DNA Analysis Identifies Four More Sailors From Doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition

University of Waterloo researchers have identified four additional crew members from Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition through DNA analysis of skeletal remains recovered from sites on King William Island and the Adelaide Peninsula. The four men are William Orren, Able Seaman; David Young, Boy 1st Class; John Bridgens, Subordinate Officers’ Steward; and Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop on HMS Terror.

The identifications were announced in a May 6 statement and published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports in May.

The new findings bring the total number of identified sailors from the expedition to six. Researchers previously identified John Gregory in 2021 and Captain James Fitzjames in 2024. 25 miles apart along Erebus Bay.

Sir John Franklin brought 129 officers and crew members aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror in 1845 to chart the Northwest Passage. The vessels became trapped in ice near King William Island in Nunavut in September 1846. Franklin died in 1847.

In April 1848 the surviving crew abandoned the ships and attempted to escape on foot while dragging boats. All 105 remaining crew members died. University of Waterloo anthropologists extracted DNA primarily from teeth, whose hard enamel better preserves genetic material.

Study co-author Stephen Fratpietro of Lakehead University compared the samples with DNA donated by living descendants and found exact genetic matches in all four cases. Captain James Fitzjames’s remains showed evidence of cannibalism. He is the only identified member whose body displayed that condition.

Harry Peglar’s body was dressed as a steward. Study co-author Douglas Stenton said Peglar had likely been demoted to that position due to misconduct. The body carrying Peglar’s papers was discovered 167 years before the new DNA research.

The Northwest Passage was viewed as a potential trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans offering faster access to markets in Asia. The Franklin expedition was the largest and best-equipped Arctic expedition of its time. Stenton said DNA research is helping scientists develop a better understanding of the catastrophic loss of life while providing closure for families.

Next steps include working with genealogists and descendants to identify more crew members and potentially collecting additional archaeological DNA samples.