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Parks Canada divers were able to see that the retractable propeller of HMS Terror is in the lowered operating position on the well-preserved wreck. Surprisingly this was interpreted by some to mean that the ship abandoned in April 1848 when the crews started a retreat to the south was later reoccupied and sailed using the engine. I see no reason for this interpretation. Surely the simplest explanation is that both Terror and Erebus were trying to force their passage through the ice filled North-West Passage, where they were both beset in the ice on 12th September 1846 (1848 record). The engines were left running until the propellers were frozen into the ice with the ships.
QUESTION. Was Terror’s propeller frozen up in 12th September 1846 in Victoria Strait or years later in 1848 in Terror Bay where the wreck was found?
I would expect that the crew would have made every possible effort to retract the propeller and install the chalk. The open propeller well would be a vulnerability. The unfilled propeller well would be weaker and the ice could effectively grab onto it. Of course this is just my speculation based on thought experiment.
If the propeller was uninstalled in September of 1846 when was it reinstalled? Was Terror rafted out of this ice in 1848 and the propeller installed to save time in case the men came back? Did a reduced crew reman Terror, install the propeller then, in their poor health and numbers, not bother to uninstall it? Was there a failure in the shaft seal (stuffing box) that caused flooding leading to abandonment?
The state of Erebus’ propeller is unknown. If it was installed it must be under the pile of timber beneath the stern.
I would like to see a photo of the propeller to make sure that it is actually installed and that the chalk isn’t missing for some reason.
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