Arctic Ghost Ship

As much history as science, this fascinating PBS-aired NOVA episode directed by Ben Finney partially solves an enduring maritime enigma. In 1845, a heavily provisioned British expedition led by explorer Sir John Franklin sought to discover a Northwest Passage in Canadian arctic waters that would connect the northern Atlantic to the Pacific. But Franklin and his two ships—the Erebus and Terror—never returned. Subsequent expeditions were launched to rescue the men—presumably stranded on the ice—but all that was ever found were a few graves and a document left behind indicating that something had gone badly wrong. Here, modern scientists—able to take advantage of greater ice access due to global warming—perform autopsies on the frozen bodies (with a bit of gruesome imagery), deploy a fancy sonar rig, and sift through various eyewitness accounts (initially discounted) by the Inuit natives, who gave morbid hints of a tragic end. Incidentally, no mention is made of the numerous novels inspired by the Franklin expedition (most recently, Dan Simmons's The Terror), nor of the reports during the latter 1850s of the two lost ships—spied at a distance—lodged in a stray Atlantic iceberg. But there is only so much Frankliniana that can be shared in a one-hour timeframe, and this film does a fine job, combining elaborate re-enactments of the doomed voyage, along with solid interviews, including comments from modern adventurer-author Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Cassady)