Expedition Expert to Reveal Mysteries of the Franklin Expedition Disaster in Public Event at Trent University Durham on October 11
Joseph G. Frey to describe the events that led to the discovery of the infamous HMS Erebus after its disappearance in the Canadian Arctic
Event Details
- No sessions found.
Of Terror and Hell’ is how seasoned geographer Joseph G. Frey plans to describe the historical Franklin expedition of 1845, in his special community lecture taking place on Tuesday, October 11, at 5:00 p.m. at Trent University Durham, during which he will discuss the Parks Canada-led Victoria Strait Expedition which discovered Sir John Franklin’s flagship HMS Erebus, nearly 170 years after it was lost near the Northwest passage.
Sir John Franklin was a Royal Navy Officer and experienced explorer who set out to traverse the last section of the Northwest Passage. His two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror became icebound in the Victoria Strait of the Canadian Arctic and his entire expedition of 129 men, including himself, vanished. The loss prompted a massive search that lasted over a century.
“It is an honour to have Mr. Frey lecture at Trent University Durham,” notes Dr. Helen Haines, professor of Anthropology at the University. “The discovery of the HMS Erebus was a major archeological discovery for our country, and the ships have long been considered two of the ‘Holy Grails’ of Canadian archaeology. Their discovery contributes to our understanding of the North and provides artifacts that help us to further understand the era in which the expedition was taking place.”
The Victoria Strait field expedition was the most ambitious search for lost ships in Canadian history, utilizing the most sophisticated technology and including the greatest number of contributing partners. Mr. Frey will describe the sequence of events that led to the discovery of Franklin’s wreak and the impact that it has on Canadian history and archeological discovery.
Tuesday’s “Of Terror and Hell’ lecture is part of the Trent University Department of Anthropology Lecture Series, which runs annually in the fall and winter terms. Bringing internationally acclaimed speakers to campus is an example of Trent’s commitment to fostering a broad spectrum of academic discourse that complements the University’s rigorous humanities and social sciences programming.
About Joseph G. Frey
Joseph G. Frey, CD, F.R.C.G.S., of Toronto is a Governor of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and Chair of its College of Fellows. He is a former Director and Vice-President of The Explorers Club (New York City) and a retired officer with the Canadian Armed Forces.
A graduate of both York University and the University of Toronto, Joseph has become an accomplished science writer who has been published in Canada, Britain and the United States in numerous publications including Time, The Globe and Mail, Geographical and Canadian Geographic, to list a few, as well as contributing research to Science, The Economist and to four books on polar issues. He has covered military operations in Cyprus, Haiti, Kosovo, Moldova, along the Eritrean-Ethiopian frontier and the Canadian High Arctic.
Fascinated by field sciences he as actively participated in numerous field expeditions including the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration’s 2016 Battle of the Atlantic Expedition on the Second World War German submarine U-576, as well as the Parks Canada-led 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition which discovered Sir John Franklin’s flagship HMS Erebus and the 2013 magnetometer survey of the USS Hamilton and USS Scourge.
Contact Info
Kate Weersink, media relations & strategic communications officer, Trent University, (705) 748-1011 x6180 or kateweersink@trentu.ca