One of two British exploration ships that left Greenhithe almost 170 years ago has been found in Canada.

The ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, were abandoned by Sir John Franklin's scientific expedition through the fabled North West Passage after becoming trapped in polar ice, north of Canada, in 1846.

It remains unclear which ship has been found but images show there is enough information to confirm it is one of the pair.

Their disappearance prompted one of the largest rescue searches in history, from 1848 to 1859.

None of the more than 100-strong team survived.

Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper said the ship was found on September 7 using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, adding the discovery was a historic moment.

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A side-scan sonar image of ship on the sea floor in northern Canada. Photo: AP Photo/Parks Canada, via The Canadian Press

According to the website of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, the Franklin Expedition was "the worst disaster in the history of British polar exploration".

Museum curator Gillian Hutchinson said: "It was a huge event in Victorian Society.

"Sir John set off in 1845 to find the North West route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, going across the top of North America.

"They were last seen going into something called Lancaster Sound and were never heard from again."

Many expeditions went in search of the lost party, before a message was found on King William Island in 1859.

It revealed the ship had become trapped in ice in 1846 and the men had lived in their drifting icy prison for a year-and-a-half, during which Sir John had died.

In 1848 105 starving survivors set out on foot for the Great Fish River, but died en route.

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A crew member loads a remote underwater vehicle part. Photo: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld

Ms Hutchinson added: "It is wonderful news that they have found one of the ships.

"It seems to be in incredible condition." 

She added that examination of the wreck could yield a lot of information about the expedition, because the cold water would help preserve organic material.

Franklin's vessels are among the most sought-after prizes in marine archaeology. Tantalising traces have been found over the years, including the bodies of three crewmen discovered in the 1980s.