Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - September 29, 2024 - A terrible detail concerning two ships' trip to explore the Canadian Arctic's Northwest Passage has emerged nearly 180 years later.

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror sailed from Kent, England, on May 19, 1845.

Five crew members became ill and departed the mission midway.

Both ships became stuck in Arctic ice. A hazardous circumstance forced 105 crew members to leave the ship for aid. Many died before leaving. A total of 129 sailors died.

Indigenous people witnessed what happened after it, as shown by remains markings.

Recorded evidence suggests that the longest-lived were forced to consume the dead.

The recent discovery suggests that HMS Erebus captain James Fitzjames was cannibalized, Gizmodo reports.

Scientists are investigating human bones and teeth from King William Island, where at least 100 crew members fled after leaving the ship. At least 451 bones from 13 persons were recovered.

The University of Waterloo and Lakehead University used DNA to identify these bones.

They compared DNA with sailors' living relatives and published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

“We worked with a good quality sample that allowed us to generate a Y-chromosome profile, and we were lucky enough to obtain a match,” said Lakehead University Paleo-DNA lab member Stephen Fratpietro.

Senior member Fitzjames recorded commander Sir John Franklin's death. Records reveal others survived on his remnants after he died.

Researchers believe cut marks on his jawbone suggest they tried to eat him.

Two of the ship's victims have been identified. Some Erebus warrant officer John Gregory's remains were uncovered in 2021.

Erebus was rediscovered in 2014, and the Terror in 2016.