‘Expedition of a lifetime’: Shearwater divers to get close-up look at Franklin wreckage

HALIFAX – Members of an elite diving unit based in Halifax are heading to the Arctic next month to be a part of history.

More than 20 divers from the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic will participate in an ice dive from April 8 to 18 to explore, survey and map the HMS Erebus.

The Erebus is a part of Canadian folklore — its captain, Sir John Franklin, was attempting to chart the Northwest Passage when the Erebus and its crew got stuck in the ice near King William Island. Franklin and his men perished.

In September 2014, the wreckage of the Erebus was discovered and next month, divers from Parks Canada, Fleet Diving Unit Pacific and Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic will participate in what is to be expected a grueling and vigorous ice dive.

The team will be under the leadership of Rear Admiral John Newton, the senior commander of the Maritime forces on Canada’s East Coast.

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“Diving through seven feet of ice in a pretty austere environment that killed the entire expedition of Franklin … we’re going to be looking over them and [I’ll] be doing my part to ensure their safety,” Newton said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Diving through seven feet of ice in a pretty austere environment that killed the entire expedition of Franklin … we're going to be looking over them and [I'll] be doing my part to ensure their safety," Newton said.

Crew undergoes training for expedition

The team recently underwent two training sessions: one at CFB Shearwater so Parks Canada divers could familiarize themselves with Navy diving equipment and one in Quebec City last weekend to practice an ice dive.

Leading Seaman Josh Oldford is one of the divers who will be coming face-to-face with the wreckage. He and the other divers will be fitted by GoPro cameras, which they will use to capture photos and video of the long-lost vessel.

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“I know a lot of people would pay a lot of money to do these kinds of things. I am just really looking forward to it. I’m really excited about it,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. An expedition of a lifetime.”

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Challenges of setting up camp in the Arctic

The team will set up camp on top of the ice and drill three holes for the divers at the port, starboard and stern of the vessel, according to Lt.-Cmdr. Stephan Julien, the commanding officer of Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic and the dive commander of the Erebus expedition.

“They’re going to be long, long days. We can expect seven or eight dives per day. A dive could last 20 minutes to 30 minutes but it could be as long as an hour and a half depending on what the task of the day will be,” he said.

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Divers will map the area around the vessel, remove any growth on the ship and potentially explore the inside of the ship.

“Parks Canada wants to try to understand what happened with the wreck. How did the wreck get caught in the ice? How did they sink? When did they sink?” Julien said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Parks Canada wants to try to understand what happened with the wreck. How did the wreck get caught in the ice? How did they sink? When did they sink?" Julien said.

The site of the wreck is isolated and conditions are expected to be harsh.

“We know it’s going to be -40C at the time of the expedition itself and the wind could be really high, up to 60 km/h,” Julien said. “It’s an austere environment and it’s not easy because we have to think always about supplying the team that’s going to be on the ice.”

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But Chief Petty officer 2nd Class Larry Lyver, the operations chief at Fleeting Diving Unit Atlantic, said it will also be ideal for the ice dive.

Lyver said the planning has focused primarily on the logistics of working in a cold, barren environment.

“The diving part is the simple part. We all know how to do that. It’s the set-up and the preparations to make sure the safety requirements are there. It’s the logistics piece and building that camp and getting that ice out,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The diving part is the simple part. We all know how to do that. It's the set-up and the preparations to make sure the safety requirements are there. It's the logistics piece and building that camp and getting that ice out," he said.

Expedition is chance of a lifetime

The excitement of coming face-to-face with a part of history is thrilling for all involved.

“We’re so jazzed that all this comes together on such an exciting dive on a wreck of such a fable and a key component of Canada’s Northern story,” Newton said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're so jazzed that all this comes together on such an exciting dive on a wreck of such a fable and a key component of Canada's Northern story," Newton said.

“I think it’s going to be amazing. It’s part of Canada’s history: the Franklin expedition. The fact we were able to build a team of divers from Parks Canada and the Royal Canadian Navy and go on this expedition together is going to be something to talk about for the next 30 years,” Julien said.

“It was history when Franklin started his expedition here in North America. And in April when we dive the vessel, it’s going to be history again.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was history when Franklin started his expedition here in North America. And in April when we dive the vessel, it's going to be history again."

Lyver said the chance to plan and oversee the ice dive is a dream job.

“Honestly, this dive, this vessel, this story, I can’t put it into words. It’s the job of a lifetime for me,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Honestly, this dive, this vessel, this story, I can't put it into words. It's the job of a lifetime for me," he said.