Erebus
One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time
- 352 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
Driven by a passion for travel and history and a love of ships and the sea, former Monty Python stalwart and beloved television globe-trotter Michael Palin explores the world of HMS Erebus, last seen on an ill-fated voyage to chart the Northwest Passage.
Michael Palin brings the fascinating story of the Erebus and its occupants to life, from its construction as a bomb vessel in 1826 through the flagship years of James Clark Ross's Antarctic expedition and finally to Sir John Franklin's quest for the holy grail of navigationâa route through the Northwest Passage, where the ship disappeared into the depths of the sea for more than 150 years. It was rediscovered under the arctic waters in 2014.
Palin travels across the worldâfrom Tasmania to the Falkland Islands and the Canadian Arcticâto offer a firsthand account of the terrain and conditions that would have confronted the Erebus and her doomed final crew. Delving into the research, he describes the intertwined careers of the two men who shared the ship's journeys: Ross, the organizational genius who mapped much of the Antarctic coastline and oversaw some of the earliest scientific experiments to be conducted there; and Franklin, who, at the age of sixty and after a checkered career, commanded the ship on its last disastrous venture. Expertly researched and illustrated with maps, photographs, paintings, and engravings, Erebus is an evocative account of two journeys: one successful and forgotten, the other tragic yet unforgettable.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction: Hookerâs Stockings
- Prologue: The Survivor
- 1. Made in Wales
- 2. Magnetic North
- 3. Magnetic South
- 4. Far-off Shores
- 5. âOur Southern Homeâ
- 6. âFarther south than any (Known) human being has beenâ
- 7. Dancing with the Captains
- 8. âPilgrims of the Oceanâ
- 9. âSuch a wretched place as this you never sawâ
- 10. âThree years from Gillinghamâ
- 11. Homeward Bound
- 12. âSo little now remains to be doneâ
- 13. North by North-west
- 14. No Signal
- 15. The Truth
- 16. Life and Death
- 17. The Inuit Story
- 18. Resurrection
- Epilogue: Back in the Northwest Passage
- Appendix: Timeline
- Acknowledgements
- Picture Acknowledgements
- Index
- Copyright Page