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Wreck of Breadalbane National Historic Site of Canada

Beechey Island, Nunavut, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1983/06/13

General view of the helm from the Wreck of Breadalbane.; Parks Canada Agency | Agence Parcs Canada
General view of the helm
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Other Name(s)

Wreck of Breadalbane National Historic Site of Canada
Wreck of Breadalbane
Épave du Breadalbane
Breadalbane
Breadalbane

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1843/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/01/12

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Wreck of Breadalbane National Historic Site of Canada is located off Beechey Island, Nunavut well above the Arctic Circle and is the most northerly known shipwreck. The site is comprised of the wreckage of Breadalbane, a 19th-century, 500-ton sailing ship, including the hull, fragments of the vessel and the debris field caused by the sinking of the ship. The shipwreck is also a component of Beechey Island Sites National Historic Site of Canada. The designation refers to the shipwreck itself and the debris field that surrounds it.

Heritage Value

The Wreck of Breadalbane was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1983 because:
- the ship was involved in the search for Captain John Franklin’s lost expedition.

Breadalbane was built in 1843 in a shipyard on the Clyde River in Scotland. It spent the first few years of its existence as a merchant vessel, travelling as far as Calcutta. After the disappearance of Sir John Franklin’s expedition, which was searching for the Northwest Passage, Breadalbane was pressed into service by the British Admiralty to supply the vessels which were exploring the Arctic waters in search of Franklin and his crew. It left the Thames River in 1853, accompanying HMS Phoenix, and arrived at the rallying point for the search parties at Beechey Island later that year. However, the Arctic weather did not co-operate and Breadalbane soon found itself surrounded by slow-moving yet implacable pack ice. The ship was quickly emptied of as many supplies and personal effects as possible. On the night of August 20-21, the ice finally broke through the hull, sinking Breadalbane to the floor of Barrow Strait.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, July 2007.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location well above the Arctic Circle within Beechey Island Sites National Historic Site of Canada in Nunavut;
- the underwater archaeological remains of the ship, including the hull, fragments of the vessel and the surrounding debris field;
- the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains associated with the wreck, which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent, including all remains of a navigational or personal nature.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1983/06/13

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1853/01/01 to 1853/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Developing Economies
Communications and Transportation

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Transport-Water
Vessel

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Conservation and Commemoration Directorate, Documentation Centre, 3rd Floor, Room 366, 30 Victoria St, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

11250

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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