Four more sailors on doomed 1845 Arctic expedition identified using DNA analysis
DNA matches from living descendants identified four crew members and brought the total named Franklin expedition sailors to six, researchers said.
- On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, University of Waterloo researchers announced they definitively identified four sailors from the Franklin Expedition using genetic analysis, settling a debate lasting over a century regarding the tragic 1845 Arctic voyage.
- British Navy explorer Francis Leopold McClintock found papers belonging to Harry Peglar, a petty officer aboard the HMS Terror, in 1859 near a skeleton wearing an incorrect uniform, creating a mystery researchers resolved this week.
- Three additional sailors from the HMS Erebus—William Orren, David Young, and John Bridgens—were identified by comparing mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA from remains with samples from living descendants.
- "The loss of life on this expedition was unprecedented," University of Waterloo anthropologist Douglas Stenton told CBC. BBC journalist Rich Preston, a descendant, provided DNA that matched, advancing the research.
- Stenton said the team continues searching for living descendants to identify more remains uncovered over the last century. These genetic findings connect past and present, offering new insights into the 1845 Arctic tragedy.
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None of the 129 men survived the legendary polar mission of 1845, there was cannibalism, many questions are still open today. Now researchers have discovered the identity of four sailors using DNA analyses.
DNA Solves 166-Year-Old Franklin Expedition Mystery as HMS Terror Sailor Identified
Learn how descendant DNA and archaeology helped a research team identify four more sailors from the Franklin expedition and solve a century-old mystery involving a crew member of the HMS Terror.
Remains of Additional Sailors from Doomed Franklin Expedition Identified - Archaeology Magazine
ONTARIO, CANADA—The remains of another four sailors from the Franklin Expedition have been identified through DNA matches with living descendants, according to a Live Science report. Led by Sir John Franklin, the expedition left England in 1845 on two ships to travel the Canadian Arctic and look for a route to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. All 129 men were lost by 1848. William Oren, a seaman; David Young, a boy first class; and John …
This Franklin Expedition Officer Died in the Arctic in a Uniform That Didn't Belong to Him. Now, DNA Has Revealed His Identity
New research has identified four members of the doomed 1845 search for the Northwest Passage, including the owner of a paper-stuffed wallet that has long mystified historians
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