HMS Erebus

HMS Erebus was a British warship launched in 1826. It was part of a fleet of ships sent by the Royal Navy to explore the Arctic. The Erebus was a Hecla-class ship built for Arctic expeditions. It had a length of 105 feet and a beam of 28 feet, which was ideal for such an expedition. It was powered by a steam engine and sails and could reach a top speed of 4 knots. The ship had a length of 32 metres and a beam of 8.5 metres with a displacement of 372 tons and a crew of 67 men.

The Erebus was part of the Franklin Expedition that set out for the Arctic in 1845 to explore the Northwest Passage. The expedition was led by Sir John Franklin and consisted of 129 men in total, including the crew of the Erebus and her sister, the HMS Terror.

The expedition's voyage began promisingly, but in August 1845 the ship was stopped near Beechey Island due to ice build-up and bad weather. The crew spent the winter on Beechey Island and continued their voyage in the spring of 1846. However, the expedition soon ran into trouble when ice again trapped the ship.

In January 1848, Franklin decided to go ashore with part of the crew and most of the supplies to return for help. The remaining crew members stayed behind on the ships in the hope that the icy conditions would soon subside. But the help never arrived and the entire expedition was reported missing.

For decades there was no trace of the Franklin expedition until 1859, when some remains were discovered from the crew, including clothing and personal items. However, it took another 150 years before the ships' remains were found.

In 2014, the remains of the Erebus were found near King William Island. The discovery was made by a team of Canadian archaeologists who discovered the remains of the ship at a depth of only ten metres. The remains of the Terror were found nearby two years later.

The discovery of the Erebus unlocked many mysteries of the Franklin expedition. The remains of the ship were carefully examined to learn more about the lives of the crew on board. Some of the most interesting discoveries were the evidence of shipboard activities such as map drawing, books and writing tools. Personal items were also found, such as a pencil drawing of a dog that may have come from one of the crew members.

The discovery of the Erebus has not only helped to reveal the secrets of the Franklin expedition, but has also raised awareness of the importance of preserving historic ships and artefacts.

The kit contains all the necessary parts (approx. 2350 pieces) to build the model. Only selected woods are used for the double planking. The basic frame is to be built in chipboard construction. All frames are laser-cut and fit perfectly. Nothing has to be sawn out by hand, only the planks have to be adjusted. All fittings and add-on parts are prefabricated in high quality and are included in the set. The step-by-step instructions are in German and include many photos of the construction steps. On Youtube, the manufacturer OCCRE provides small videos showing individual construction stages.

Not included are paints, adhesives and tools. Due to the many small details and countless parts only experienced modellers should dare to build this model !

Technical data:
Scale: M 1:75
Length: 684mm
Height: 504mm
Width: 195mm