The ''Norge'' was a
semi-rigid Italian-built
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
that carried out the first verified trip of any kind to the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
, an overflight on 12 May 1926. It was also the first aircraft to fly over the polar ice cap between Europe and America. The expedition was the brainchild of polar explorer and expedition leader
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...
, the airship's designer and pilot
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer.
Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
and American adventurer and explorer
Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12, 1880 – May 26, 1951) was a polar explorer from the United States and a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History.
Biography
Lincoln Ellsworth was born on May 12, 1880, to James Ellsworth and Eva F ...
who, along with the
Aero Club
A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft.
Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...
of Norway, financed the trip, which was known as the Amundsen-Ellsworth 1926 Transpolar Flight.
Design and development
![NorgeTailplane](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/NorgeTailplane.jpg)
''Norge'' was the first N-class
semi-rigid airship designed by
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer.
Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
, and its construction started in 1923. As part of the selling contract
s the ''Norge''it was refitted for Arctic conditions. The pressurised envelope was reinforced with metal frames at the nose and tail, with a flexible tubular metal keel connecting the two. This was covered with fabric and used as storage and crew space. Three engine gondolas and the separate control cabin were attached to the bottom of the keel. ''Norge'' was the first Italian semi-rigid to be fitted with the cruciform tail fins first developed by the
Schütte-Lanz company.
Polar expedition
In 1925, Amundsen telegraphed Nobile asking to meet him at Oslo, where he proposed an airship trip across the Arctic. With a contract in place, Nobile modified the N-1 for flight in arctic weather.
[Christopher 2010, p. 79] As the expedition was being financed by the Aero Club of Norway, the modified N-1 was christened the ''Norge'' (English: ''Norway'').
![Norge aeroship](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Norge_aeroship.jpg)
On 29 March 1926 at a ceremony at
Ciampino aerodrome the ''Norge'' was handed over to the Aero Club of Norway.
The flight north was due to leave
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
on 6 April but was delayed due to strong winds and departed at 09:25 on 10 April. The ship arrived at
RNAS Pulham
RNAS Pulham (later RAF Pulham) was a Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) airship station, near Pulham St Mary south of Norwich, UK. Though land was purchased by the Admiralty in 1912 the site was not operational until 1915. From 1918 to 1958, the ...
Airship Station in England at 15:20; because of the bad weather was not moored in the hangar until 18:30.
Delayed again by weather, the ''Norge'' left Pulham for Oslo at 11:45 on 12 April.
At 01:00 on 15 April 1926, the ''Norge'' left
Ekeberg in Oslo for
Gatchina
The town of Gatchina ( rus, Га́тчина, , ˈɡatːɕɪnə, links=y) serves as the administrative center of the Gatchinsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies south-south-west of St. Petersburg, along the E95 highway which ...
near
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
; after a 17-hour flight, the airship arrived at 19:30, delayed by dense fog along the way.
Following the arrival at Gatchina, Nobile announced that the ''Norge'' would remain in the airship shed for a week for engine overhaul and maintenance; this included the addition of collapsible rubber boats for emergency use.
Although expected to leave Gatchina as soon as the weather allowed after 24 April, the departure was delayed one week as the
mooring mast
A mooring mast, or mooring tower, is a structure designed to allow for the docking of an airship outside of an airship hangar or similar structure. More specifically, a mooring mast is a mast or tower that contains a fitting on its top that allow ...
at King's Bay, Spitsbergen had not yet been completed due to adverse weather.
Although Nobile was anxious to leave for Spitsbergen even if the mast and shed were not completed as he was concerned about the weather, the departure from Gatchina was postponed once again.
![AmundsenEllsworthNobileDirgibleLaunchTower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/AmundsenEllsworthNobileDirgibleLaunchTower.jpg)
The ''Norge'' finally left Gatchina at 09:40 on 5 May to proceed to
Vadsø
Vadsø (; sme, Čáhcesuolu; fkv, Vesisaari) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark County, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vadsø, which was the administrative centre of the former Finnmark county. O ...
in northern Norway, where the airship mast is still standing today. The expedition then crossed the
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...
to reach King's Bay at
Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund ("New Ålesund") is a small town in Oscar II Land on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. It is situated on the Brøgger peninsula (Brøggerhalvøya) and on the shore of the bay of Kongsfjorden. The company town is owned ...
,
Svalbard.
There Nobile met
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...
preparing his
Fokker Trimotor
The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence.
Design and dev ...
for his North Pole attempt.
Nobile explained the ''Norge'' trip was to observe the uncharted sea between the Pole and Alaska where some believed land was; at the time he thought
Robert Edwin Peary
Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
had already reached the pole.
This would be the last stop before crossing the pole. The dirigible left Ny-Ålesund for the final stretch across the polar ice on 11 May at 9:55.
![Vadso Ankermast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Vadso_Ankermast.jpg)
The 16-man expedition included Amundsen, the expedition leader and navigator;
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer.
Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...
the dirigible's designer and pilot; Wealthy American outdoorsman, polar explorer and expedition sponsor
Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth (May 12, 1880 – May 26, 1951) was a polar explorer from the United States and a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History.
Biography
Lincoln Ellsworth was born on May 12, 1880, to James Ellsworth and Eva F ...
; as well as polar explorer
Oscar Wisting
Oscar Adolf Wisting (6 June 1871 – 5 December 1936) was a Norwegian Naval officer and polar explorer. Together with Roald Amundsen he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles.
Biography
Oscar Wisting was born in ...
who served as helmsman. Other crew members were 1st Lt.
Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen
Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen (7 June 1890 – 3 June 1965) was a Norwegian aviation pioneer, military officer, polar explorer and businessman. Among his achievements, he is generally regarded a founder of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
Background
Ri ...
, navigator; 1st Lt. Emil Horgen, elevatorman; Capt. Birger Gottwaldt, radio expert, Dr
Finn Malmgren
Finn Adolf Erik Johan Malmgren (9 January 1895 – ) was a Swedish meteorologist and Arctic explorer.
Biography
Malmgren studied in Göteborg, Sundsvall, and Stockholm. In 1912, he began his studies at Uppsala University where he recei ...
of Uppsala University, meteorologist;
[ Nobile] Fredrik Ramm
Fredrik Ramm (11 March 1892 – 15 November 1943) was a Norwegian journalist.
Personal life
He was born in Oslo as a son of chief physician Fredrik G. O. Ramm and Anna Margaretha Brinchmann. He was a nephew of pioneering woman physician Louise ...
, journalist; Frithjof Storm-Johnsen, radioman; Flying Lt. Oscar Omdal, flight engineer; Natale Cecioni, chief mechanic; Renato Alessandrini, rigger; Ettore Arduino, Attilio Caratti and Vincenzo Pomella, mechanics. Nobile's little dog, Titina, also came aboard as mascot.
On 12 May at 01:25 (GMT) the ''Norge'' reached the North Pole, at which point the Norwegian, American and Italian flags were dropped from the airship onto the ice. Relations between Amundsen and Nobile, which had been lukewarm at best, were further strained by the freezing and noisy conditions in the dirigible's cramped control car, and became even worse when Amundsen saw that the Italian flag dropped by Nobile was larger than either of the others. Amundsen later recalled with scorn that under Nobile, the ''Norge'' had become "a circus wagon of the skies", an occurrence Nobile claimed Amundsen had greatly exaggerated.
[ Kumpch 1996: "Zirkuswagen am Himmel"]
After crossing the pole, ice encrustations kept growing on the airship's propellers to such an extent that pieces breaking and flying off would strike the outer cover, causing rips and tears in the fabric.
On 14 May, the ''Norge'' reached the Inupiat village of
Teller, Alaska
Teller ( ik, Tala or ) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 229, a decrease from 268 in 2000.
It is situated on the southern half of the spit called ''Nuuk'' in Inupiaq, which separate ...
, where in view of worsening weather, the decision was made to land rather than continue the approximately 70 miles to
Nome.
The airship was reportedly damaged somehow during the landing and was dismantled and shipped back to Italy.
The three previous claims to have arrived at the North Pole—by
Frederick Cook
Frederick Albert Cook (June 10, 1865 – August 5, 1940) was an American explorer, physician, and ethnographer who claimed to have reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. That was nearly a year before Robert Peary, who similarly clai ...
in 1908,
Robert Peary in 1909, and
Richard E. Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...
in 1926 (just a few days before the ''Norge'')—are all disputed as being either of dubious accuracy or outright fraud. Some of those disputing these earlier claims therefore consider the crew of the ''Norge'' to be the first verified explorers to have reached the North Pole.
Specifications (''Norge'')
See also
*
''Italia'' (airship)
*
''Norge'' Storage Site
*
Spitsbergen Airship Museum
References
Footnotes
Sources
* Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth, First Crossing of the Polar Sea, Doubleday, Garden City, 1928.
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External links
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{{Authority control
1920s Italian civil utility aircraft
1926 in aviation
Airships of Italy
Arctic exploration vessels
Hydrogen airships
Individual aircraft
North Pole