David C. Woodman

Born and raised in London Ontario, Dave Woodman grew up on and under the waters of Lake Huron sailing and scuba diving. After stints at university and as a boat-builder his love of the water led him to the Canadian Navy where he served for a decade, specializing in navigation and submarines. Upon his return to civilian life he obtained his Master’s Certificate and has remained in the maritime industry serving on various classes of ships and ashore. He retired in 2016.

Formally trained as a historian, Captain Woodman is well known as the author of two books dealing with the ill-fated Third Sir John Franklin Expedition. Woodman’s work concentrated on the profound importance of the Inuit testimony surrounding Franklin’s fate and he was the first to analyze it in depth. He concluded that Inuit visited Franklin’s ships and that they actually witnessed the sinking of one of the ships. Since 1992 he has led or participated in ten expeditions to Canada’s Arctic in search of that wreck and the grave site of Sir John Franklin himself. The search for Franklin and his ships HMS Erebus and Terror, perhaps the greatest maritime mystery of our time, continues.

Woodman is married and the proud father of two daughters, and grandfather. He lives in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.