Opening South Pole- the centuries-old dream of polar explorers - on its own final stage in the summer of 1912, it took on the character of an intense competition between the expeditions of two countries - Norway and Great Britain. For the first it ended in triumph, for others - in tragedy. But, despite this, Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott, who led them, forever went down in the history of the development of the sixth continent.

The first explorers of the southern polar latitudes

The conquest of the South Pole began back in those years when people only vaguely realized that somewhere on the edge of the Southern Hemisphere there should be land. The first of the sailors who managed to approach it was sailing in South Atlantic and in 1501 reaching the fiftieth latitude.

This was the era when accomplishments Briefly describing his stay in these previously inaccessible latitudes (Vespucci was not only a navigator, but also a scientist), he continued his journey to the shores of a new, recently discovered continent - America - which today bears his name.

Systematic research southern latitudes in the hope of finding unknown land Almost three centuries later, the famous Englishman James Cook undertook the project. He managed to get even closer to it, reaching the seventy-second parallel, but his further advance to the south was prevented Antarctic icebergs and floating ice.

Discovery of the sixth continent

Antarctica, the South Pole, and most importantly, the right to be called the discoverer and pioneer of ice-bound lands and the fame associated with this circumstance haunted many. Throughout the 19th century there were continuous attempts to conquer the sixth continent. Our navigators Mikhail Lazarev and Thaddeus Bellingshausen, who were sent by the Russian geographical society, the Englishman Clark Ross, who reached the seventy-eighth parallel, as well as a number of German, French and Swedish researchers. These enterprises were crowned with success only at the end of the century, when the Australian Johann Bull had the honor of being the first to set foot on the shores of the hitherto unknown Antarctica.

From that moment on, not only scientists, but also whalers, for whom the cold seas represented a wide fishing area, rushed to the Antarctic waters. Year after year the coast was developed, the first research stations, but the South Pole (its mathematical point) still remained out of reach. In this context, the question arose with extraordinary urgency: who will be able to get ahead of the competition and whose national flag will be the first to fly at the southern tip of the planet?

Race to the South Pole

At the beginning of the 20th century, attempts were made repeatedly to conquer this inaccessible corner of the Earth, and each time the polar explorers managed to get closer to it. The climax came in October 1911, when the ships of two expeditions at once - the British, led by Robert Falcon Scott, and the Norwegian, led by Roald Amundsen (the South Pole was a long-standing and cherished dream), almost simultaneously set a course for the shores of Antarctica. They were separated only by a few hundred miles.

It is curious that at first the Norwegian expedition did not intend to storm the South Pole. Amundsen and his crew were heading to the Arctic. It was the northern tip of the Earth that was in the plans of the ambitious navigator. However, on the way, he received a message that he had already submitted to the Americans - Cook and Peary. Not wanting to lose his prestige, Amundsen abruptly changed course and turned south. Thus, he challenged the British, and they could not help but stand up for the honor of their nation.

His rival Robert Scott, before devoting himself to research, long time served as an officer navy Her Majesty and gained sufficient experience in command of battleships and cruisers. After retiring, he spent two years on the coast of Antarctica, taking part in the work scientific station. They even made an attempt to break through to the Pole, but having advanced a very significant distance in three months, Scott was forced to turn back.

On the eve of the decisive assault

The teams had different tactics for achieving the goal in the unique Amundsen-Scott race. Main vehicle The British were Manchurian horses. Short and hardy, they were perfectly suited to the conditions polar latitudes. But, besides them, travelers also had at their disposal dog sleds, traditional in such cases, and even a completely new product of those years - motor sleighs. The Norwegians relied in everything on the proven northern huskies, who had to pull four sledges, heavily loaded with equipment, throughout the entire journey.

Both faced a journey of eight hundred miles one way, and the same amount back (if they survived, of course). Ahead of them awaited glaciers, cut by bottomless cracks, terrible frosts, accompanied by blizzards and blizzards and completely excluding visibility, as well as frostbite, injuries, hunger and all kinds of deprivation inevitable in such cases. The reward for one of the teams was supposed to be the glory of discoverers and the right to hoist the flag of their power on the pole. Neither the Norwegians nor the British doubted that the game was worth the candle.

If he was more skillful and experienced in navigation, then Amundsen was clearly superior to him as an experienced polar explorer. The decisive transition to the pole was preceded by wintering on the Antarctic continent, and the Norwegian managed to choose a much more suitable place for it than his British colleague. Firstly, their camp was located almost a hundred miles closer to end point travel than the British, and secondly, Amundsen laid out the route from it to the Pole in such a way that he was able to bypass the areas where the most violent severe frosts and incessant snowstorms and blizzards.

Triumph and defeat

The Norwegian detachment managed to complete the entire intended journey and return to the base camp, meeting it during the short Antarctic summer. One can only admire the professionalism and brilliance with which Amundsen led his group, following with incredible accuracy the schedule he himself had drawn up. Among the people who trusted him, there were not only no deaths, but even no serious injuries.

A completely different fate awaited Scott's expedition. Before the most difficult part of the journey, when there were one hundred and fifty miles left to the goal, the last members of the auxiliary group turned back, and the five English explorers themselves harnessed themselves to the heavy sledges. By this time, all the horses had died, the motor sleds were out of order, and the dogs were simply eaten by the polar explorers themselves - they had to take extreme measures to survive.

Finally, on January 17, 1912, as a result of incredible efforts, they reached mathematical point South Pole, but terrible disappointment awaited them there. Everything around bore traces of the rivals who had been here before them. The imprints of sledge runners and dog paws could be seen in the snow, but the most convincing evidence of their defeat was the tent left between the ice, above which the Norwegian flag fluttered. Alas, they missed the discovery of the South Pole.

Scott left notes in his diary about the shock that the members of his group experienced. The terrible disappointment left the British in complete shock. They all spent the next night without sleep. They were burdened by the thought of how they would look into the eyes of those people who, for hundreds of miles along the icy continent, freezing and falling into cracks, helped them reach the last section of the path and undertake a decisive, but unsuccessful assault.

Catastrophe

However, no matter what, we had to gather our strength and return. Eight hundred miles of return lay between life and death. Moving from one intermediate camp with fuel and food to another, the polar explorers catastrophically lost strength. Their situation became more and more hopeless every day. A few days later, death visited the camp for the first time - the youngest of them and seemingly physically strong, Edgar Evans, died. His body was buried in the snow and covered with heavy ice floes.

The next victim was Lawrence Oates, a dragoon captain who went to the Pole, driven by a thirst for adventure. The circumstances of his death are very remarkable - having frozen his hands and feet and realizing that he was becoming a burden to his comrades, he secretly left his accommodation at night and went into impenetrable darkness, voluntarily dooming himself to death. His body was never found.

There were only eleven miles left to the nearest intermediate camp when a snowstorm suddenly arose, completely eliminating the possibility further progress. Three Englishmen found themselves captive in ice, cut off from the rest of the world, deprived of food and any opportunity to warm themselves.

The tent they pitched, of course, could not serve as any reliable shelter. The air temperature outside dropped to -40 o C, respectively, inside, in the absence of a heater, it was not much higher. This insidious March blizzard never released them from its embrace...

Posthumous lines

Six months later, when the tragic outcome of the expedition became obvious, a rescue group was sent to search for polar explorers. Among the impassable ice, she managed to find a snow-covered tent with bodies of three British explorers - Henry Bowers, Edward Wilson and their commander Robert Scott.

Among the belongings of the victims, Scott's diaries were found, and, what amazed the rescuers, bags of geological samples collected on the slopes of rocks protruding from the glacier. Incredibly, the three Englishmen stubbornly continued to drag these stones even when there was practically no hope of salvation.

In his notes, Robert Scott, having detailed and analyzed the reasons that led to tragic ending, gave highly appreciated moral and strong-willed qualities the comrades who accompanied him. In conclusion, addressing those into whose hands the diary would fall, he asked to do everything so that his relatives would not be left to the mercy of fate. Having dedicated several farewell lines to his wife, Scott bequeathed to her to ensure that their son received an appropriate education and was able to continue his research activities.

By the way, in the future his son Peter Scott became a famous ecologist who devoted his life to protecting natural resources planets. Born shortly before the day when his father set off on the last expedition of his life, he lived to a ripe old age and died in 1989.

caused by tragedy

Continuing the story, it should be noted that the competition between two expeditions, the result of which for one was the discovery of the South Pole, and for the other - death, had very unexpected consequences. When the celebrations on the occasion of this undoubtedly important geographical discovery, fell silent congratulatory speeches and the applause ended, the question arose about the moral side of what happened. There was no doubt that indirectly the cause of the death of the British was the deep depression caused by Amundsen's victory.

Direct accusations against the recently honored winner appeared not only in the British, but also in the Norwegian press. A completely reasonable question was raised: did Roald Amundsen, experienced and very experienced in exploring extreme latitudes, have the moral right to involve the ambitious, but lacking the necessary skills, Scott and his comrades in the competitive process? Wouldn't it be more correct to invite him to unite and joint efforts accomplish your plans?

Amundsen's riddle

How Amundsen reacted to this and whether he blamed himself for unwittingly causing the death of his British colleague is a question that remains forever unanswered. True, many of those who knew the Norwegian explorer closely claimed to have seen obvious signs his mental turmoil. In particular, evidence of this could be his attempts at public justification, which were completely out of character for his proud and somewhat arrogant nature.

Some biographers are inclined to see evidence of unforgiven guilt in the circumstances of Amundsen's own death. It is known that in the summer of 1928 he went on an Arctic flight, which promised him certain death. The suspicion is that he foresaw in advance own death, is caused by the preparation he has undertaken. Not only did Amundsen put all his affairs in order and pay off his creditors, he also sold off all his property, as if he had no intention of returning.

The sixth continent today

One way or another, he discovered the South Pole, and no one can take this honor away from him. Today, large-scale scientific research is being conducted at the southern tip of the Earth. In the very place where triumph once awaited the Norwegians, and the greatest disappointment for the British, today there is the Amundsen-Scott international polar station. Its name invisibly unites these two intrepid conquerors of extreme latitudes. Thanks to them, the South Pole on the globe is perceived today as something familiar and quite within reach.

In December 1959, an international treaty on Antarctica was concluded, initially signed by twelve states. According to this document, any country has the right to conduct scientific research throughout the continent south of the sixtieth latitude.

Thanks to this, today numerous research stations in Antarctica are developing the most advanced scientific programs. Today there are more than fifty of them. Scientists have at their disposal not only ground-based means of monitoring environment, but also aviation and even satellites. The Russian Geographical Society also has its representatives on the sixth continent. Among the operating stations there are veterans, such as Bellingshausen and Druzhnaya 4, as well as relatively new ones - Russkaya and Progress. Everything suggests that great geographical discoveries do not stop today.

A brief history of how brave Norwegian and British travelers, defying danger, strove for their cherished goal, only in general outline can convey all the tension and drama of those events. It is wrong to consider their fight only as a struggle of personal ambitions. Undoubtedly, the primary role in it was played by the thirst for discovery and built on true patriotism desire to establish the prestige of their country.

Amundsen, Roald - Norwegian polar traveler and explorer. Born in Borg on July 16, 1872, he has been missing since June 1928. He was the greatest discoverer of modern times. Over the course of almost 30 years, Amundsen achieved all the goals that polar explorers had been striving for for more than 300 years.

In 1897-99. Amundsen participated as a navigator in the ant Arctic expedition A. Gerlache on the ship "Belgica". The expedition explored Graham Land.

To prepare his own expedition to determine the exact location of the North Magnetic Pole, he improved his knowledge at a German observatory.

After a trial voyage in the Northern Arctic Ocean In mid-June 1903, Amundsen set off on the ship Gjoa with a displacement of 47 tons with six Norwegian companions and sailed towards the Canadian-Arctic islands through the Lancaster and Peel Straits to the southeastern coast of King William Island. There he spent two polar winters and made valuable geomagnetic observations. In 1904 he explored the Northern magnetic pole on west coast Boutia Felix Peninsula and undertook daring boat and sleigh rides through the ice-covered sea straits between King William Land and Victoria Land. At the same time, he and his companions mapped over 100 islands. On August 13, 1905, Gjoa finally continued her journey and through the straits between King William and Victoria Islands and the Canadian mainland reached the Beaufort Sea, and then, after a second winter in the ice near the mouth of the Mackenzie on August 31, 1906, the Bering Strait. Thus, for the first time, it was possible to navigate the Northwest Passage on one ship, but not through the straits that were explored by the expeditions looking for Franklin.

Another great achievement of Amundsen was the discovery of the South Pole, which he managed to accomplish on his first attempt. In 1909, Amundsen was preparing for a long drift in the ice of the Polar Basin and exploring the North Pole region on the ship Fram, previously owned by Nansen, but, having learned about the discovery of the North Pole by the American Robert Peary, he changed his plan and set the goal of reaching the South Pole. On January 13, 1911, he disembarked from the Fram at Whale Bay in the eastern part of the Ross Ice Barrier, from where he set out the following summer on October 20, accompanied by four men on a dog-drawn sleigh. After a successful trip across the ice plateau, a tiring climb through mountain glaciers at an altitude of about 3 thousand m (Devil's Glacier, Axel-Heiberg glacier) and further successful advancement along the ice of the inner plateau of Antarctica, Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole on December 15, 1911, four weeks earlier than the less successful expedition of R. F. Scott, who made his way to the pole west of Amundsen's path. On the return journey, which began on December 17, Amundsen discovered the Queen Maud Mountains, up to 4,500 m high, and on January 25, 1912, after a 99-day absence, he returned to the landing site.

Upon returning from Antarctica, Amundsen tried to repeat the drift across the Arctic Ocean, but much further north, possibly through North Pole, having previously passed along the northeastern passage - along northern shores Eurasia (but his next northern expeditions were delayed by the First World War). For this expedition, a new ship, the Maud, was built. In the summer of 1918, the expedition left Norway, but was unable to pass around the Taimyr Peninsula and wintered at Cape Chelyuskin. During the navigation of 1919, Amundsen managed to go east to about. Aion, where the Maud vessel stopped for the second winter. In 1920, the expedition entered the Bering Strait. Subsequently, the expedition carried out work in the Arctic Ocean, and Amundsen himself for a number of years was involved in raising funds and preparing flights to the North Pole.

The second attempt was made on the Maud in 1922 from Cape Hope (Alaska), but Amundsen himself did not take part in the voyage of his ship. After a two-year ice drift, the Maud only reached the New Siberian Islands, the starting point of the Fram in 1893. Since the further direction of the drift thanks to the Fram was already known, the Maud freed itself from the ice and returned to Alaska.

Meanwhile, Amundsen tried to pave the way to the North Pole by plane, but during his first test flight in May 1923 from Wainwright (Alaska), his machine broke down. On May 21, 1925, he, along with five companions, incl. Ellsworth took off on two planes from Spitsbergen. And again he did not achieve his goal. At 87 0 43 / s. w. and 10 0 20 / z. d., 250 km from the pole, he had to make an emergency landing. Here the expedition members spent over 3 weeks preparing the airfield for takeoff; in June they managed to return to Spitsbergen on the same plane.

IN next years Amundsen finally managed, together with Ellsworth and Nobile, to cross all the polar regions from Spitsbergen to Alaska on the semi-rigid airship Norge (Norway), and also fly over the North Pole. The airship took off from Spitsbergen on May 11, was at the North Pole on May 12, and reached Alaska on May 14, 1926, where it descended. However, immediately before this, on May 9, he flew over the pole for the first time and thus was ahead of Amundsen, just as the latter had once been ahead of Scott at the South Pole. In June 1928

Amundsen died during an attempt to find and assist the Italian expedition of Umberto Nobile on the airship "Italy", which crashed in the ice of the Polar Basin; On June 18, 1928, Amundsen flew north from Tromsø on the Latham seaplane and disappeared without a trace with his entire crew. Subsequently, the discovery of the float and tank showed that the plane died in the Barents Sea.

In persistent, purposeful work, driven by great ambition, not backing down in the face of failure, Amundsen helped greatest services science. He wrote a number of works about his travels. In Russian lane “Collected Works”, vol. 1–5, L, 1936-1939; “My Life”, M., 1959, and a number of other publications.

Amundsen at the South Pole.

References

1. Biographical dictionary of figures in natural science and technology. T. 1. – Moscow: State. scientific publishing house "Bolshaya" Soviet encyclopedia", 1958. – 548 p.
2. 300 travelers and explorers. Biographical Dictionary. – Moscow: Mysl, 1966. – 271 p.

These days even a child has general idea about the polar world: snow-white plains, amazing phenomenon nature's northern lights, giant icebergs and amazing sea animals - polar bears or penguins.

How many dangers are hidden in these extraordinary corners of the Earth. Despite all the obstacles of travelers and seafarers is drawn to the North and South Poles, trying to fill in the “blank spots” on the world map and prove to everyone and to himself that a person is capable of taking risks. One of the first who managed to conduct successful polar voyages were the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen. One managed to become the first person to visit the North Pole, while the other reached the South Point before anyone else.

In the south of Norway in the town of Borg on July 16, 1872 in the family of a shipbuilder Amundsen, was born youngest son Rual. Rual dreamed of connecting his life with the sea. IN port city where the boy lived, they came and he went to the pier in any weather to watch them. There he heard stories from experienced sailors about adventures and exploits at sea. Roald hoped that one day he too would go to open uncharted lands. Norwegian Roald Amundsen Since childhood, he dreamed of the Arctic and prepared for future campaigns, training hard and enthusiastically reading all the literature available to him about the exploration of the North. Amundsen was greatly impressed by stories about the difficulties that the team of John Franklin, the English explorer and notorious polar explorer, had to overcome.

The young man started skiing. He achieved excellent success in this sport. In addition, by accustoming yourself to the cold, Amundsen slept with the window open even in the most severe cold.

Roual, at the age of 18, obeying the wishes of his mother, entered the Faculty of Medicine university. The young man did not try to prove himself in the field medical research, so over time he left the university and was drafted into the army. Thanks to diligent training, Amundsen easily overcame this period in his life. Dreams of future campaigns inspired him in everything.

Amundsen student

In 1894 Amundsen began preparations for the upcoming seafaring. By that time, he had read a lot of books available to him about the Arctic. To gain experience as a sailor, he set sail, starting as a sailor. Studying navigation, he gradually rose to the rank of navigator, and then passed the exam for the rank of captain of the ship. Over time Amundsen learned to steer a ship during a storm and became an experienced mate and an excellent navigator.

maps depicting the Arctic Ocean in Amundsen's time were completely different from what they are now

In 1897, twenty-five-year-old Roald Amundsen traveled to Antarctica on a research vessel. Belgium"as the first navigator. The journey turned out to be difficult and not successful. The ship was stuck between the ice for thirteen months. Almost the entire leadership of the expedition fell ill with scurvy, and command passed to the young navigator. Amundsen thanks to his knowledge in medicine, he saved most of crew. For seafarers managed to escape from the ice trap in 1899 and the ship " Belgium"returned to Europe.

Thanks to the experience gained Amundsen successfully passed the exams and began organizing his own expedition in 1900 as captain. Taking out a loan against own house, he bought a yacht " Yoa» with a displacement of 47 tons and a length of 21 meters. To hire a team and purchase food, he had to ask friends for help and look for sponsors.

On the night of July 16, 1903, the yacht " Yoa"with a crew of seven people left the port of Tromso and headed for Alaska through Baffin Bay, moving between the islands north coast Canada. The difficult navigation was finally completed in 1905. This meant that he had made a voyage to the Northwest Passage, thereby making the 34-year-old Amundsen accomplished a feat that his “adviser” John Franklin failed to achieve.

polar explorer John Franklin

navigator Amundsen

polar explorer Amundsen

schooner "Fram"

arrival at the South Pole

going on an unknown journey

sailing ship "Maud"

In February 1911, when Southern Hemisphere summer is over, schooner« Fram"reached the shores of Antarctica. First of all seafarers organized a base and equipped several warehouses. With the onset of winter, the main part of the expedition remained to wait it out in the camp. The remaining group of people, consisting of four people, left the base on October 19, 1911, on dog sleds, rushing into the interior of the continent. The team covered up to 40 km a day and on December 14, 1911 reached their goal - the South Pole. After three days of observations carried out at this point on the planet, a group of researchers led by Amundsen returned to camp. The Norwegian public rejoiced. Everyone congratulated Amundsen on his feat. The government encouraged navigator And discoverer a generous reward.

But the scientist was not satisfied with the collected materials, so on June 7, 1916, on the ship “Maud”, built with his own money Amundsen set off on his second voyage. This ship had many new devices at that time, which made it possible to better maneuver in the ice. Roald Amundsen invested almost all his funds in it, undertaking another polar exploit. His goal was again the North Pole. Visit the most northern point Land remained the most prominent dream of the navigator. Amundsen decided to first open the Northeast Passage along the northern coast of Russia. On July 16, 1918, Roald Amundsen set sail on the Maud along the northern coast of Russia to the Bering Strait. WITH with great difficulty he reached Alaska in 1920. The polar explorer broke his arm and was forced to change course to Seattle to provide assistance. medical care and the vessel requiring repair. This is how the second ended Amundsen expedition.

Amundsen conducted brilliant expeditions, visited the Arctic and Antarctica. He became the most famous polar explorer, but it was the Arctic, so beloved by the explorer, that ultimately destroyed him.

A certain Italian aeronaut, Umberto Nobile, decided to conquer the North Pole in 1928, getting there by airship. However, after takeoff, Nobile crashed. Several rescue groups immediately rushed to his aid, one of them included Amundsen. They previously knew each other - they participated together in a joint expedition on the airship "Norway" in 1926. However, later the relationship between them suddenly turned hostile. Nevertheless, Amundsen made the decision to participate in the rescue of the Italian expedition without delay.

The crew of a large seaplane " Latam-47" consisted of Norwegians and French. In its composition Amundsen flew off in an unknown direction. It must be said that he carefully hid his intentions. He did not inform anyone about the chosen route, which subsequently made the search extremely difficult. Didn't leave Amundsen and records, with journalists he was brief and restrained. Great traveler, as if he was preparing for a tragedy in advance - he sold his property and paid off his creditors. Eyewitnesses claim that the far-sighted Amundsen I didn’t even take emergency rations, just a few sandwiches. Norway for a long time refused to believe in the death of its national hero. Death Amundsen officially recognized only six months after the disappearance of the seaplane. The country honored the memory of the famous polar explorer with a few minutes of silence. And General Nobile, Amundsen’s rival, having learned about the death of the Norwegian, found the courage to say out loud: “ He beat me».

In honor of the Norwegian navigator and explorer Roald Amundsen named mountain in East Antarctica, a bay of the Arctic Ocean near the coast of Canada, a basin in the Arctic Ocean located between the Lomonosov and Gakkel ridges and the Pacific Sea off the coast of Antarctica. Created in Norway historical museum, dedicated to the great polar explorers.

monument on the island of Spitsbergen. From here Amundsen went on an expedition

museum in Oslo, Norway

Amundsen-Scott polar station at the South Pole

Name ten famous Norwegians, Nansen will immediately appear - a tall, blue-eyed, blond, polar explorer, Nobeliat as the savior of nations, a politician, a person who is difficult to blame for anything. The list will certainly be supplemented by Amundsen - a traveler and polar explorer who continued Nansen’s endeavors and was the first to conquer the South Pole, flew an airship over the North Pole and made a sea crossing both by the North-Eastern and North-West routes.

The passion for travel in the Norwegians was awakened by the Viking forefathers. The ingenious interweaving of legends and sagas carried the glory of these brave men through the centuries, and since then, almost every Norwegian has a desire to explore something mysterious, inaccessible, complex... Geographical location Norway originally intended sea ​​travel in the northern direction, where the most attractive - especially in late XIX– early 20th century – I saw the icy expanses of the North Pole.

Of the two great Norwegian ice explorers, Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen, the latter is the more controversial figure. When Amundsen found out that Robert Scott was going to conquer the South Pole, he, contrary to shop ethics, rushed ahead of the Scot and became the first person to reach the absolute south. Scott reached his goal a little later and died in the snow, shocked by the loss. The scientific world condemned the Norwegian and decided to consider both Scott and Amundsen as pioneers. Indeed, compared to eternity, the difference of 36 days is insignificant.

For Nansen, everything was not so dramatic. He was well-behaved and made those around him happy. Born in 1861, he studied to become a zoologist. While still studying at the university, Nansen made his first trip to the Arctic Ocean. Then there will be a few more polar expeditions. The future scientist and politician benefited from sports skills. Several times Nansen became the champion of Norway in cross-country skiing.

In 1888, before leading an expedition to Greenland, he became a Doctor of Science. And he returned from the expedition famous, having made a walking journey with five companions from east coast Greenland to the west. In the 1890s he continued dangerous ice expeditions. Spitsbergen, Franz Josef Land, Jackson Island - for contemporaries this was equal to the first flights of astronauts. There is still no sugar in the north, but in those years it was very difficult without modern technology. When Nansen sailed on his ship "Fram", the design of which he specially developed for Arctic expeditions, he was escorted as if to the scaffold. But these expeditions, which ended with the miraculous return of the heroes, laid the foundations of a new science, physical oceanography, and seriously raised the stock of Nansen personally. The sailor hero conquered worldwide recognition and reputation, which he was later to use for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of our compatriots. In 1922 he received Nobel Prize peace. Nansen died on May 13, 1930 at his estate near Oslo. According to his will, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Oslofjord.

Roald Amundsen was born in 1872 into the family of a shipowner and from his youth dreamed of polar research. Nevertheless, yielding to his mother’s insistence, he entered the medical faculty of the university, which he left in 1893, immediately after her death. Having joined the ship as a sailor, Amundsen sailed for several years on different ships and gradually rose to the rank of navigator. In 1897-1899, he took part in the Belgian Antarctic expedition, the participants of which, due to errors in preparation and during its conduct, were forced to spend a 13-month winter. This hard lesson was useful to Amundsen when preparing his own Arctic expedition. In 1903 - 1906, Amundsen and six companions explored the North-West Route from Atlantic Ocean in Quiet. However, this was only a prelude to main goal- South Pole.

Launched in the summer of 1910 on the famous ship Fram, the expedition arrived in Antarctica on January 13, 1911. Having built a base and carefully prepared for the transition, in October 1911 five people, led by Amundsen, set off on dog sleds to the South Pole and reached it on December 14, 1911. Subsequently, Amundsen made several more trips to the north and died while participating in the rescue of the expedition of Umberto Nobile on June 18, 1928. He was never found.

Amundsen initially planned to reach the North Pole, but upon receiving news of the conquest of the pole by Frederick Cook and later Robert Peary, he decided to reach the South Pole. When Scott arrived in Melbourne on October 12, 1910, a telegram from Madeira was waiting for him. It was short and to the point: “Let me tell you, the Fram is heading to Antarctica. Amundsen." Amundsen's expedition landed in Antarctica simultaneously with the expedition of the English traveler Robert Scott, but managed to reach the South Pole 36 days earlier.

The Norwegian set off on his decisive trip to the South Pole on October 20. And Scott - only November 2, 1911. Amundsen's path was shorter, although somewhat more difficult in terms of terrain. The climb was difficult mountain range. But on the flat terrain, the dogs easily pulled the sleigh, and people only held on to the ropes tied to them, sliding on skis. Before storming the pole, both expeditions prepared for the winter. Scott could boast of more expensive equipment, but Amundsen took into account every detail in his equipment. The English and Norwegian detachments were equal in number of people - five people each. The British motor sleds quickly broke down, and long before the pole they had to shoot the exhausted ponies. The people pulled the sleigh themselves. It turned out that the British even neglected skis, while for the Norwegians it was a familiar means of transportation. Scott's expedition was left without fuel: it leaked from the iron vessels through poorly soldered seams.

On December 14, 1911, Amundsen reached the South Pole. The British were still marching, showing miracles of resilience, but very slowly. Only on January 18, 1912, they arrived at the Pole and were no longer surprised when they saw the Norwegian flag there. The return journey was beyond the capabilities of Scott and his comrades. Terrible frosts and wind took their toll. They often went astray and went hungry. On March 29, 20 km from the food warehouse, Robert Scott made his last entry in his diary: “Death is already close. For God’s sake, take care of our loved ones!” The bodies of three polar explorers, including Robert Scott, were discovered in November 1912. At the site of Scott’s first wintering place, a cross was erected with the words “Fight and seek, find and not give up.”

In 1936, a museum dedicated to the history of Norwegian polar expeditions was opened in Oslo, on the Bygdøy peninsula. Its main exhibit is the ship “Fram”, completely restored, tourists from all over the world come aboard and into it!

Welcome to Norway, the country of discoverers and travelers!

Amundsen Roald

Biography of Roald Amundsen - early years

Roald Engelbert Gravning Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872 in Norway, in the city of Borg, Östfold province. His father was a hereditary navigator. According to Amundsen's recollections, the idea of ​​becoming a polar explorer first came to him at the age of 15, when he became acquainted with the biography of Canadian Arctic explorer John Franklin. After graduating from high school in 1890, Rual entered the medical faculty of the University of Christiania, but after completing two courses he interrupted his studies and got a job as a sailor on a fishing sailing vessel. Two years later, Rual passed the navigator exam long voyage. In 1897-1899, Amundsen participated in the Belgian Antarctic expedition as the navigator of the Belgica. After returning from the expedition, he passed the exam again, becoming a sea captain.
In 1900, Roual makes one important acquisition - he buys the fishing yacht "Joa". The yacht was built in Rosendalen by shipwright Kurt Skaale and was originally used for herring fishing. Amundsen deliberately acquired a small ship in preparation for a future expedition: he relied not on a crowded crew, which would require significant supplies of provisions, but on a small detachment that could earn its own food by hunting and fishing.
In 1903, the expedition started from Greenland. The crew of the yacht "Gjoa" continued to travel through the seas and straits of the Canadian Arctic archipelago for three years. In 1906, the expedition reached Alaska. During the voyage, more than a hundred islands were mapped and many valuable discoveries were made. Roald Amundsen became the first person to navigate the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. However, this was only the beginning of the amazing biography of the Norwegian navigator.
Antarctica, where Amundsen visited in his youth, attracted him with its unknown nature. The ice-bound continent concealed in its vastness the South Pole of the Earth, where no human had ever set foot. The year 1910 was a turning point in the biography of Roald Amundsen. He led the expedition ultimate goal which was supposed to be the conquest of the South Pole. The motor-sailing schooner Fram, created by shipbuilder Colin Archer, was chosen for the expedition - the strongest wooden ship in the world, which had previously taken part in Fridtjof Nansen’s Arctic expedition and Otto Sverdrup’s voyage to the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Equipment and preparatory work continued until the end of June 1910. It is noteworthy that among the expedition participants was the Russian sailor and oceanographer Alexander Stepanovich Kuchin. On July 7, 1910, the crew of the Fram set sail. On January 14, 1911, the ship reached Antarctica, entering Whale Bay.
Roald Amundsen's expedition took place in intense competition with the English Terra Nova expedition, led by Robert Falcon Scott. In October 1911, Amundsen's team began moving inland by dog ​​sled. On December 14, 1911, at 3 p.m., Amundsen and his comrades reached the South Pole, 33 days ahead of Scott's team.

Biography of Roald Amundsen - mature years

Having conquered the South Pole of the Earth, Amundsen was inspired by a new idea. Now he is rushing to the Arctic: his plans include a transpolar drift, sailing across the Arctic Ocean to the North Pole. For these purposes, using the drawings of the Fram, Amundsen builds the schooner Maud, named after the Queen of Norway, Maud of Wales (Amundsen also christened the mountains he discovered in Antarctica in her honor). In 1918-1920, the Maud sailed through the Northeast Passage (in 1920, an expedition starting from Norway reached the Bering Strait), and from 1922 to 1925, it continued to drift in the East Siberian Sea. The North Pole, however, was not reached by Amundsen's expedition. In 1926, Captain Amundsen led the first non-stop trans-Arctic flight on the airship "Norway" along the route Spitsbergen - North Pole - Alaska. Upon his return to Oslo, Amundsen received a grand reception; in his own words, it was the happiest moment in his life.
Roald Amundsen had plans to explore the cultures of the peoples of North America and North Asia, and he also had new expeditions in his plans. But 1928 was the final year in his biography. The Italian expedition of Umberto Nobile, one of the participants in the 1926 Norway flight, suffered a disaster in the Arctic Ocean. The crew of the airship "Italy", on which Nobile was traveling, ended up on a drifting ice floe. Significant forces were deployed to rescue the Nobile expedition, and Roald Amundsen also took part in the search. On June 18, 1928, he took off from Norway on a French Latham plane, but suffered an air crash and died in the Barents Sea.
Biography of Roald Amundsen – shining example heroic life. WITH early youth, setting before oneself ambitious goals that seemed unrealistic to others, he moved forward adamantly - and won, becoming a pioneer in the harsh ice arctic seas or the snowy expanses of Antarctica. Fridtjof Nansen said wonderfully about his outstanding countryman: “He will forever occupy a special place in history geographical research... Some kind of explosive force lived in him. On the foggy horizon of the Norwegian people he rose as a shining star. How many times did it light up with bright flashes! And suddenly it immediately went out, and we cannot take our eyes off the empty place in the sky.”
A sea, a mountain and a glacier in Antarctica, as well as a crater on the Moon, are named after Amundsen. Your experience polar explorer Raoul Amundsen outlined in the books he wrote “My Life”, “The South Pole”, “On the Ship Maud”. “Willpower is the first and most important quality a skilled explorer,” said the discoverer of the South Pole. “Forethought and caution are equally important: foresight is to notice difficulties in time, and caution is to prepare most thoroughly to meet them... Victory awaits the one who has everything in order, and this is called luck.”

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