HMS Erebus and Terror at Royal Museums Greenwich

A room for British polar exploration

This gallery traces two centuries of British polar exploration, from the search for the Northwest Passage to the early twentieth-century Antarctic expeditions led by figures such as Ernest Shackleton — a field where success and catastrophe have often sat very close together.

1. Two ships that mapped Antarctica

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, two warships converted for polar exploration, took part between 1839 and 1843 in James Clark Ross's Antarctic expedition, which mapped much of the continent and gave its name to Mount Erebus. Before that, the Terror had already been through an ordeal: on an Arctic voyage in 1836-1837 under Captain George Back, the ship was trapped in pack ice for 118 days at the entrance to Foxe Channel, drifting nearly 200 miles before being freed, badly damaged.

2. Lost with all hands, found again 170 years later

In 1845 the two ships set out again, under Sir John Franklin, in search of the Northwest Passage — and vanished along with their 129 crew. Abandoned in the ice in 1848 after Franklin himself died at sea, no survivors were ever found; analysis of human remains discovered later suggests some expedition members resorted to cannibalism in their final months.

It would take until 2014 for the wreck of the Erebus to be located, and 2016 for the Terror's — nearly 170 years after they disappeared, thanks in part to information passed down through generations of Inuit who had knowledge of the wreck.

How much time

The same two ships' names recur from one painting to the next: follow them to trace their path from Antarctic triumph to Arctic tragedy.

The paintings linked to Erebus and Terror — 12 minutes.
The rest of the room (Shackleton, Ross) — 10 minutes.

Sources and verification

Checked against the official notices of Royal Museums Greenwich (rmg.co.uk / collections.rmg.co.uk) and cross-checked with Wikipedia EN/FR.

Displays and room openings can change. Check the Royal Museums Greenwich website on the day of your visit before following a route.

Continue your visit

Royal Museums Greenwich, London

An admiral shot “to encourage the others” Byng’s execution, and a defeated Napoleon watched by sightseers. From Armada triumph to naval disaster A century of English sea power, at its best and its worst.

Listen to the commentary in the gallery

This route gives you a thread to follow. In front of an artwork, CulturAll adds the audio commentary: photograph the work or its label, listen, then ask your questions.

Two glorious ships in Antarctica, vanished without a trace in the Arctic