![]() ![]() His astute use of ship's journals and crewmen's letters gives vividness to the tale, and his amiable travel-show narrator's persona comes through in amusing asides and descriptions of great seamanship. Palin's detailed, affectionate descriptions of the ships' construction, outfitting, and crewing reveal an almost boyish enthusiasm. Commissioned in 1826, the Erebus had a stout build ideal for braving polar ice, and she and her sister ship, Terror, were designated for this duty by the British admiralty in 1839. Palin's enthusiasm for seafaring tales and Victorian-era polar exploration enliven this history of the Erebus, a warship that disappeared in the most severe sailing conditions of the mid-19th century. Expertly researched and illustrated with maps, photographs, paintings, and engravings, Erebus is an evocative account of two journeys: one successful and forgotten, the other tragic yet unforgettable. Delving into the research, he describes the intertwined careers of the two men who shared the ship’s journeys: Ross, the organizational genius who mapped much of the Antarctic coastline and oversaw some of the earliest scientific experiments to be conducted there and Franklin, who, at the age of sixty and after a checkered career, commanded the ship on its last disastrous venture. Palin travels across the world-from Tasmania to the Falkland Islands and the Canadian Arctic-to offer a firsthand account of the terrain and conditions that would have confronted the Erebus and her doomed final crew. It was rediscovered under the arctic waters in 2014. Michael Palin brings the fascinating story of the Erebus and its occupants to life, from its construction as a bomb vessel in 1826 through the flagship years of James Clark Ross’s Antarctic expedition and finally to Sir John Franklin’s quest for the holy grail of navigation-a route through the Northwest Passage, where the ship disappeared into the depths of the sea for more than 150 years. Brings energy, wit and humanity to a story that has never ceased to tantalise people since the 1840s.Driven by a passion for travel and history and a love of ships and the sea, former Monty Python stalwart and beloved television globe-trotter Michael Palin explores the world of HMS Erebus, last seen on an ill-fated voyage to chart the Northwest Passage. ![]() Told in a very relaxed and sometimes - as you might expect - very funny Palin style.' David Baddiel, Daily Mail Carefully researched and well-crafted, it brings the story of a ship vividly to life.' Sunday Times The Erebus story is the Arctic epic we've all been waiting for.' Nicholas Crane It's a fascinating story that brings full-bloodedly to life.' Guardian Now available: Michael Palin's North Korea Journals Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic, along with the HMS Terror. On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: the remarkable true story of the exploration ship featured in The Terror
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