A recent newspaper article in the Toronto Star reminded me of a much earlier conversation with a senior level employee of Canadian North. She told me that the airline was introducing an after dinner liqueur coffee called Café Franklin in recognition of the nineteenth century Arctic explorer. I questioned their wisdom in naming the in-flight beverage Café Franklin, considering the captain’s travel misadventures and the mystery of Franklin’s lost ships. However, I recall the free drink was short lived but I had the opportunity to enjoy a Café Franklin on a flight south from Yellowknife to Edmonton.
I enjoyed reading Marco Chown Oved’s article, “Biggest search party yet for Franklin’s lost ships. Quoting John Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the article states, “To this day, if you think about it, it’s absolutely incredible that we’ve not been able to find these two ships. Franklin has never been found; his journals have never been found; a large number of his crewmen have never been found; the ships have never been found-it’s as if they simply vanished!” http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/27/biggest_search_party_yet_for_franklins_lost_ships.html
This summer’s Victoria Strait Expedition to search for Franklin’s lost ships will include greater numbers of partners and cutting edge technology. The Canadian made Underwater Autonomous Vehicle, Arctic Explorer, built in Port Coquitlam will have the capacity to conduct days of underwater searches at deeper levels than previous dives.
If this 2014 expectation is successful in uncovering the mystery of Franklin’s last voyage searching for the Northwest Passage, then perhaps Canadian North might want to consider reintroducing its liqueur coffee, Café Franklin, in celebration.
Bottoms up for the Victoria Strait Expectation!
Nancy Wales, CSJ
Photo: Franklin's ships, the Erebus and the Terror