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It was, he said, awe-inspiring.

“You can imagine the bustle of activity that once filled these corridors and cabins and messrooms with clamour,” Harris said. “You carefully manoeuvre the ROV into the cabins, you feel like you’re in a way violating their privacy. It’s exhilarating, but it’s quite a solemn space.”

The ship remains so intact the camera was able to visit 90 per cent of it. Some skylights even retain their glass.

Photo by Jason Franson / The Canadian Press

The only door they found closed was, tantalizingly enough, the one opening on the cabin of captain Francis Crozier.

Even more tantalizing are all those cabinets and drawers, probably full of journals and maps, Harris said. Those papers, preserved by cold water and a protective layer of sediment, are likely to be legible.

“Each drawer potentially has materials that could shed light on the fate of the expedition,” he said.

The Terror’s tidy condition only poses another mystery.

“It looks like the ship, in many ways, was fully operational and then suddenly deserted. All the cabin doors were opened, almost as if there was a rush to see if anyone was on board as it sank. We don’t know.”

No Terror artifacts have been recovered. The team has first to map the entire site and analyze hundreds of hours of video.

Excavation is just starting on the wreck of the Erebus. Harris said he hoped the team could stay at work until mid-September.

Photo by Justin Tang / The Canadian Press

A total of 65 artifacts previously recovered from the Erebus were retained by the United Kingdom, with many now on tour. Canada and the U.K. will negotiate where those objects will go after the tour is over. Parks Canada is storing other Erebus artifacts.

The U.K. has given the ships to Canada.

Future plans for both ships will be decided between Parks Canada, the government of Nunavut and Inuit. Harris said local guardians and assistants are playing an important role in the work.

“We work very closely with the guardians,” he said.

Meanwhile, the work continues. Harris can hardly contain his enthusiasm.

“It’s just an avalanche of incredible sights, so many things that put you in the place and the time,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960