Erebus; Michael Palin; 2018; Greystone Books; 310 pgs; index, maps, notes

I was surprised when my friend Dave Harper, quite accidently and coincidentally, suggested I read this book. I had just completed my model of the Erebus' sister ship HMS Terror, a fact that Dave did not know. It also surprised me that the book was written by  Monty Python alum Michael Palin. Palin is well known as a globe trotter and as it turns out, he is very much interested in the  days of English exploration.

The Terror and the Erebus were "bombs". A bomb ship was a warship that used mortars rather than cannon. Mortars demand a strong and sturdy platform to fire from, which in turn demands a reinforced deck and substructure. They served in war, but when the wars ended, their design features made them good at arctic exploration.  In other words they were, with some additional modifications, good ice-breakers.  The Terror was about 10 years older than the Erebus. Erebus was a Greek god similar to Satan. They were primarily sailing ships, but both had a small (25 hp) steam engine and a propeller  that could move them at about 4 knots. I could find no instance in the book where they were ever used.  Modern icebreaker engines deliver 40,000 hp.

The Erebus and Terror teamed up, with the newer Erebus in charge, to find both the North and South  Magnetic Poles. They succeeded in the former quest and failed in the latter.  They were at sea for 4 years, and narrowly avoided being caught in the ice at both ends of the Earth.  

They went  further south than any previous voyage.  Many years later, Shackleton would break their record.

In May 1845, the Franklin Expedition set out, with the same two bombs, to try and navigate the Northwest Passage.  John Franklin and his two crews would never see England again. The story of the Franklin Expedition is mostly speculation. A lot of money and rewards were spent to find them. They actually survived on the ice for about three miserable years.

The wrecks of the Erebus and the Terror were found in 2014 and 2016. Some bodies were found and analyzed. They all had elevated lead levels. What role lead had in the loss is hard to say. These men were tough as nails. It is not surprising that several of them tried to jump ship.

This is a fairly long book. It you are interested in the days of sail, or the politics of exploration and scientific discovery, it is an interesting read. 

The image below is my model of the Terror. The Erebus would have looked very similar.
    

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