A swim against tides to find Franklin's lost ships
Canadian researchers begin their efforts to find the remains of Sir John Franklin's catastrophic 1845 expedition, in a project that combines the historical romanticism associated with past explorers and the emerging importance of 21st-century polar science. Yet the project is happening only as a result of the persistence of the researchers involved. They were initially turned down for funding and say they had to stitch together a patchwork of initiatives to sustain their project. "The principal investigators incorporated this project into their personal research programs," said Professor Bruno Tremblay of ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. "It's being done a bit as a spinoff from our research funding." Prof. Tremblay said he cobbled together $150,000, with a combination of federal, provincial and university monies. Another $150,000 came from a Swiss pharmaceutical tycoon with a personal interest in sea sciences.