Andreas Peter Hovgaard (1 November 1853 – 15 March 1910) was a Danish naval officer and

Arctic explorer Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...

. Hovgaard became a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

of the

Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). Oth ...

in 1874, rising to the rank of lieutenant in 1876,

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1888 and

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in 1901. He retired from active service in 1909.

Career

Andreas Hovgaard was the son of Ole Anton Hovgaard (1821–1891) and Louise Charlotte Munch (1823–1872). Little is known about his early life, except that he joined the Danish Navy and quickly rose in the ranks. In 1878 Hovgaard, as a young lieutenant, became a member of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's Vega Expedition in which he was in charge of making

meteorological Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

as well as geomagnetic observations. Shortly after returning to Denmark he married Sophie Christiane Nielsen (1856–1934) and published his report ''Nordenskiölds rejse omkring Asien og Europa'' about the first Arctic expedition that navigated successfully through the

Northeast Passage The Northeast Passage (abbreviated as NEP) is the shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, along the Arctic coasts of Norway and Russia. The western route through the islands of Canada is accordingly called the Northwest Passage (N ...

.A. P. Hovgaard in the ''Dansk biografisk leksikon''
/ref> In 1882 Hovgaard led the Dijmphna Expedition, an Arctic survey expedition to explore the unknown northeastern limits of the Kara Sea on

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

''Dijmphna'', financed by Danish trader Augustin Gamél (1839–1904) who would also later assist

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...

. The '' Dijmphna'' became stuck in the ice off Dikson while trying to rescue the Dutch Polar Expedition's ship '' Varna'', which was surveying the mouth of the Yenisei. During the 1882/83 winter it began a long drift in the Kara Sea that prevented the expedition from accomplishing its goals. The ship was able to return home only with the 1883 summer thaw, the Varna becoming lost. In 1887 he served in the Danish ironclad Dannebrog, the ship of the King of Denmark, Christian IX. From 1890 to 1893 Hovgaard became the Captain of Mail steamer ''Thyra'', which plied the route to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Later he would be in command of Cruiser Heimdall and of Coastal Defense Ship Olfert Fischer. Andreas Hovgaard was the President of the Danish Naval Officers Association ''(Søofficers-Foreningen)'' between 1907 and 1909.

Honours

Hovgaard Island Hovgaard Island is an island long, lying off the northwest coast of Kyiv Peninsula, southwest of Booth Island in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica. It was discovered and named "Krogmann-Insel" (Krogmann Island) by the German 1873–74 expe ...

in Greenland,

''(Ostrov Khovgarda)'' in the Nordenskiöld Archipelago of the Kara Sea, Russia,

in Antarctica, and the

Hovgaard Islands The Hovgaard Islands are a Canadian Arctic island group in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut Territory. They were named after Andreas Hovgaard, a Polar explorer and officer of the Danish Navy who led an expedition to the Kara Sea on steamship ''Dij ...

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada, were named after him. * Danish Service medal in gold (1883) *

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

; Knight (1880); Commander 2nd Class (1907) *'' Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn'' (1904)

Works

*''Nordenskiölds Reise omkring Asien og Europa - Populairt fremstillet efter mine Dagböger'', 1915 (Danish) * ''Forslag til en dansk arktisk expedition'', Gyldendal, Copenhagen 1882''The Danish-Arctic Expedition'', English edition
/ref> * ''Dijmphna-Expeditionen 1882–83. Rapporter til Dijmphna’s Rheder'', Kopenhagen 1884 (Danish) * ''Die Eiszustände im Karischen Meere'', Gotha 1884 (German) * ''Compasset i Jernskibe'', Kopenhagen 1888 (Danish) * ''Under Islands Kyst'', 1906 (Danish)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovgaard, Andreas 1853 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Danish naval officers 20th-century Danish naval officers Danish polar explorers Explorers of the Arctic Honorary Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

Career

Honours

Works

See also

References

External links