Toronto, July 29 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Canadian explorers have discovered a 19th century British ship that was abandoned during a rescue mission on the Arctic.

The ship - HMS Investigator was found by the Parks Canada researchers in Mercy Bay this week. Historians say the ship was abandoned when it went on a mission to rescue the crew of another ship, Franklin expedition. All the crew on board the Franklin expedition are believed to have perished.

The Franklin expedition was on a mission to discover the Northwest Passage. The Canadian Environmental Minister, Jim Prentice said the ship is an incredible sight and he added that they were particularly excited because the ship have probably not been seen for almost 160 years.

The ship was manned by Robert McClure in 1884 when it launched an unsuccessful bid to rescue the Franklin expedition. But the crew had to abandon the ship and the mission when the ship got trapped in a pack of ice.

The crew were eventually rescued by the Royal Navy.

Canada however made a political statement with the discovery saying the discovery bolsters Canada’s claim to sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. “It’s an incredible sight,” according to Canadian Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice.