The press and social media have been buzzing with the news that we have received National Lottery funding for a major exhibition of the life of Pembroke Dock-built HMS Erebus. Now Michael Palin, author of ‘Erebus: the story of a ship’ and a long-time friend of our museum, has been kind enough to send us his personal congratulations.
“I’m excited and very pleased that 200 years after her birth, HMS Erebus will be celebrated at the dockyard where she was built and launched on what was to become an amazing career,” writes Michael Palin. “The shipwrights of Pembroke Dockyard created one of the toughest, strongest ships that’s ever graced the Royal Navy. A ship which survived four years of high seas, ice-packs and vicious storms to take men further south than anyone had ever been before.
“As a result of that extraordinary achievement she was chosen to be Sir John Franklin’s flagship on an expedition to discover the North-West Passage but, trapped in the ice by two of the most cruel winters of the century, no-one on that expedition survived. But Erebus did. To much jubilation she was found under the ice a hundred and eighty years later, most of her hull still intact.
“Few ships have had a more heroic career, and I’m delighted that the Pembroke Heritage Centre, with the help of the National Lottery, will remember her and all those who worked on her, in this exhibition.
“I’d like to offer my very special thanks to John Evans and Ted Goddard who welcomed me so generously when I first visited the Dockyard to begin my search for this remarkable vessel. One of the proudest projects of my life.”
Michael Palin, February 2026
The new exhibition, named “HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery”, will mark the 200th anniversary of the launch of HMS Erebus, built and launched in the Royal Dockyard on 7th June 1826, through the exceptional skill of Pembrokeshire’s 19th-century shipwrights and Welsh maritime craftsmanship.
Erebus went on to play a pivotal role in some of the most important explorations of the age, including the pioneering Ross Antarctic Expedition, and was tragically lost in the ill-fated Franklin expedition to the Arctic. Her rediscovery below the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic in 2014 reignited worldwide interest in the mystery and legacy of polar exploration.
The exhibition will include recovered artefacts never before shown to the public, as well as high-tech interactive displays and video footage.
“HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery”, will open to the public on Monday 8th June 2026.
Image credit: Jaimie Gramston