Wreck of S/S Terra Nova found

A team of American researchers has found the wreck of the S/S Terra Nova. The ship on which Captain Robert Falcon Scott set off on his ill-fated journey through the frigid waters of the Arctic. Scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute, came across their find during the process of mapping the ocean floor around Greenland.

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When in 1910. Scott set off with his crew aboard the S/S Terra Nova, his goal was the South Pole. This expedition was to be a landmark in history and the first expedition to reach the Pole.

Unfortunately, fate would have it otherwise. Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his expedition proved to be faster than Scott by a whole five weeks. Despite this setback, Robert Falcon Scott, decided to fulfil the expedition’s goal and, after leaving the ship, set off for the Pole.

Bad luck, however, did not abandon the courageous explorer, and fate apparently assigned him an encounter in this difficult and still virgin to man place. After reaching the South Pole, on the way back the expedition was surprised by a snowstorm. As a result of the storm, 5 members of the expedition died, including Captain Scott.

The ship S/S Terra Nova returned to England, where it was sold. As a typical whaling vessel, she sailed into frigid waters more than once before sinking more than three decades after the death of her unlucky explorer captain, following a collision with an iceberg.

While scientists were mapping the seabed and testing their equipment, one of them noticed a strange object that stood out from the rest of the seabed. After determining that its length matched the dimensions of Terra Nova (57m), an ROV was sent to the bottom to collect video footage. This confirmed previous suspicions and the subsequent survey mission was a great success.

Source: cbc.ca Photo: Schmidt Ocean Institute