Swedish Antarctic Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904) was led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen
.
. The command was placed under an experienced Antarctic explorer Carl Anton Larsen, who served as the captain of the ship Antarctic
, and who had previously commanded a whaling reconnaissance mission in 1892-93. Seven other scientists along with 16 officers and men also made the voyage.
Despite its end and the great hardships endured, the expedition would be considered a scientific success, with the parties having explored much of the eastern coast of Graham Land
, including Cape Longing
, James Ross Island
, the Joinville Island
group, and the Palmer Archipelago
. The expedition, which also recovered valuable geological samples and samples of marine animals, earned Nordenskjöld lasting fame at home, but its huge cost left him greatly in debt.
Two key Antarctic islands are associated with the expedition. The first is Snow Hill Island
, where Otto Nordenskjöld and five of his colleagues spent two winters (one of them planned and the second forced by the sinking of the relief ship Antarctic). The second is Paulet Island
where the crew of the Antarctic were stranded from February 1903 until November 1903.
joined the expedition and spent the two years with Nordenskjöld at Snow Hill Island, becoming the first Argentine
to spend time in Antarctica. The presence of this officer was also a factor which probably influenced the Argentine government to mount a rescue effort in 1903 with the corvette
Uruguay
, which successfully brought back all the surviving members of the Nordenskjöld party.
Carl Anton Larsen
Carl Anton Larsen was a Norwegian Antarctic Explorer, who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils, for which he received the Back Grant from the Royal Geographical Society...
.
Background
Otto Nordenskjöld, a Swedish geologist and geographer, organized and lead a scientific expedition of the Antarctic PeninsulaAntarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....
. The command was placed under an experienced Antarctic explorer Carl Anton Larsen, who served as the captain of the ship Antarctic
Antarctic (ship)
The Antarctic was a Swedish steamship built in Drammen, Norway in 1871. She was used on several research expeditions to the Arctic region and to Antarctica through 1898-1903. In 1895 the first confirmed landing on the mainland of Antarctica was made from this ship.-The ship:Antarctic was a barque...
, and who had previously commanded a whaling reconnaissance mission in 1892-93. Seven other scientists along with 16 officers and men also made the voyage.
Despite its end and the great hardships endured, the expedition would be considered a scientific success, with the parties having explored much of the eastern coast of Graham Land
Graham Land
Graham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
, including Cape Longing
Cape Longing
Cape Longing is a rocky cape on the east coast of Graham Land, forming the south end of a large ice-covered promontory which marks the west side of the south entrance to Prince Gustav Channel...
, James Ross Island
James Ross Island
James Ross Island is a large island off the southeast side and near the northeastern extremity of Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Prince Gustav Channel. Rising to , it is irregularly shaped and extends in a north-south direction. It was charted in October 1903 by the Swedish...
, the Joinville Island
Joinville Island
Joinville Island is the largest island of the Joinville Island group, about long in an east-west direction and wide, lying off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Antarctic Sound...
group, and the Palmer Archipelago
Palmer Archipelago
Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula....
. The expedition, which also recovered valuable geological samples and samples of marine animals, earned Nordenskjöld lasting fame at home, but its huge cost left him greatly in debt.
Two key Antarctic islands are associated with the expedition. The first is Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, long and wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the northeast by Admiralty Sound...
, where Otto Nordenskjöld and five of his colleagues spent two winters (one of them planned and the second forced by the sinking of the relief ship Antarctic). The second is Paulet Island
Paulet Island
Paulet Island is a circular island about in diameter, lying southeast of Dundee Island, off the northeastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is composed of lava flows capped by a cinder cone with a small summit crater. Geothermal heat keeps parts of the island ice-free, and the youthful...
where the crew of the Antarctic were stranded from February 1903 until November 1903.
Snow Hill Island
On his way to Snow Hill Island in 1901, Nordenskjöld had passed through Buenos Aires, where the Argentine government gave him supplies and other assistance on the condition that he include in his wintering-over party a young Argentine naval officer, Lieutenant José Sobral. Sobral and also the American artist F. W. StokesFrank Wilbert Stokes
Frank Wilbert Stokes, also known as Frank Stokes, Frank W. Stokes and F. W. Stokes was an American sketch artist and painter who specialized in illustrations of arctic and antarctic themes...
joined the expedition and spent the two years with Nordenskjöld at Snow Hill Island, becoming the first Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
to spend time in Antarctica. The presence of this officer was also a factor which probably influenced the Argentine government to mount a rescue effort in 1903 with the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Uruguay
ARA Uruguay
The corbeta ARA Uruguay, built in England, is the largest ship afloat of its age in the Armada de la República Argentina , with more than 135 years passed since its official incorporation in September 1874...
, which successfully brought back all the surviving members of the Nordenskjöld party.
- For additional information concerning this rescue see ARA UruguayARA UruguayThe corbeta ARA Uruguay, built in England, is the largest ship afloat of its age in the Armada de la República Argentina , with more than 135 years passed since its official incorporation in September 1874...
Paulet Island
After their ship sank, crushed by the ice about 25 miles away, the twenty men from the Antarctic landed here in their lifeboat and built a sturdy double-walled stone hut whose remains are clearly visible today. Apart from the limited supplies they brought from the Antarctic, they survived on the thousand or so penguins they killed, as well as the birds' eggs.Other Reading
- Nordenskiöld, OttoOtto NordenskiöldNils Otto Gustaf Nordenskjöld was a Finnish and Swedish geologist, geographer, and polar explorer.-Biography:...
Antarctica: or, Two years amongst the ice of the South Pole (Macmillan. 1905)
External links
- Antarctic Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901 - 1904
- Nordenskjöld's Antarctic Expedition
- Map of the area explored by the expedition
- 2002 revisit the sites of the 1902 Expedition
See also
- Heroic Age of Antarctic ExplorationHeroic Age of Antarctic ExplorationThe Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration defines an era which extended from the end of the 19th century to the early 1920s. During this 25-year period the Antarctic continent became the focus of an international effort which resulted in intensive scientific and geographical exploration, sixteen...
- List of Antarctic expeditions
- Swedish Magellanic ExpeditionSwedish Magellanic ExpeditionThe Swedish Magellanic expedition, 1907–09 was an scientific expedition undertaken by Carl Skottsberg, Percy Quensel and Thore Halle to study the geography, geology and flora of Patagonia. Other areas studied include Tierra del Fuego, Falkland Islands, Juan Fernández Islands, Chiloé...