Gustav Frederik Holm (6 August 1849 – 13 March 1940) was a Danish naval officer and

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

explorer born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Career

He was made commander in the

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

in 1899, was chief of the hydrographic bureau from 1899 to 1909, and became director of pilots in 1912. He became distinguished for his explorations, especially of the east coast of

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

. In 1876, he participated in

K. J. V. Steenstrup Knud Johannes Vogelius Steenstrup (7 September 1842 – 6 May 1913) was a Danish geologist. He was most noted as an explorer of Greenland. Biography Steenstrup was born at Høstemark Mill in Mou Sogn, Jutland, Denmark. He was the son of Jo ...

's geological expedition to the Julianehåb District. From 1883 to 1885 he led the

Umiak Expedition The umiak, umialak, umiaq, umiac, oomiac, oomiak, ongiuk, or anyak is a type of open skin boat, used by both Yupik and Inuit, and was originally found in all coastal areas from Siberia to Greenland. First arising in Thule times, it has tradition ...

with T. V. Garde, exploring the east coast of Christian IX Land, as far as 66° 8' N using

umiak The umiak, umialak, umiaq, umiac, oomiac, oomiak, ongiuk, or anyak is a type of open skin boat, used by both Yupik and Inuit, and was originally found in all coastal areas from Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲir� ...

boats. The expedition encountered 11

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

communities, numbering 431 inhabitants, who were previously unknown to Europeans, and discovered five great ice fiords. For his explorations he received gold medals from the Société de géographie, Paris (1891), and the

Danish Geographical Society Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

(1895), and the

Danish Order of Merit Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

(1909). The results and observations of the expeditions were published in ''Den danske Konebaads-Expedition til Grønlands Østkyst 1883–85'' (1889) and ''Om de geografiske Forhold i dansk Østgrønland'' (1889).

Posthumous honours

Cape Gustav Holm Tasiilap Karra or Cape Gustav Holm ( da, Kap Gustav Holm) is a headland in eastern Greenland, Sermersooq municipality. It was named after officer of the Danish Navy and Arctic explorer Gustav Holm (1849 – 1940). Geography Cape Gustav Holm is ...

Holm Island Holm Island is an island in the River Thames in England on the reach above Penton Hook Lock, near Staines. It is on the Buckinghamshire bank, just upstream of Hollyhock Island. A house on it known as "The Nest" was used as a hideaway by the ...

(Kiatassuaq) and Holm Land were named after him.

Literature

* *

References

* Scandinavian explorers of North America Greenlandic polar explorers Danish polar explorers Danish male writers 1849 births 1940 deaths Place of death missing Burials at the Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen {{Explorer-stub

Career

Posthumous honours

Literature

See also

References