Pond Inlet, Nunavut - 25 August 2014
Parks Canada
Parks Canada plays a leading role in the Victoria Strait Expedition, securing the archaeological research permit from the Government of Nunavut and coordinating the search for Sir John Franklin’s lost ships. The search effort will last up to six weeks and focus on two areas: Wilmot and CramptonBay, and VictoriaStrait. Four ships will serve as platforms: the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier; the Royal Canadian Navy’s Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Kingston, the Arctic Research Foundation’s Martin Bergmann and One Ocean Expedition’s One Ocean Voyager. New this year will be Defence Research and Development Canada’s state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle, Arctic Explorer, which was developed in collaboration with private-sector partners.
Parks Canada will also provide equipment, including:
- Two Klein towed side scan sonars, along with the winches, computers and personnel needed to operate them from the Martin Bergmann and the Investigator;
- An Iver3 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with side scan sonar; deployed at different times from the Martin Bergmann and the Investigator;
- A Falcon deep-water remotely operated vehicle that can be deployed to verify a potential find; and,
- A ten-metre survey vessel (Investigator) to tow a side scan sonar or deploy an AUV.
About Parks Canada
Parks Canada protects and manages nationally significant examples of this country’s natural and cultural heritage, and fosters public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations. As an international leader in underwater archaeology, Parks Canada is well positioned to showcase how new technologies can help locate and analyze shipwrecks to bring part of the story of the Franklin Expedition to life. Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Erebus and HMS Terror were designated in 1992 as a National Historic Site of Canada. For more information about Parks Canada, visit www.pc.gc.ca.
Royal Canadian Navy
Naval ships regularly patrol Arctic waters. Each summer for more than a decade, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has worked directly with the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) to collect bathymetric data about the Northern seabed. Under a Memorandum of Understanding in place for the past two years, the CHS has provided and operated a sonar device on a naval ship for two weeks each summer. This year, Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Kingston, a Kingston-class maritime coastal defence vessel, and its crew, will serve as one of the four main platforms for the Victoria Strait Expedition’s search and scientific research efforts.
About the Royal Canadian Navy
The RCN plays a lead role in protecting the safety and security of Canada’s coasts and marine waterways, including those in the Arctic. The RCN routinely deploys its ships in Canada’s Northern waters on fisheries and sovereignty patrols and, when authorized, assists other government departments in enforcing national and international law.
A longer navigation season in the Arctic will bring with it an increase in maritime activity, including shipping traffic and tourism. With this activity comes increased risk of marine incident and environmental accident. The RCN conducts exercises and operations in the North to help ensure that it will have the capabilities necessary to respond to future safety and security challenges as they may arise. Under the direction of the Joint Task Force North headquartered in Yellowknife, the RCN regularly participates with the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in support of its Northern operations. For more information about RCN, visit www.navy-marine.forces.gc.ca.
Operation QIMMIQ
Operation QIMMIQ is an integral part of fulfilling Joint Task Force North’s (JTFN) ongoing surveillance and defence responsibilities in Canada’s Arctic region. Participation in Operation QIMMIQ is HMCS Kingston’s primary assignment during the summer of 2014. The objective of the operation is to maintain sovereignty of JTFN’s area of responsibility as mandated by the Government of Canada’s Northern Strategy by gathering surveillance information and providing a Canadian presence in remote Arctic regions. In addition to supporting Canada’s Arctic presence, Operation QIMMIQ also supports the mutual defence and bilateral agreements between RCAF and our allies internationally through maritime, land and aerospace domains.
Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) will support the Victoria Strait Expedition by providing Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Sir Wilfrid Laurier, an 83 metre Arctic Class 2 icebreaker equipped with a MBB Bo 105 helicopter. CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier is a high-endurance multi-tasked vessel that will serve as a key operational platform throughout the Expedition.
Each summer, the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier directly supports the Arctic icebreaking program to promote the safe movement of maritime traffic through or around ice-covered waters. In addition, the vessel and its crew maintain shipping channels, along with hundreds of aids to navigation, conduct maritime search and rescue operations, and monitor or lead pollution-response actions.
About the Canadian Coast Guard
The CCG, a Special Operating Agency of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, owns and operates the Government of Canada’s civilian fleet of vessels and provides key maritime services to Canadians.
CCG programs and services help to:
- Protect the marine environment;
- Support economic growth;
- Ensure public safety on the water; and,
- Assert Canada’s sovereignty.
For more information about CCG, visit www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca.
Defence Research and Development Canada
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) will support the Victoria Strait Expedition by providing the Arctic Explorer, an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with a state-of-the-art sonar system. More than seven metres in length, the Arctic Explorer is a long-endurance vehicle that produces high-resolution images of the seafloor over a much greater range than previous sonar systems. The deployment of the Arctic Explorer will showcase Canada’s innovative and world-leading technologies. While in the Arctic, DRDC will undertake several experiments to assess and understand the impact that low water temperatures have on the performance of various types of imaging sonars. Data from the experiments will be used to validate existing sonar models, and to inform the Royal Canadian Navy’s decisions about future sonar acquisitions.
Manufactured by International Submarine Engineering Limited of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, under a joint-development agreement with Natural Resources Canada, the Arctic Explorer is this year equipped with an AquaPix Synthetic Aperture Sonar, designed and manufactured by Kraken Sonar Systems Inc. of St. John’sNewfoundland and Labrador, and an acoustic homing system manufactured by Omnitech Incorporated of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
About Defence Research and Development Canada
DRDC is the national leader in defence and security science and technology. As an agency of Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND), DRDC provides DND, the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments, as well as the public safety and national security communities, the knowledge and technological advantage needed to defend and protect Canada’s interests at home and abroad.
DRDC first operated in the Arctic during the early 1950s, when Defence Research Board scientists established research camps and programs and made discoveries that underpin our current understanding of glaciers and ice movement, navigation and Arctic clothing. For more information on DRDC, visit www.drdc-rddc.gc.ca.
Canadian Hydrographic Service
The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) will support the Victoria Strait Expedition by providing two survey launches, vessels that are equipped with the latest in multi-beam sonar technology, as well as multi-beam systems that will be installed on Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship Kingston. Working closely with the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy, CHS hydrographers will collect and interpret the data from these four multi-beam systems, along with data collected by other expedition vessels, to help modernize the nautical charts in the area.
A similar project in 2012 resulted in the surveying of a new, more efficient navigational corridor between King William Island and the Royal Geographical Society Islands – a corridor that reduces the sailing time around King William Island by up to seven hours.
The waters targeted in this year’s expedition have not been surveyed to modern standards. In addition to collecting bathymetric data, tidal data will be collected throughout the expedition.
The CHS’ expertise in seabed mapping leads to a natural partnership that supports Parks Canada and other Expedition partners in their efforts to locate the lost ships at the bottom of the Northwest Passage.
About the Canadian Hydrographic Service
The CHS, a branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is the authority that surveys and charts Canada’s key marine navigation routes out to the edge of the continental shelf. CHS nautical charts are key navigational tools that help mariners navigate safely in our waters. Other CHS products, such as tide tables and Sailing Directions provide critical supporting information for mariners.
Established in 1883, the CHS conducted its first Arctic survey in 1910. As Arctic marine traffic increases, CHS’ modern data on seabed topography and navigational hazards becomes increasingly important for marine safety and environmental protection. For more information about CHS, visit www.charts.gc.ca.
Canadian Space Agency
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will support the Victoria Strait Expedition with high-resolution images captured by satellite. RADARSAT-2, the primary source of images, is equipped with a powerful radar system capable of collecting data day and night, regardless of cloud cover, haze or smoke. In Canada’s Arctic, the system provides accurate, current information about sea ice type and extent, coastal features and shoreline delineation. Key users of CSA’s Arctic data include Environment Canada’s Canadian Ice Service and e-Space program, the Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Hydrographic Service and the Royal Canadian Navy.
About the Canadian Space Agency
The mandate of the CSA is to promote the peaceful use and development of space, to advance the knowledge of space through science and to ensure that space science and technology provide social and economic benefits for Canadians. The CSA is committed to leading the development and application of space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity. For more information about CSA, visit www.asc-csa.gc.ca.
Canadian Ice Service
Environment Canada’s Canadian Ice Service (CIS) will support the Victoria Strait Expedition with information about historical, current, and anticipated ice conditions based on real-time and archived satellite imagery and aerial reconnaissance. Along with daily updates and forecasts, CIS has also provided information about historical ice conditions in the area where the Franklin Expedition abandoned their ships. An analysis of archived satellite imagery from RADARSAT-1 (Canada’s first remote-sensing satellite), RADARSAT-2 and other space-based sensors, along with historical records, has helped to understand the movement and characteristics of sea ice in the search area. A comprehensive analysis of the sea ice in the region has made it possible to reassess the interpretation of the historical evidence about the possible location of the ships.
About the Canadian Ice Service
A division of Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service, the CIS is the leading authority on ice in Canada’s navigable waters and one of the largest users of information generated by the CSA’s RADARSAT-2. Ice in its many forms covers much of Canada's waters at various times of the year, affecting many aspects of life, including:
- Marine and freshwater transportation;
- Commercial fishing;
- Offshore resource development;
- The hunting and fishing patterns of Inuit peoples;
- Tourism and recreation; and,
- Local weather patterns and long-term climate.
Products such as ice charts, ice forecast outlooks and ice pressure warnings are available at no cost to help maximize safety for all Northern mariners. For more information on CIS, visit www.ec.gc.ca/glaces-ice.
Government of Nunavut
The Government of Nunavut’s (GN) Department of Culture and Heritage will again lead terrestrial surveys and excavations on King William Island, complementing the Victoria Strait Expedition’s search for the wrecks of Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Erebus and HMS Terror. This year’s activities will include new site surveys, mapping and excavation in TerrorBay, Erebus Bay and at Victory Point. A top priority in 2014 is the reburial of human skeletal remains recovered for analysis in 2013 from two known Franklin sites in ErebusBay.
By engaging with interested beneficiaries in Gjoa Haven, the GN is actively working to help increase the long-term benefits of the expedition for Nunavummiut. This includes new information and resources about Nunavut’s complex history made available as education initiatives, for exhibition and interpretation purposes. GN involvement also contributes to the management of Nunavut's archaeological resources through identification, documentation and analysis, which has long-term benefits such as ecotourism and economic development.
The archaeological record of the Franklin Expedition on King William Island is one of the most studied, but least documented. Since 2008, the GN has led the surveys and investigations of terrestrial archaeological sites to obtain up-to-date information about the condition of sites documented decades ago, and to search for new information about the Franklin Expedition. This work has provided important data about the condition of key Franklin Expedition sites and has added nearly 40 Inuit archaeological sites to the inventory as well as hundreds of artifacts to Nunavut’s collections. This work also provided the GN with information needed to make informed decisions about the management of these resources.
About the Government of Nunavut’s Archaeology Program
The Department of Culture and Heritage is the GN department responsible for the administration and management of Nunavut’s archaeological resources. These resources consist of approximately 11,000 documented archaeological sites that cover a period of nearly 4,500 years of human history in Nunavut. The department’s Archaeology Program administers the archaeology permitting process for Nunavut and conducts archaeological research that supports its resource management mandate. The program develops policies, establishes technical standards and guidelines, and creates, analyzes and disseminates information about archaeological research. Close working relationships are maintained with the Inuit Heritage Trust, with communities, and with other territorial and Government of Canada agencies. For more information on GN’s Department of Culture and Heritage, visit www.ch.gov.nu.ca.
Arctic Research Foundation
The Arctic Research Foundation (ARF) will provide and outfit the research vessel Martin Bergmann, its 64-foot shallow-draft research vessel, for use by Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team for a total of six weeks during the summer of 2014. Among other projects, the vessel will support the survey and search effort related to the lost Franklin Expedition ships.
By overwintering the Martin Bergmann in CambridgeBay, it becomes available to support missions in Arctic waters for much longer than other ships that must travel to the area each summer. This extended window of opportunity enables ARF to contribute to additional projects, such as serving Arctic communities. This year, the ARF will be working with local artists to build and outfit a new art studio in Cambridge Bay, and the vessel will be used to transport heavy soapstone from quarries that are too remote to access by other means. Local artists, along with geologists from the GN, will guide these efforts.
The ARF will also support several research projects this summer. The Martin Bergmann will contribute to a project led by Queen’s University to study the feasibility of an Inuit-operated commercial fishery based in Gjoa Haven, for instance. The project, known as the Queen Maud Gulf Exploratory Fisheries Program, promises to generate new knowledge about fish populations in the region, along with the impacts of current subsistence-fishing practices and a potential commercial fishery. The vessel will also support the Oceans Tracking Network consortium, headquartered at DalhousieUniversity. The program involves deploying acoustic telemetry technologies to track the movement and migration of fish and marine mammals in the Northwest Passage.
Finally, the Martin Bergmann will support scientific programming at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, which will be built in CambridgeBay. This year, the vessel will also serve as a platform for an ongoing project led by the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Earth Observation Science to study early spring ice processes and the importance of ice and timing of spring melt to the Arctic food web.
About the Arctic Research Foundation
The ARF is a Canadian private charitable foundation established in 2011 to support long-term sustainability in the Arctic through innovation in knowledge and research capacity. The ARF specializes in the mobilization and use of shallow-draft near-coastal research vessels in the Arctic. The summer of 2014 marks the ARF’s third season of ocean-based research and logistical support.
Led by a team of experts drawn mostly from Canada’s business community, the ARF brings private-sector experience and perspectives to the Victoria Strait Expedition. The ARF is one of a handful of private partners working with the Government of Canada to create a better understanding of the Arctic environment and the people who live there.
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) will play a lead role in connecting the Victoria Strait Expedition to Canadians and geography enthusiasts from around the world. As Canada’s centre for exploration and leading proponent for geoliteracy in the country, the RCGS will inform and educate Canadians about this year’s Expedition, how it creates new opportunity to solve a great Canadian mystery, and how the search for the Franklin Expedition’s lost ships have impacted our shared Northern heritage and history.
To accomplish this, the RCGS will build and manage an interactive website, complete with maps, information on partners and logistical challenges, captains’ logs and more. RCGS will also leverage its communications properties, including Canadian Geographic and Géographica, to help chart the course of the expedition and share results with its broad readership body. Further, through its national education program, Canadian Geographic Education, the RCGS will leverage its network of over 11,000 educators, by creating trilingual (English, French, Inuktitut) educational material and classroom activities about this year’s expedition, the Franklin Expedition and the history of its search, as well as more about Canada Arctic history, to be shared in classrooms from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
With the support of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, the RCGS has partnered with One Ocean Expedition to provide an Arctic-rated vessel, One Ocean Voyager, to support the many projects underway by partners. This vessel will enable experts, researchers, dignitaries, representatives of Inuit communities, and others to be in the search area for a ten-day period during the field season. It also enables the RCGS to analyze and communicate the important links between the original Franklin Expedition, the modern search efforts led by Parks Canada, and a host of issues currently facing the Canadian Arctic.
Further, with the support of Shell Canada and the Arctic Research Foundation, the RCGS will develop and disseminate an enhanced educational program to Canadian schools, so that educators and students can develop a stronger knowledge base and engagement with the Arctic and how it has shaped Canadian history.
About the Royal Canadian Geographic Society
The RCGS was founded in 1929 with the important mandate of making Canada better-known to Canadians and to the world. Under the patronage of the Governor General, the RCGS has, for 85 years, led the charge towards fostering a deeper appreciation of Canada’s natural, cultural, and social heritage.
While best known for its iconic publication, Canadian Geographic magazine, the RCGS also actively develops additional publications, such as Geographica and Canadian Geographic Travel, supports Canadian research expeditions, and funds geographical research. In addition, its geographical education program, Canadian Geographic Education, is the largest education program of its kind in Canada, actively supporting over 11,000 member educators from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For more information on RCGS, visit www.rcgs.org.
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is currently one of the largest private supporters of northern research in Canada and a proud partner in the Victoria Strait Expedition. Foundation funding of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society will support frontline research and educational materials to bring stories of the Arctic to Canadians across the country.
The foundation’s innovative programs generate awareness and passion for northern issues. By providing prestigious awards and fellowships to leading Canadian researchers, the foundation expands relevant knowledge and brings attention to important discoveries.
The Victoria Strait Expedition represents a valuable opportunity to shine a light on the North, raising understanding of its importance and the critical work being accomplished there. This important collaborative search effort is a gateway for increased awareness, understanding, and attention to issues facing Canada’s North.
About The W. Garfield Weston Foundation
Willard Garfield Weston, his wife Reta and their children established the foundation in the 1950s with a donation of shares in George Weston Limited. Today, the family business employs more than 150,000 people, making it Canada’s largest private employer. Along with its original bakery division – Weston Foods – the business’ food retailing and baking companies include Loblaw Companies Limited. The success of these companies, the dedication of their employees, and the loyalty of their customers ultimately enable the foundation to fulfill its charitable mandate.
The founders believed that as the funds were generated through the hard work and success of Canadian businesses, the grants should be given in Canada for the benefit of Canadians. For three generations, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation has maintained a family tradition of supporting charitable organizations across Canada. Today the foundation directs the majority of its funds to projects in the fields of land conservation, education and scientific research in Canada’s North. In addition, it provides funds to further Canada’s research in neuroscience. For more information about The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, visit www.westonfoundation.org.
One Ocean Expeditions
For the Victoria Strait Expedition, One Ocean Expedition (OOE) will provide the One Ocean Voyager to serve as a platform for 10 days within the search area, and also contribute to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s (RCGS) commitment to share Canada’s Arctic history. The One Ocean Voyager, a European-built ship designed for scientific research in the Polar Regions (Lloyds Register 1A, Canadian Type B), measures 117 metres in length, and has a capacity of approximately 170 passengers and crew. The ship will chart a course through the Northwest Passage as the launch platform for survey equipment owned and operated by Defence Research and Development Canada (including their autonomous underwater vehicle Arctic Explorer) and carry vital Parks Canada equipment to the survey area. In addition, the One Ocean Voyager will carry scientists, sponsors, and participating dignitaries during the Victoria Strait Expedition.
About One Ocean Expeditions
A private Canadian tour operator founded in 2007, OOE operates a dozen Arctic and more than 20 Antarctic expedition cruises each year. For trips into Canada’s Arctic, OOE supplements the vessel’s scientific capacity with sea kayaks and Zodiac inflatable boats and provides a team of experienced guides, educators and naturalists taking groups of up to 95 passengers at a time on once-in-a-lifetime journeys through the North. The trips are point-to-point; passengers fly into communities with landing strips, such as ResoluteBay, and are then ferried to the ship. OOE voyages make multiple stops and generate significant revenues for local communities and businesses. In addition to an internship program with the NunavutArcticCollege, voyages also support Arctic communities through donations and community outreach programs.
OOE is owned and directed by three members of the College of Fellows of the RCGS. For more information about OOE, visit www.oneoceanexpeditions.com.
Shell Canada
Shell Canada is proud to be supporting the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in its development of educational tools and products that will help bring the learnings from the Victoria Straight Expedition to students and educators across the country. For more information about Shell, visit www.shell.com.
About Shell Canada
Shell Canada Limited has been operating in Canada since 1911 and employs approximately 8,000 people across the country. A leading manufacturer, distributor and marketer of refined petroleum products, Shell produces natural gas, natural gas liquids and bitumen, and is Canada’s largest producer of sulphur. The energy they supply helps support economic growth and development. At their operations, they aim to address social concerns and work to benefit local communities. Human ingenuity and advanced technologies are vital to help meet future global energy demands. Shell recognizes that no single company can develop all of these alone and they work closely with industry partners and experts outside their industry to spark new ideas and share knowledge that helps drive developments forward. For more information about Shell Canada, visit www.shell.ca.
This document is also available in Inuktitut at http://pm.gc.ca
