Contained within the book are colour and black and white photographs which are incredible all by themselves and just add to the detail. Anyone who has read any of Michael Palin’s previous books will already know of his writing style which make this book such an incredible read and for me I have learnt so much of both the ships and crew. The characters of the crews not to mention Sir John Franklin himself. What followed was dramatic search effort to find the crew and ships and Palin writes with incredible detail after so much research. The stories of the fate of the men of both ships and how they tried to survive the Arctic conditions as the dragged lifeboats packed with supplies over the ice. This is really where the story really begins as the crews of both ships knew they were trapped in the ice and the only hope of survival was to abandon Erebus and Terror. On the ill-fated expatiation Erebus was accompanied by HMS Terror and the two ships under the Captaincy of Sir John Franklin set off on the disastrous expedition and were last seen in Baffin Bay in August 1845. HMS Erebus and Terror trapped in the ice. After two years’ service it was converted as an exploration ship. She was small in size (104ft) compared to other warships of the time. This is where Palin starts and then winds the clock back as he tells of the birth of HMS Erebus as a ‘Bomb Ship’. The freezing waters and lack of Oxygen have preserved the ship so well. The last resting place of HMS Erebus was finally discovered in 2014 and the photographs of Erebus on the Arctic seabed are just incredible. Erebus: A Story of a Ship is the story of HMS Erebus from its launch in 1826 as a warship to its disappearance in 1845. Michael Palin is well known for his travelling and writing but when I heard that he had released a book on the ill-fated Arctic exploration to find the North West Passage and the famous ship HMS Erebus I was incredibly excited as I have followed this story for many years. I love the sea and stories of the ships that have explored the seas. Brings energy, wit and humanity to a story that has never ceased to tantalise people since the 1840s.Erebus: The Story of a Ship – Michael Palin Told in a very relaxed and sometimes - as you might expect - very funny Palin style.' David Baddiel, Daily Mail 'Magisterial. Carefully researched and well-crafted, it brings the story of a ship vividly to life.' Sunday Times 'A great story. The Erebus story is the Arctic epic we've all been waiting for.' Nicholas Crane 'Thoroughly absorbs the reader. It's a fascinating story that Palin brings full-bloodedly to life.' Guardian 'This is an incredible book. I didn't want it to end.' Bill Bryson 'Illuminated by flashes of gentle wit. _ Now available- Michael Palin's North Korea Journals _ A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Beyond terrific. Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic, along with the HMS Terror. On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. Michael Palin brings to life one of the greatest adventures of all time _ THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER- the remarkable true story of the exploration ship featured in The Terror In the early years of Queen Victoria's reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time.
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