Eduard Dallmann
Encyclopedia
Eduard Dallmann was a German
whaler
, trader and Polar explorer.
Dallmann began his adventures at 15 as a young sailor. In 1866 he became captain of the Hawaii
an ship W.C. Talbot, undertaking trading trips in the Bering
and Chukchi
seas to locations in Alaska
and Chukotka
. He was the first recorded European to set foot on Wrangel Island
.
From 1867 to 1870 he commanded the whaleship Count Bismarck on a whaling cruise to the Pacific tropics, the Sea of Okhotsk
, and the Bering and Chukchi seas.
In 1872/74, when the whales began to become rare in the Arctic waters, Dallmann was commissioned to explore the Antarctic seas on the sailing steamer Grönland. The operation was moderately successful from the point of view of whaling, however, Dallmann made many important discoveries around Antarctica during this expedition, foremost of which were the Bismarck Strait
and the charting of Anvers
, Brabant
, Liege
and Kaiser-Wilhelm
Islands.
Still on the Grönland, he spent the 1875 whaling season as expert on the Davis Strait
and Baffin Bay
whaling grounds.
Between 1877 and 1884, on behalf of Russian
financier Baron von Knoop, Dallmann made annual attempts to haul freight to the Gulf of Ob
and the Yenisei Gulf
to be exchanged for grain and other cargoes brought down those great Siberia
n rivers by means of barges. Owing to the ice conditions in the Kara Sea
, of a total of seven attempts only four were successful. Finally von Knop stopped the difficult venture in order to cut losses. Despite the failures, Dallmann had had the rare chance of exploring many Kara Sea islands and shores that few Europeans had seen.
After leaving the Arctic waters forever, Dallmann became the Captain of steamer Samoa in 1884. His ship brought the "Otto Finsch
Scientific Expedition to the (then little explored) northern coast of New Guinea.
Between 1887 and 1893 he kept exploring the northern coast of New Guinea on behalf of the German New Guinea Company
. Many islands and straits in that area were named by him during that time.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
, trader and Polar explorer.
Dallmann began his adventures at 15 as a young sailor. In 1866 he became captain of the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an ship W.C. Talbot, undertaking trading trips in the Bering
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
and Chukchi
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
seas to locations in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Chukotka
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
. He was the first recorded European to set foot on Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island is an island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea. Wrangel Island lies astride the 180° meridian. The International Date Line is displaced eastwards at this latitude to avoid the island as well as the Chukchi Peninsula on the Russian mainland...
.
From 1867 to 1870 he commanded the whaleship Count Bismarck on a whaling cruise to the Pacific tropics, the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, and the Bering and Chukchi seas.
In 1872/74, when the whales began to become rare in the Arctic waters, Dallmann was commissioned to explore the Antarctic seas on the sailing steamer Grönland. The operation was moderately successful from the point of view of whaling, however, Dallmann made many important discoveries around Antarctica during this expedition, foremost of which were the Bismarck Strait
Bismarck Strait
The Bismarck Strait is a channel in Antarctica.It is located between the southern end of Anvers and Wiencke Islands and the Wilhelm Archipelago. It was surveyed in 1874 by First Antarctic German expedition under Captain Eduard Dallmann....
and the charting of Anvers
Anvers Island
Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island long, which is the largest feature in the Palmer Archipelago, lying southwest of Brabant Island at the southwestern end of the group. Anvers Island is located at...
, Brabant
Brabant Island
Brabant Island is the second largest island of the Palmer Archipelago within the British Antarctic Territory, lying between Anvers Island and Liège Island. Brabant Island is located at . Brabant Island is long in a north-south direction, wide, and rises to in Mount Parry...
, Liege
Liège Island
Liège Island is an island, long and wide, lying immediately northeast of Brabant Island in the Palmer Archipelago. Liège Island is located at...
and Kaiser-Wilhelm
Wilhelm Archipelago
Wilhelm Archipelago is an island archipelago off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in Antarctica.Wilhelm Archipelago consists of a myriad of islands, the largest of which are Booth Island and Hovgaard Island. The archipelago extends from Bismarck Strait southwest to Lumus Rock, off the...
Islands.
Still on the Grönland, he spent the 1875 whaling season as expert on the Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
and Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
whaling grounds.
Between 1877 and 1884, on behalf of Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
financier Baron von Knoop, Dallmann made annual attempts to haul freight to the Gulf of Ob
Gulf of Ob
The Gulf of Ob is a gigantic bay of the Arctic Ocean, located in Northern Russia at the head the mouth of the Ob River....
and the Yenisei Gulf
Yenisei Gulf
The Yenisei Gulf is a large and long estuary through which the lower Yenisei River flows into the Kara Sea.The Yenisei Gulf is formed by the river widening to an average of 50 km for up to 250 km in a roughly north-south direction, between a latitude of 70° 30' N in the area around...
to be exchanged for grain and other cargoes brought down those great Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n rivers by means of barges. Owing to the ice conditions in the Kara Sea
Kara Sea
The Kara Sea is part of the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia. It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya....
, of a total of seven attempts only four were successful. Finally von Knop stopped the difficult venture in order to cut losses. Despite the failures, Dallmann had had the rare chance of exploring many Kara Sea islands and shores that few Europeans had seen.
After leaving the Arctic waters forever, Dallmann became the Captain of steamer Samoa in 1884. His ship brought the "Otto Finsch
Otto Finsch
Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch was a German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer.-Biography:...
Scientific Expedition to the (then little explored) northern coast of New Guinea.
Between 1887 and 1893 he kept exploring the northern coast of New Guinea on behalf of the German New Guinea Company
German New Guinea Company
The German New Guinea Company was a German Chartered Company which exploited insular territory in and near present Papua New Guinea.- History :...
. Many islands and straits in that area were named by him during that time.
Honors
- Mount DallmannMount DallmannMount Dallmann is a bold mountain 11 mi E of the northern portion of the Conrad Mountains, in the Orvin Mountains of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.Mount Dallmann was discovered by the Third German Antarctic Expedition , led by Capt...
in Shcherbakov RangeShcherbakov RangeShcherbakov Range is a mountain range trending north-south for 20 miles , standing immediately east of Mount Dallmann where it marks the east extremity of the Orvin Mountains, in Queen Maud Land. Discovered and plotted from air photos by German Antarctic Expedition, 1938-39...
in Antarctica was named after this German explorer. The Alfred Wegener Institute has named a research station on King George Island in Eduard Dallmann's honor - In Blumenthal, his native town in the Lower Weser, there is a street and a fountain in the old market that have been named after him.
- There is also a "Dallmann Harbour" in Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
in his memory.