1901 Swedish expedition led by Otto Njordenskjöld to Antarctica

BACKGROUND

The 1902 Swedish expedition led by 32-year-old geologist, Dr. Otto Nordenskjöld to Antarctica, was one of the most remarkable ever to have ventured into the area.

It is important to note that the area they were approaching was largely unexplored.

The Expedition made important geographic and fossil finds, making a major contribution to our knowledge of Graham Land.

The expedition ship Antarctica was beset in pack-ice in Erebus & Terror Gulf and sank. The three parties into which the expedition was separated, eventually met at Snow Hill Island and were rescued by the Argentinian ship the Uruguay.

During the 2 years of incredible hardship and suffering, the men accumulated a vast amount of priceless scientific data and only emerged alive through a series of truly extraordinary coincidences - firm, resolute leadership - incredible self-sacrifice and self-discipline - and an absolutely unshakeable will to survive.

THE OBJECTIVE

Organized in conjunction with expeditions from Britain and Germany, the intention was to explore the frozen lands to the south of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and to undertake extensive geographic, botanical, geological and scientific work.

THE TEAM

Including Otto Nordenskjöld, the party comprised 8 scientists and 16 officers and men under experienced Antarctic explorer and skipper, Captain Carl Anton Larsen, who was an expert at maneuvering vessels through pack-ice. He commanded a stoutly-built ex-sealer called, not inappropriately, Antarctic. A 9^th member, a young geographer-geologist-anthropologist, Dr Gunnar Andersson was to join the ship at the Falklands, to assume leadership when Nordenskjöld and his wintering party has been dropped off at their wintering station.

American artist F.W. Stokes and Argentinian naval officer sub-Lieutentant J.M. Sobral joined the party in Buenos Aires. In return for Sobral joining, the Argentinian Government supplied free fuel, food and help.

SUMMARY OF THE EXPEDITION

NORDENSKJÖLD AND THE SNOW HILL ISLAND WINTERING PARTY

The Antarctic arrived in the South Shetlands on January 11 1902, landing briefly, before heading off to explore the Orleans and Gerlache Straits and then retracing her course around the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

In February 1902 Nordenskjöld and 5 others established a wintering station on Snow Hill Island while Antarctica returned to Falklands to pick up geographer-geologist-anthropologist Gunnar Andersson, who was to become expedition leader while Nordenskjöld and the Snow Hill Island party wintered over.

A year later, after extensive exploration and sledging work on the east coast of the West Antarctic mainland - (the area of the now famous disintegrating Larsen Ice Shelf, today called Nordenskjöld Coast) - the sea was completely frozen over and another sub-zero winter lay ahead for Nordenskjöld and the Snow Hill party, in cramped, freezing-cold surroundings.

In the spring they explored the area between James Ross Island and Trinity Peninsula. They named it the Prince Gustav Channel. Heading for a promontory on Vega Island, to get a better view of the ice conditions in Erebus and Terror Gulf, as he wanted to cross to Paulet Island, they spotted moving objects, thought to be penguins. Nordenskjöld was dumbfounded: “Black as soot from top to toe; men with black clothes, black faces and high black caps… my powers… fail me when I endeavour to imagine to what race of men these creatures belong.” They were horrified, amazed and delighted to discover 3 of their team, Gunnar Andersson, Lieutenant Duse, the expedition cartographer and Toralf Grunden, one of the ship’s crew who proceeded to recount their part of this astonishing story.

THE FATE OF THE ANTARCTICA

Having dropped off Nordenskjöld and his wintering party, Antarctica had spent winter in the Falklands and picked up Gunnar Andersson. The return journey began on 5 November. After extensive charting, botanical and geological work, Antarctica headed for Antarctic Sound and Nordenskjöld’s wintering camp. Approaching the sound they experienced extreme ice conditions. Experienced Antarctic explorer, Captain Carl Anton Larsen, an expert at manoeuvring through ice, spent many days ramming through and alternatively getting stuck.

On 29 December they landed a party of 3, Gunnar Andersson, Lieutenant Duse and Toralf Grunden in Hope Bay and established a depot for the wintering party in case the ship was unable to reach the camp. The Hope Bay party then set off on the 320kilometer (200mile) trek to Snow Hill Island.

THE ANTARCTICA IS CRUSHED IN THE ICE AND SINKS

Larsen and the Antarctic continued to try and forge a passage south-east. After a desperate struggle, they reached Paulet Island and more open water until the ship was again imprisoned and crushed relentlessly in ice - being pushed ever higher and higher - and eventually listing to starboard with a bad leak. She was leaking, but the pumps could handle it. For over two weeks she drifted in the ice until, on 3 February she refloated. This worsened the leak and Larsen decided to try and beach her on Paulet Island. After heading into a promising lead on 12 February, the ice closed once again and the leak became unmanageable. The order was given to abandon ship. The Antarctic sank 40kilometers (25 miles) from Paulet Island at approx. 64°S 55°W.

The shipwrecked party began a nightmare journey to Paulet Island, ferrying stores from floe to floe by whaleboat, with icebergs constantly threatening to break up the floes. 14 days later they arrived on Paulet Island 28 February 1903. Their only hope was that Andersson had arranged for a rescue operation to be mounted if the Antarctic had not returned by autumn, a winter (and a lifetime away) away.

THE HOPE BAY SHORE PARTY

In the meantime, the Hope Bay Party, Anderssen, Duse and Grunden, unaware of the fate of the Antarctic, are struggling to reach Nordenskjöld’s Snow Hill base on foot, hampered by a very poor knowledge of the area.

Arriving at the frozen entrance of Prince Gustav Channel they descend into the bay and head off on skis in the direction of Vega Island thinking it is James Ross Island, reaching it after 15 hours. Getting to the top they saw to their dismay, a stretch of open water, Sidney Herbert Sound. On the upside, the open water meant Antarctica could probably reach Snow Hill Island that summer. Little did they know…

The Hope Bay party turned Northward and headed back, arriving at their Hope Bay depot on 13 January, settling down to await the arrival of the ship, without thinking anything might be amiss. In February they took the precaution to start building a winter hut with stone walls plastered with snow and sea water, up to the full height of a man. An upturned sledge was the basis of the roof then covered with planks and an old tarpaulin. Inside they pitched a tent for added protection against the cold.

As summer gave way to autumn they realized grimly that they were going to need it.

With penguin skins on the floor, when the tiny space was snowed in completely, the temperature still remained a few degrees below freezing. They grew accustomed to this and even dreaded a thaw as it melted the rime on the walls and ceiling.

They hunted and killed over 700 penguins and the occasional seal to vary the diet. They took turns to cook and had a ritual to thank the man on duty with the utmost courtesy. While most of their time and energy was used trying to stay alive, they took it in turns to entertain one another in the evenings, celebrating midwinter’s day with a makeshift candelabra and banquet of fried meat and fruit soup. Winter passed and on 29 September, having checked that the channel to Vega Island was frozen up, filthy and in tatters, their faces and beards blackened with soot and blubber fat they had burnt for light and warmth and to keep themselves alive, they set out. Soon a devastating storm pinned them in their tent, under snow and ice for 30 hours.

By 6 October, reaching the shoreline they began their trek across the sea ice. They ploughed on towards Vega Island in good conditions until the wind from the north swung right round to the south, lowering the temperature to far below zero and virtually freezing them up as they walked. They reached Vega Island 9 October, fortunately locating their depot from the last summer. After nursing frostbite they decided to retrace their steps and proceed to meet their teammates at the Snow Hill wintering camp, via the sea-ice around the island. They reached Cape Dreyfus on 12 October.

Andersson wrote: `At 1pm, we had halted at the cape in order to prepare dinner. Groups of seals lay upon the ice; …a large family lay some distance out. “What the deuce can those seals be, standing up there bolt upright?” says one of us, pointing to some small dark objects far away on the ice towards the channel… A delirious eagerness seizes us… “It’s men! It’s men!” we shout.’

At long last the Hope Bay party were back with their leader, Otto Nordenskjöld. They renamed Cape Dreyfus as Cape Well-met, quite understandably. The only remaining mystery was what had happened to the Antarctic and her crew.

THE STRANDED CREW FROM THE ANTARCTIC

Paulet Island consists of volcanic rock and basalt. The outer slopes are very steep.

Some flat ground near the shore seemed ideal, but it was soon found to be exposed to strong winds. A less level, more sheltered spot was chosen nearby.

They had salvaged some stores, but insufficient to sustain them. They killed over 1000 seals from the diminishing colony, in order to build up an adequate stock of food. They found and carried rocks to the chosen site for the double-walled building that measured 10 by 7 meters when finished.

By mid-March winter storms battered them relentlessly and it was often not possible to leave the hut for days on end. They lived on penguin meat and occasionally seal and fish. There was little or no tobacco. Winter dragged on in an exhausted cycle of sleeping, cooking, eating and hunting. They lived for two things only, food and rescue. Terrible storms raged outside as the food supply dwindled. 7 June Ole Wennersgaard, who had been sick for some time, died. By end of October, the ice in the gulf had broken up enough in the gulf for a boat to attempt a rescue of the 3 men they had left at Hope Bay at the beginning of the year.

Carl Larsen led 5 crewmembers from the Antarctic for this perilous boat trip. A storm nearly killed them as an ice flow they sought refuge on tipped. They eventually reached Hope Bay November 4. Locating the depot and stone hut they found a message indicating that Andersson, Duse and Grunden had wintered there and were on their way to Snow Hill Island. They would have to make this journey by water.

They made good progress into Admiralty Sound until they hit ice right across the bay that they could not breach. As they struggled across Erebus and Terror Gulf, rescue attempts were even then under way, not far off. An Argentinean corvette the Uruguay, led by Argentinian naval attaché Lieutenant Julian Irizar, was extensively refitted and reinforced and was now heading south on the rescue mission.

While the Uruguay was bound for the Snow Hill winter camp, Nordenskjöld returned there with the Hope Bay party. On 26 October he and two others sledged to Seymour Island and raised a signal on a cairn of rocks.

On 7 November, the same day Larsen began his epic row across Erebus and Terror Gulf, two other members of the wintering party Gösta Bodman and Gustaf Akerlund, left the Snow Hill camp for Seymour Island.

Also on 7 November 1903, the Uruguay had reached the iceshelf off Seymour Island. Irizar put off a party to explore. The men returned excitedly, to report the boat hook on the signal cairn. Edging the ship around the ice, they saw a tent and going ashore awoke an astonished Bodman and Akerlund who took them across the ice to the winter camp.

Nordenskjöld was astonished and delighted to meet the Argentineans, although sadly, Irizar had no idea of the whereabouts of the Antarctic.

As they prepared for bed having agreed to disband the winter camp, the dogs started barking. Nordenskjöld went out and found Bodman greeting Larsen and his party of 5 who had just made a 24 kilometer trek across the ice.

Nordenskjöld wrote:

No pen can describe the boundless joy of this first moment…
I learned at once that our dear old ship was no more in existence, but for the instant I could feel nothing but joy when I was amongst us these men on whom I had only a few minutes before been thinking with feelings of the greatest despondency.