the county of Devon, England, on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, it was designated a...
. The ship, variously listed as being of either 326 or 340 tons, carried two mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s, one 13 in (330.2 mm) and one 10 in (254 mm).
War service
HMSHer Majesty's Ship
Her or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
Terror saw service in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Under the command of John Sheridan
John Sheridan (Royal Navy officer)
Vice-Admiral John Sheridan was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service in most of the major conflicts of the early nineteenth century, including the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Anglo-Russian War and the War of 1812.Sheridan had risen to lieutenant by the end of the French...
, she took part in the bombardment of Stonington, Connecticut
Stonington, Connecticut
The Town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut, in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, Wequetequock, the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic...
on 9–12 August 1814 and of Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
in the Battle of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
on 13–14 September 1814; the latter attack inspired Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
to write the poem that eventually became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
". In January 1815, still under Sheridan's command, Terror was involved in the Battle of Fort Peter
Battle of Fort Peter
The Battle of Fort Peter, or the Battle of Fort Point Peter or Fort Point Petre, was a successful attack by a British force on St. Marys, Georgia and a smaller force of American soldiers at Fort Peter, a small fort protecting the town. Point Peter is located at the mouth of Point Peter Creek and...
and the attack on St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys, Georgia
-See also:*Cumberland Island*St. Marys Historic District*St. Marys Railroad-External links:***...
.
After the end of the War, Terror was laid up until 1828, when she was recommissioned for service in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
under the command of David Hope. On 18 February 1828, she ran aground on a lee shore
Lee shore
The terms lee shore and windweather or ward shore are nautical terms used to describe a stretch of shoreline. A lee shore is one that is to the lee side of a vessel - meaning the wind is blowing towards it. A weather shore has the wind blowing from inland over it out to sea...
near Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
as a result of a hurricane; eventually refloated, she was withdrawn from service after repairs.
Arctic service
Bomb vessels were strongly built in order to withstand the enormous recoil of their three-ton mortars, and this made them suited to ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
service. In 1836, command of Terror was given to George Back
George Back
Admiral Sir George Back FRS was a British naval officer, explorer of the Canadian Arctic , naturalist and artist.-Career:...
for an expedition to the northern part of Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
, with a view to entering Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay, Nunavut
Repulse Bay is an Inuit hamlet located on the shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut, Canada.-Location and wildlife:The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Repulse Bay and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided...
, where landing parties were to be sent out to determine whether the Boothia Peninsula
Boothia Peninsula
Boothia Peninsula is a large peninsula in Nunavut's northern Canadian Arctic, south of Somerset Island. The northern part, Murchison Promontory, is the northernmost point of mainland Canada, and thus North America....
was an island or a peninsula. However, Terror failed to reach Repulse Bay and barely survived the winter off Southampton Island
Southampton Island
Southampton Island is a large island at the entrance to Hudson Bay at Foxe Basin. One of the larger members of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Southampton Island is part of the Kivalliq Region in Nunavut, Canada. The area of the island is stated as by Statistics Canada . It is the 34th largest...
, at one point being forced 40 feet (12.2 m) up the side of a cliff by the ice. In the spring of 1837, an encounter with an iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
further damaged the ship, which was in a sinking condition by the time Back was able to beach the ship on the coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three known glacial fjords in Ireland....
Ross expedition
Terror was repaired and next assigned to a voyage to the AntarcticAntarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
in company with under the overall command of James Clark Ross
James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross , was a British naval officer and explorer. He explored the Arctic with his uncle Sir John Ross and Sir William Parry, and later led his own expedition to Antarctica.-Arctic explorer:...
. Francis Crozier
Francis Crozier
Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier was born in Ireland at Banbridge, County Down and was a British naval officer who participated in six exploratory expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic...
was commander of Terror on this expedition, which spanned three seasons from 1840-1843 during which Terror and Erebus made three forays into Antarctic waters, crossing the Ross Sea
Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
twice, and sailing through the Weddell Sea
Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is...
southeast of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. The volcano Mount Terror
Mount Terror (Antarctica)
Mount Terror is a large shield volcano that forms the eastern part of Ross Island, Antarctica. It has numerous cinder cones and domes on the flanks of the shield and is mostly under snow and ice. It is the second largest of the four volcanoes which make up Ross Island and is somewhat overshadowed...
on Ross Island
Ross Island
Ross Island is an island formed by four volcanoes in the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica, off the coast of Victoria Land in McMurdo Sound.-Geography:...
was named after the ship.
Franklin expedition
Erebus and Terror were both outfitted with steam engines, and iron plating added to the hulls, for their voyage to the Arctic, with Sir John FranklinJohn Franklin
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin KCH FRGS RN was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. Franklin also served as governor of Tasmania for several years. In his last expedition, he disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic...
in overall command of the expedition in Erebus, and Terror again under the command of Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier
Francis Crozier
Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier was born in Ireland at Banbridge, County Down and was a British naval officer who participated in six exploratory expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic...
. The expedition was ordered to gather magnetic data in the Canadian Arctic
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
and complete a crossing of the Northwest Passage
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
, which had already been charted from both the east and west but never entirely navigated.
The expedition sailed from Greenhithe
Greenhithe
Greenhithe is a town in Dartford District of Kent, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.Greenhithe, as it is spelled today, is located where it was possible to build wharves for transshipping corn, wood and other commodities; its largest cargoes were of chalk and...
on 19 May 1845 and the ships were last seen entering Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
in August 1845. The disappearance of the Franklin expedition set off a massive search effort in the Arctic and the broad circumstances of the expedition's fate was revealed during a series of expeditions between 1848 and 1866. Both ships had become icebound and were abandoned by their crews, all of whom subsequently died of exposure and starvation while trying to trek overland to Fort Resolution
Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories
Fort Resolution is a "settlement corporation" in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada...
, a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
outpost 600 mi (965.6 km) to the southwest. Subsequent expeditions up until the late 1980s, including autopsies of crew members, also revealed that their canned rations may have been tainted by both lead
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
and botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
. Oral reports by local Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
that some of the crew members resorted to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
were at least somewhat supported by forensic evidence of cut marks on the skeletal remains of crew members found on King William Island
King William Island
King William Island is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and forms part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between and making it the 61st largest island in the world and Canada's 15th largest island...
during the late 20th century.
The remains of the ship have yet to be found, but are listed by Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
as a national historic site.
On 15 August 2008, Parks Canada, an agency of the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
announced a CDN$75,000 six week search, deploying the icebreaker CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier
CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier
The CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier is a light icebreaker and Major Navaids Tender of the Canadian Coast Guard. Built in 1986 by Canadian Shipbuilding, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada the ship currently is based out of Victoria, British Columbia....
with the goal of finding the two ships. The search is also intended to strengthen Canada's claims of sovereignty over large portions of the Arctic
Territorial claims in the Arctic
Under international law, no country currently owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. The five surrounding Arctic states, Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark , are limited to an exclusive economic zone of adjacent to their coasts.Upon ratification...
.
A British transport ship, the Renovation, spotted two ships on a large ice floe off the coast of Newfoundland in April of 1851. The identities of the two ships were not confirmed. It has been suggested that these ships may have been the Erebus and the Terror, though it is more likely that they were abandoned whaling ships.
In fiction
The 2008 novel Arctic DriftArctic Drift
Arctic Drift is a Dirk Pitt novel, the 20th of the series and was released on November 25, 2008.-Plot:The plot begins in the year 1847, when the Franklin Expedition becomes stranded trying to find the Northwest Passage. They experience a harsh winter. The men are seemingly going mad...
uses the Terror and the Erebus as part of the plot as well as the establishing backstory.
Terror features heavily in Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
's 2007 novel The Terror
The Terror (novel)
The Terror is the name of a 2007 novel by American author Dan Simmons. The novel is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to the Arctic to force the Northwest Passage in 1845 - 1848...
.
The Terror and the Erebus are featured in the Doctor Who Audio Drama story Terror of the Arctic.
The Terror and the Erebus
HMS Erebus (1826)
HMS Erebus was a Hecla-class bomb vessel designed by Sir Henry Peake and constructed by the Royal Navy in Pembroke dockyard, Wales in 1826. The vessel was named after the dark region in Hades of Greek mythology called Erebus...
are mentioned, in the context of Captain Ross
James Clark Ross
Sir James Clark Ross , was a British naval officer and explorer. He explored the Arctic with his uncle Sir John Ross and Sir William Parry, and later led his own expedition to Antarctica.-Arctic explorer:...
’s expedition, by Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar, is a fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island ....
in Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
’s 20000 Leagues Under the Sea on background to establish the difficulty of attaining the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
, while Captain Nemo stands upon its fictional summit.
The Terror and the Erebus are mentioned in Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
's novel "Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...
".