Anyway, just before the year changed, the discovery and partial salvage of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in Canadian waters hit the maritime news again. You perhaps recall we have posted several times about the story behind these two Franklin expedition ships lost in the Canadian ice pack in 1848.
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| HMS Erebus in better times |
The first major exhibition of artifacts from the
sunken Arctic wreck of HMS Erebus is planned during Canada's 150th
birthday next year — but Canadians will have to travel to Britain to see
it.
The Franklin expedition show, sponsored in part by the Canadian Museum of History, will debut in 2017 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, CBC News has learned.
The British unveiling is the latest twist in a controversy over ownership and control of unique artifacts from Sir John Franklin's 19th-century quest for the Northwest Passage.
Inuit organizations claim co-ownership rights and have demanded the objects be displayed locally in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut.
But the Canadian Museum of History says the only Canada-based exhibition of the artifacts is set for Gatineau, Que., in March to December 2018, the year after sesquicentennial celebrations.
The Franklin expedition show, sponsored in part by the Canadian Museum of History, will debut in 2017 at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, CBC News has learned.
The British unveiling is the latest twist in a controversy over ownership and control of unique artifacts from Sir John Franklin's 19th-century quest for the Northwest Passage.
Inuit organizations claim co-ownership rights and have demanded the objects be displayed locally in Gjoa Haven, Nunavut.
But the Canadian Museum of History says the only Canada-based exhibition of the artifacts is set for Gatineau, Que., in March to December 2018, the year after sesquicentennial celebrations.
Ceramic plates and tunic buttons
recovered from the wreck of HMS Erebus are displayed at the Canadian Museum of
History in May 2015. The objects are among 54 retrieved from the ship whose
ownership is in dispute. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
A few of the 54 artifacts that Parks
Canada divers retrieved from HMS Erebus were shown to the public over the
Victoria Day weekend in 2015, at the museum's Gatineau, Que., building. They
were all submerged inside seawater tanks to help preserve them before
restoration could begin.
A replica of the ship's bell
was presented at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on Dec. 18, 2014, created
using a 3D printer.
The 6,000-square-foot Greenwich
exhibition will include up to 22 Erebus objects, shown alongside the National
Maritime Museum's existing collection of Franklin-related material.
The Erebus artifact ownership dispute
was heightened with the September discovery of the sunken wreck of the second
ship, HMS Terror, from Franklin's infamous Arctic expedition that left
England in 1845. No artifacts have been retrieved yet from that wreck.
Exception
of gold
Canada signed a memorandum of
understanding with the United Kingdom in 1997, acknowledging that Britain
owned the Franklin wrecks and their contents whenever they might be found.
Britain agreed to assign ownership of artifacts to Canada, with the
exception of any gold or any objects of "outstanding significance to the
Royal Navy."
Britain also agreed to compensate
Canada "all reasonable costs associated with the recovery, conservation
and transportation of such artifacts."
'This bell is jointly owned by the government of Nunavut and the Inuit Heritage Trust.' - Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna asserting his government's claim to the ship's bell of HMS Erebus
Canada wants Britain to sign a clearer, "legally binding" memorandum
of understanding, as well as an ownership-transfer protocol, and a third
agreement on loans and research.
In the meantime, Inuit groups and the government of Nunavut have each
demanded that Ottawa recognize their ownership rights over the
artifacts. They say those rights arise from Article 33 of the 1993
Nunavut Land Claim Agreement, which includes the icy seas where the
ships eventually sank after becoming entrapped in ice in 1846.
Parks Canada, the lead government agency, recently acceded to the demands of the Inuit for eventual co-ownership, even though legal counsel advised that the land-claims deal does not apply to the Erebus artifacts.
By accepting Inuit co-ownership "beyond strict legal interpretation," Parks Canada is helping to renew relationships with Aboriginal people, part of Canada's commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, says an internal policy document from August.
Parks Canada, however, has not accepted Nunavut's co-ownership claims. "More policy analysis is required to determine the government position with respect to the [Nunavut's] claim to ownership," says the document.
Parks Canada spokeswoman Meaghan Bradley said no agreement has been reached yet with Britain, which is still the sole owner of the artifacts. "We continue to work in good faith of future co-ownership of the Franklin artifacts," she said.
And the plot thickens as the contest continues..... should anymore information about this controversy surface, we will try to provide it for you.
Again we want to wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year and we will see you again next time.
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
Parks Canada, the lead government agency, recently acceded to the demands of the Inuit for eventual co-ownership, even though legal counsel advised that the land-claims deal does not apply to the Erebus artifacts.
By accepting Inuit co-ownership "beyond strict legal interpretation," Parks Canada is helping to renew relationships with Aboriginal people, part of Canada's commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, says an internal policy document from August.
Parks Canada, however, has not accepted Nunavut's co-ownership claims. "More policy analysis is required to determine the government position with respect to the [Nunavut's] claim to ownership," says the document.
Parks Canada spokeswoman Meaghan Bradley said no agreement has been reached yet with Britain, which is still the sole owner of the artifacts. "We continue to work in good faith of future co-ownership of the Franklin artifacts," she said.
And the plot thickens as the contest continues..... should anymore information about this controversy surface, we will try to provide it for you.
Again we want to wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year and we will see you again next time.
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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