Two pieces of wooden oars from the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin.

The pieces of oar was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. AAA2306.1 is described as 'Item 16. Blade of an oar from a native cache on Washington Bay' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600]. AAA2306.2 is not specifically mentioned in the list or in any accounts, but may have been combined into one entry. The American Geographical Society Arctic Meeting account does record that on the trip from Graham Gore peninsula to Tulloch Point they found 'No traces, except a few unimportant relics, as broken oar-blades &c., were found until Tulloch Point was reached,...' [AGS, vol. 12 (1880), page 254].

Schwatka's expedition visited Washington Bay on the return voyage to the mainland in early-mid September 1879. Schwatka recorded ' On our journey a thorough search was made of that portion of the coast that Frank & Henry had not previously looked over, but nothing rewarded either our or their labors, except an oar found near the head of Washington Bay.' [Schwatka, page 95]. Schwatka was told by an Inuit woman that she had met ten white men on the east shore of Washington Bay with a boat on a sledge

Painted on AAA2306.1 in white letters is 'THE BLADE OF AN OAR FOUND ON WASHINGTON BAY (10)' indicating that it was displayed in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, 'Case 6, No. 10. Blade of an oar from Washington Bay'. Painted on the smaller piece of oar, AAA2306.2 in white letters is '(6) PIECE OF THE BLADE OF AN OAR', indicating it was displayed in 'Case 6. No. 6. The objects in case 6 were (inaccurately) amalgamated into one entry: 'Case 6. Native tools &c., obtained from the Ookosiksillik Esquimaux at Hayes River, and made of parts belonging to H.M. Ships "Erebus" and "Terror".'