Sailors from doomed Arctic mission with no survivors identified by DNA

Sailors from doomed Arctic mission with no survivors identified by DNA3 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleCraig DugganBBC WalesDiana Trepkov, Investigative Forensic Artist / History/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesLeft: A forensic facial reconstruction of David Young, cabin boy on HMS Erebus. Right: An artist's impression of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on a previous Arctic missionThe remains of sailors who died on an ill-fated Arctic expedition have been identified by researchers using DNA testing.The Victorian-era HMS Erebus, built in Pembroke Dock in 1826, became part of nautical folklore after it vanished in the mid-19th Century. All of the sailors on board died after the ship became stuck in ice, with some resorting to cannibalism during desperate attempts at survival.Now, three sailors aboard the ship have been identified and living descendants contacted by researchers at the University of Waterloo, in Canada.And previously unseen artefacts from the wreck - including a bowl and a boot worn by an officer - will go on display at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.What was HMS Erebus?HMS Erebus, captained by Sir John Franklin, set sail in 1845.Accompanied by HMS Terror, it was searching for the fabled Northwest Passage.Alongside Sir John were 128 seafarers, all of them aiming to find the elusive sea route linking the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Arctic seas off northern Canada.But tragedy struck when both ships became imprisoned in ice in freezing temperatures in 1846.After being stuck for two years, and with 24 already dead, 105 survivors tried to save themselves by walking across the frozen sea while pulling heavy sleds in -20C temperatures.Nobody survived and HMS Erebus's exact fate remained unknown until 2014, when its wreckage was uncovered in the icy waters of northern Canada.Getty ImagesAn artist's impression of Erebus and Terror on a previous successful missionDr Douglas Stenton, from the University of Waterloo who has excavated...