ON THE COVER:
Over 30 searches were launched to find HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. The searches were as hazardous as the original expedition and sailors died of disease and exposure. In this oil painting by Francois Musin, HMS Resolute has beached against the ice as rescuers set out to find possible survivors from the two ships. In 1852, Edward Belcher was given command of the government Arctic expedition in search of Franklin. It was unsuccessful. Belcher’s inability to render himself popular with his subordinates was particularly unfortunate on an Arctic voyage and he was not wholly suited to commanding vessels among the ice. Four of the five ships (including Resolute) were abandoned in pack ice. Belcher was court-martialed but acquitted. HMS Resolute was eventually recovered intact by an American whaler and returned to the UK. Timbers from the ship were later used to manufacture three decks, one of which, the Resolute Desk, was presented by Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes. This desk has often been chosen by presidents for use in the White House’s Oval Office.

FEATURES:

MAYHEM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
Winston Churchill reasoned that British military power could tackle the Germans in a bewildering series of islands off Greece. He was wrong / by Kelly Bell

THEY SABOTAGED LIBERTY
Greedy for extra pay, these American shipyard workers were responsible for the destruction of newly completed Liberty Ships / by Nicholas A. Veronico

MIDWAY: WHO FIRED FIRST?
The USS Nautilus and Douglas Dauntlesses closed on advancing Japanese forces in one of the most critical battles of the Second World War / by Doug Mears

THEIR GUNS WERE ALWAYS READY
The Mighty Mo accepts the unconditional surrender of Japan, thus ending the Second World War / by James Thompson

MUSEUM NEWS
Continuing exploration of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror reveal what happened to the ships and their crews

INTEL FILE
US Navy responding to building tensions around the globe

LOST AT SEA
More ships whose sailing days are over / by Susan Duprey

YOUR NAVY
Latest images from the US Navy’s top photojournalists / by Howard Carter

CAPTAIN’S LOCKER
What is new in nautical literature

SEA MAIL
News and views from the readers of Sea Classics