Nova, Arctic Ghost Ship

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 8 PM
Thursday, Aug. 31, at 1 AM

In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin set off to chart the elusive Northwest Passage, commanding 128 men in two robust and well-stocked Royal Navy ships, the Erebus and Terror. They were never heard from again. Eventually searchers found tantalizing clues of their fate: a hastily written note left on an island, exhumed bodies suggesting lead poisoning, discarded human bones with marks of cannibalism and Inuit legends of ghost ships. But no trace of the ships was ever found. 

Then, in 2014, after seven years of searching, an official Parks Canada expedition finally located the Erebus, intact and upright on the sea floor. With exclusive access, NOVA tells the story of the risky Canadian expedition, which involved constant battles with crushing sea ice, bad weather and disappointing dead ends. Culminating in the historic discovery of the Erebus, NOVA tells the story of the ill-fated expedition and reveals clues from the sea floor that may finally unravel what happened to Franklin’s men more than 160 years ago.