HMS Erebus’ Bell Unveiled

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, unveiled the ship’s bell recovered from the recently discovered Franklin Expedition shipwreck, HMS Erebus.

According to naval traditions, a ship’s bell is a symbolic embodiment of the ship itself. The ship’s bell from HMS Erebus would have been used for marking the passage of time onboard the vessel. Like the chiming of a clock, the bell would have been struck every half hour both day and night to announce the march of time and to signal the changing of the crew’s watches (shifts).

This stunning artifact was recovered during dives and archaeological investigation by Parks Canada’s underwater archaeology team in September. The bell was found on the deck adjacent to the ship’s displaced windlass (a form of anchor winch), above which it was originally mounted. Since then, the bell has been undergoing conservation stabilization and additional research.

The bell is intact and generally in very good condition. Two embossed markings – introduced when the bronze bell was first cast – are evident on the artifact: a Royal Navy “broad arrow” indicating property of the British Government, as well as the date “1845.”

Press release, Image: Parks Canada