Tasmania Islands, Nunavut — Let’s all hold our cowboy hats to our hearts and pray, as members of the Transglobal Car Expedition team head back to a remote stretch of arctic islands to retrieve a Ford F-150 that sunk into the chilly depths.
The truck met its demise during an overland trip from Yellowknife, NWT to Resolute Bay, Nvt., when it crashed through the ice somewhere near the Tasmania Islands and along the Franklin Strait.
A 12-person rescue team began their mission yesterday, departing from 300 kilometres away in Gjoa Haven, and are expected to return, truck or no truck, in three days.
Representatives from the Transglobal Car Expedition said in a statement that the rescue team will attempt to attach airbags to the truck so that it may simply float back up to the surface and be brought ashore.
Local hunters and guides have also been called on to assist the team in navigating the harsh arctic waters.
The recovery effort is being funded by GoodGear, the parent organization behind the Transglobal Car Expedition.
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The Transglobal Car Expedition by GoodGear.org is commencing the recovery operation of
the Arctic Trucks AT44 F-150 vehicle lost through the ice near the Tasmania Islands,
Nunavut, on 23 March 2022.
After the successful completion of the world’s first overland wheeled crossing from the
continental shelf of Canada to the high Arctic (Yellowknife NT to Resolute NU) in March
2022, in the process of returning the vehicles to Cambridge Bay on March 23, 2022, one
vehicle was lost through the surface in an area of rapidly shifting ice on a heavy current. No
one was injured.
In the months following, the Transglobal Car Expedition has worked with local communities
and regional and federal authorities to develop a recovery program. This incident has
improved our understanding of the safety measures needed for the planned full
circumnavigation of the globe in 2024. It has also provided important data on the viability of
travel on the ice in the context of global warming, which is making traveling over the ice
more dangerous for Indigenous communities and other ice travelers.
The Transglobal Car Expedition team knows that the Arctic is one of the most fragile
ecosystems on the planet, and any pollution there can have irreversible consequences. Taking
full responsibility for the accident, the team has planned all the recovery stages and are now
prepared to start the operation.
Starting August 25, 2022 the recovery team will operate from Gjoa Haven, which is 300 km
from the sunken vehicle. A team of highly experienced Arctic divers will begin an
underwater recovery operation which will float the truck using airbags and secure it on the
island. When secured on land, it will be inspected and made ready for airlift. Coldstream
Helicopters’ heavy lift helicopter will carry it to Gjoa Haven, where it will be made ready for
the next available sealift vessel to Montreal.
An experienced film/presenting team will follow the recovery team. Local hunters have been
retained as wildlife monitors. Following the recovery, the team will leave the site after
making sure that it remains in pristine condition. It is estimated that the team will be on-site
for approximately three days to account for any delay in lifting the truck.
“This is a massively complex operation in a very remote area of a precious landscape.
Months of planning have gone into this effort and the Transglobal Car Expedition has
committed all the resources necessary to succeed and ensure the team’s safety during this
process,” said Emil Grimsson, head of Arctic Trucks Polar of Iceland, who will monitor the
operation from Gjoa Haven.
Added Andrew Comrie-Picard, a Canadian expedition member and director of the media
team: “This is an international team of the best in the world in polar wheeled travel,
augmented with experienced cold-water recovery experts and a team of Indigenous
underwater camera operators. Our respect for the land motivates our desire to do the right
thing to remediate the area, and also bring the world’s eyes to one of the most pristine and
beautiful places on the planet.”
The parent organization of the Transglobal Car Expedition is the Swiss non-profit GoodGear,
which seeks to bring innovative technologies to locations around the world for the betterment
of local communities and the advancement of scientific research.
The Truck was recovered!
https://supercarblondie.com/cars/ford-f-150-sinks-transglobal-car-expedition-arctic-trucks-rescue/