Roald Amundsen

July 16^th marks the birthday of Roald Amundsen who was born 1872.  Amundsen the Norwegian who raced against Captain Scott to reach the South Pole.  Amundsen reached the Pole a month before Scott.  This blog covers Amundsen early life and the Race.

Early Life

Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen was born 16^th July 1872, in Borge, Norway to parents Jens Amundsen and Hanna Sahiqvist.  His mother discouraged him to follow his family maritime and encouraged that Amundsen should study and train as a doctor.  Amundsen keep this promise till his mother’s death when he was 21.  He quitted university for the life of the sea.

First Expedition

Aged 25, Amundsen, whom was first mate joined the crew of the RV Belgica, the Norwegian steamship converted to research ship, used in the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-99.  The expedition was led by Adrien de Geriache de Gomery.    Among the crew was American surgeon, anthropologist and photographer, Frederick Cook.  Cook, claimed to have been the first person to have reached the North Pole, on 21^st April 1908.

En route to Antarctica, the RV Belgica, stooped off at Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, and Montevideo, where the aforementioned Cook joined the crew.  The Brazilians had taken an interest in the expedition.  The scientist and officers of the RV Belgica were offered membership to the \Historical and Geographical Society at Rio.

RV Belgica stuck in ice, 1898

Finally, January 1898, the RV Belgica reached the coast of Graham Land.  Graham Land is named after the British statesman, James Robert George Graham (1792-1861).  Geriache de Gomery navigated a safe passage through Graham Land a long string of islands west.  The passage was named after the ship “Belgica Strait”, later renamed as Gerlache Strait.  

The expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle on the 15^th February, failing a way into the Weddell Sea, the expedition became trapped in the ice of the Bellinghausen Sea.  Bellinghausen Sea is named after the Russian explorer, Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellinghausen, who explored the area during 1821.

The expedition was poor equipped, with the lack of winter clothes for each man on board.  There was a further shortage of food, seals and penguins had to be hunted and the meat stored before the onset of winter. 

Geriache de Gomery disliked seal and penguin meat that he tried to ban its consumption, but eventually encouraged.  Signs of scurvy was seen in several men.  It would not be until the 1920 what the cause of scurvy was due to lack of Vitamin C.

Geriache de Gomery and the ship’s captain Georges Lecointe, bother suffering from scurvy, both Amundsen and Cook took command of the ship. 

Several months of hardship followed, trying to free the ship from the ice during the following spring and summer also failed. 

By January 1899, the RV Belgica was still stuck in the ice and under the command of Cook, he suggested that trenches could been cut in the ice to the open water about half a mile away.  After a month the weakened crew, using various tools and dynamite and create the channel, finally the RV Belgica was free on the 14^th March.  The expedition returned to Antwerp on the 5^th November 1899.

Northwest Passage 1903-06

Gjøa

During 1903, Amundsen with a crew of six commanded the Gjøa a Norwegian sloop, powered by 13 horsepower single-screw paraffin engine.  They traversed the Northwest Passage.

They travelled from Baffin Bay, the Parry Channel and then south through Peel Sound, James Ross Strait, Simpson Strait and Rae Strait.  For two winters the crew spent at King William Island.  It here that the crew learnt from the local Netsilik Inuit people about Arctic survival.  These skills would be invaluable for Amundsen’s later expedition to the South Pole.

Leaving King William Island, Gjøa sailed through Cambridge Bay, finally Gjøa cleared the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, where it had to stop for the following winter, before going on to Nome.  Amundsen travelled overland the nearest telegraph station 500 miles away at Eagle, Alaska, arriving on 5^th December to write a wire of success.  He travelled back to Nome in 1906. Later during 1906, he was elected to American Antiquarian Society.

Preparations

10^th November 1908, Amundsen, in a public meeting with the Norwegian Geographical Society, with the plans to sail the Fram round the Cape Horn to the Pacific Ocean.  From there taking provision from San Francisco, then travelling northwards, through the Bering Strait to Point Barrow.  From there to the ice and begin to drift. The expedition would last for four or five years.  Science would also be an important factor of the geographical exploration.  King Haakon, opened a subscription list with a gift of 20,000 kroner.  The Norwegian Parliament grated on 6^th February 1909 and grant of 75,000 kroner. 

Fram

The Fram a schooner, had been is used in expeditions of both the Arctic and Antarctic by the Norwegian explorers, Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Oscar Wisting.   It was built in 1891-93 by Colin Archer, Norway’s leading shipbuilding and naval architect.

News was announced that Shackleton, had reached 97 nautical miles from the South Pole, before turning back. In the UK, Scott announced that his intention to lead an expedition, Terra Nova Expedition, to the South Pole claiming the prize for the British Empire.

Amundsen changed his plan, which were not made public, and plans were revised.  The Fram leave Norway August 1910 and sail to Madeira in the Atlantic, its only port of call from there directly to Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Crew and Supplies

Three naval lieutenants that were chosen by Amundsen for the expedition, were Thorvald Nilsen – navigator and second in command, Hjalmar Fredrik Gjertsen – expedition doctor, and Kristian Prestund.      Oscar Wisting was the naval gunner

The expedition personal also consisted of Olav Bjaaland, campion skier, skilled carpenter, and ski-maker. 

Amundsen ordered 100 North Greenland sledge dogs.  Ski boots had been specially designed by Amundsen.  The clothing fashioned from Netsilik Inuit style from reindeer skins, wolf skin and Burberry cloth and gabardine.  The sledges were constructed from Norwegian ash with steel-shod runners.    Tents incorporating a built-in floor required a single pole.  Amundsen chose the Swedish Primus stove

Amundsen had mortgaged his house to fund the expedition after the result of the public interest, newspaper deals were cancelled and the request from the parliament of 25,000 kroner was refused.  The Fram sailed to Kristiansand from July 1910.  Whilst Kristiansand, Amundsen revealed his plans and the true destination to his junior officers. Leaving Kristiansand on 9^th August the Fram docked at Funchal on 6^th September.

Journey to the South Pole

At Funchal Amundsen told the crew of the revised plans to the South Pole.  Before leaving on 9^th September, Amundsen sent a cable to Melbourne to inform Scott of the change of plans. 

New years Day 1911, the first icebergs were sighted and the Fram on the 14^th January was in the Bay of Whales.

Framheim

Framheim
February 1911 

The expedition hut, named Framheim was erected 2.2 nautical miles from the Fram anchored at the Bay of Whales.  The hut was completed on the 27^th January. On the morning of 3^rd February, the Terra Nova arrived unexpectedly in the Bay of Whales.  Scott landed his main party there. Scott was unaware of Amundsen’s presents at the Bay of Whales. 

The Terra Nova party of six, led by Victor Campbell and Amundsen’s group behaved civilly towards each other.  It was the first time that Amundsen who dined on the Terra Nova noted that there no wireless set.  Campbell sailed for the McMurdo Sound to inform Scott of Amundsen’s whereabout and that he had a 60 nautical mile advantage.

Planning

During February, Amundsen planned the depot-laying across the Barrier for the following summer assault on the pole.  It is during these journeys that to test the equipment out.  During the first day, 15 nautical miles had been covered, where Amundsen noted how well the dogs performed well in these conditions. 

22^nd February saw the second party, of 8 men and 7 sledges with a pack of 42 dogs left Framheim.  During this depot-laying party trip, they journeyed 81° S, where the second depot was established.  The part returned on the 11^th April back to Framheim

1911-12

The party made good initial success travelling around 15 nautical miles each day.  However, 12^th September the temperature dropped and only achieving only 4 nautical miles, the party haled and had to build igloos.  Amundsen decided that they left early and travel back to Framheim

It was not until mid-October, when Amundsen set out again.  The journey on 19^th October had five men and four sledges and 52 dogs. With the weather worsening the party strayed into a field of crevasses. Amundsen was nearly lost when a snow bridge broke underneath him.

Due the mishap, the party made up covering 15 nautical miles a day and reached 82° S on 5^th November, by 17^th November they reached the edge of the Barrier and faced the Transantarctic Mountains.  Amundsen followed his own route reaching 5,00 feet on 21^st November.

South Pole

Amundsen's route to the pole, Oct–Dec 1911. The depots marked at 80, 81 and 82° were laid in the first season, Feb–March 1911. Shackleton's 1908–09 route, as followed by Scott, is to the right

When Amundsen reached 10,600 feet at the summit of the glacier, Amundsen prepared for the final stage of the journey.  Only 18 dogs would be used out of the 45.  The remainder of the dogs would be killed and used as food. 

The three sledges were loaded up with supplies for 60 days.  It was until 25^th November having hampered by bad weather, they set off. 

8^th December, the party reached Shackleton’s furthest point recording 88° 23’.  As they neared the pole, they looked for any break in the landscape.  Whilst camping on the 12^th December, the party was momentarily alarmed by a black object.  The following day they camped at 89° 45’ S.  the following day, 14^th December, Amundsen travelled in front of the sledge when around 3 pm the party reached the vicinity of the South Pole.  They planted a Norwegian flag and named the area “King Haakon VII’s Plateau”. 

During the next 3 days, the men worked out the exact location of the South Pole.  After taking several sextant readings.  Finally, the party pitched a tent which they named Polheim as near to the actual South Pole. In the tent Amundsen left equipment for Scott and a letter to be delivered to King Haakon. 

Map showing the polar journeys of the Scott's Terra Nova Expedition (green) and Amundsen's expedition (red) to reach the South Pole

Return Journey

The party left on the 18^th December, Amundsen was determined to return to civilisation before Scott, with the news.  They finally reached Framheim on 25^th January 1912.  Of the 52 dogs that started out the previous October 11 had survived pulling 2 sledges.  The journey to the pole had taken 99 days, 10 days fewer than scheduled and 1,860 nautical miles had been covered.

Disappearance and Death

Latham 47 flying boat

18^th June 1928, Amundsen disappeared while flying a Latham 47 flying boat on a rescue mission in the Arctic.  The other crew were Norwegian pilot, Leif Dietrichson, French pilot Rene Guilbaud along with 3 other French crew members.  They were seeking the missing members of Nobie’s crew, whose airship Italia had crashed while returning from the North Pole. 

The search of Amunden’s plane which had crashed Barents Sea was called off September, resulting in no bodies ever been found.

Polheim Tent

After Scott’s departure in January 1912, the Polheim Tent was not seen again.  The precise location of the tent has been calculated to 89° 58′ 51″ S, 46° 14′ E, with around 300 metres of uncertainty in its position. It probably lies 56 ft below the present snow surface.