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HMS
EREBUS
HMS Erebus was a bomb
vessel designed by Henry Peake and constructed by the
Royal Navy in 1826. The 372-ton ship was armed
with two mortars – one 13" and the other 10" – and 10
guns. Her hull measured 105 feet in length by 28 feet in
the beam.
In
November 1840 – captained by James Clark Ross – Erebus
departed for Antarctica in company with HMS Terror.
In January 1841, the crews of both ships landed on
Victoria Land, and named areas of the landscape after
British politicians, scientists, and acquaintances.
Mount Erebus, on Ross Island, was named after one ship
and Mount Terror after the HMS
Terror.
The
crew then discovered the Ross Ice Shelf, which they were
unable to penetrate, and followed it eastward until the
lateness of the season compelled them to return.
The
following season, Ross continued to survey the "Great
Ice Barrier", continuing to follow it eastward. Both HMS
Erebus and HMS Terror returned to the Falkland Islands
before returning to the Antarctic in the 1842–1843
season. They conducted studies in magnetism, and
returned with oceanographic data and collections of
botanical and ornithological specimens.
In
1845, for the voyage to the Arctic, Sir John Franklin
sailed in Erebus, in overall command of the expedition. The expedition was ordered to gather magnetic data in
the Canadian Arctic and to complete a crossing of the
Northwest Passage, which had never been entirely
navigated.
The two
ships were last seen entering Baffin Bay in August 1845. They became icebound and were abandoned by their crews,
totaling about 130 men, all of whom died while trying to
trek overland to the south.
The
disappearance of the Franklin expedition set off a
massive search effort in the Arctic. 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.
On 15
August 2008, Parks Canada, an agency of the Government
of Canada, announced a search deploying the icebreaker
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, with the goals of finding the ships
and reinforcing Canada's claims regarding sovereignty
over large portions of the Arctic.
A
breakthrough was made in September 2014 when the wreck
of HMS Erebus was discovered, in the south of King
William Island in Nunavut. A second breakthrough
happened in September 2016, when HMS Terror was found in
Terror Bay, further north. The use of
state-of-the-art technology, Inuit knowledge and oral
testimony made these historic discoveries possible. The wrecks are designated a National Historic Site of
Canada.
We build
two versions of the Erebus: as built and after
modification for Arctic environment. The model shown
here is the Arctic version.
24" long
x 19" tall x 7" wide
$3,295
Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous US included. Other
places: $300 flat rate.
30" long x
26" tall x 9" wide (O scale, 1/48)
$4,190 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous US included. Other
places: $400 flat rate.
40" long x
35" tall x 13" wide
(1/36 scale)
$5,620 Shipping
and insurance in the contiguous US included. Other
places: $500 flat rate.
Model is built per commission only. We require only
a small deposit (not full amount, not even half) to start the process. The
remaining balance won't be due until the model is
completed. Click here for
lead time.
"I meant to write you sooner but somehow that slipped off
my radar. My apologies.
Erebus arrived here safely and now sits proudly beside
her sister ship Terror.
Together again, even as models, as they were always
meant to be.
I'd like to compliment you and your builders on a
superlative job. The detail is
amazing and the craftsmanship second to none. Clearly a
lot of pride goes into each
model.
These ships will be centerpieces in a collection of
Franklin Expedition books and
memorabilia. I'm so very glad we found your website. If
in the future, we have
fellow enthusiasts looking for a model, I'll be sure to
send them to you.
With great appreciation and thanks for a job well done,
Best regards,
Greg"
Learn more about HMS Erebus here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Erebus_(1826)
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