Researchers from the University of Waterloo have confirmed the identities of four additional crew members from Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin's notorious Arctic expedition, according to a statement issued on Friday. This brings the total count of identified sailors from the voyage to six.

The expedition, which ultimately failed, launched in 1845 with the goal of surveying the remaining unmapped sections of Canada's Arctic Northwest Passage and analyzing magnetic data to refine navigation methods.

In 1847, the two vessels - HMS Erebus and HMS Terror - became trapped in ice near King William Island in Nunavut, in the heart of the Arctic.

By April 1848, after over a year ensnared in the ice and the loss of 24 men, including Franklin, the remaining 105 crew members attempted a desperate escape by hauling boats on sleds along the island's shoreline.

All 105 perished in their bid for survival. Their bones have been discovered scattered across the island and the Adelaide Peninsula since the mid-1800s.

Genetic Testing Reveals Sailors' Identities

Scientists at the University of Waterloo recently matched DNA from skeletal remains of deceased crew members with samples from living descendants, identifying three sailors from HMS Erebus and one from HMS Terror.

The Erebus trio consists of Able Seaman William Orren, Boy 1st Class David Young, and Subordinate Officers' Steward John Bridgens.

Douglas Stenton, adjunct assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Waterloo, noted that all three likely perished at Erebus Bay.

Notably, the DNA work also uncovered that BBC News anchor Rich Preston descends from Bridgens.

The fourth individual is Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop on HMS Terror - the first crew member from that ship to receive positive identification.

Stenton told CBC News that a genetic match with Peglar's sister's great-great-granddaughter confirmed his identity. He remains the sole Terror member verified through DNA.

Peglar's remains were located about 130 kilometers from the Terror, per the university's announcement.

This breakthrough resolves a mystery spanning more than 160 years about his fate.

In 1859, explorers discovered a body with Peglar's personal papers but clad in mismatched uniform attire.

Known as the "Peglar Papers," these included his seaman's certificate, poems, and apparent accounts of expedition events - the only surviving written records from the journey.

"These discoveries offer living descendants fresh insights into the timing and places of their ancestors' deaths, plus the names of fellow crew who perished alongside them," Stenton explained.

Just Two Prior Genetic Confirmations Amid Numerous Discoveries

Before this, despite recovering partial remains from several Franklin expedition members, only two had been conclusively identified.

Separate from the Peglar Papers body - identified as Erebus engineer John Gregory in 2021 - skeletons thought to belong to Henry Le Vesconte and John Irving surfaced in the late 19th century.

In September 2024, Stenton collaborated with Stephen Fratpietro and Robert W. Park of Waterloo and Lakehead Universities to verify a jawbone as that of James Fitzjames, who assumed Erebus command after Franklin's passing.

Unlike the newly identified four, whose remains show no such evidence, Fitzjames's jawbone displayed marks consistent with cannibalism.

The sunken Erebus and Terror wrecks have been relocated and now form the protected "Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site."

The Canadian Victoria Strait expedition found Erebus in 2014 in Wilmot and Crampton Bays waters west of the Adelaide Peninsula. Two years later, the Arctic Research Foundation located Terror in Terror Bay off King William Island's southwest shore.

Details of the findings appear in two papers published in early May: "DNA identifications of three 1845 Franklin expedition sailors from HMS Erebus" in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports and "‘Some very hard ground to heave’: DNA identification of Harry Peglar, Captain of the Foretop, HMS Terror" in Polar Record.