Helmer Julius Hanssen (24 September 1870 – 2 August 1956) was a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
sailor, pilot and polar explorer. He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by
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 bega ...
and was one of the first five explorers to reach the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
.
Background
Helmer Hanssen was born in
Bjørnskinn
Bjørnskinn is a village in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village of Bjørnskinn lies along the southern part of the island of Andøya, about northwest of the larger village of Risøyhamn. The village is the site of Bjø ...
, on the island of
Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the Vesterålen archipelago, situated about inside the Arctic circle. Andøya is located in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The main population centres on the island include the villages of ...
in
Nordland
Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...
, Norway. He was an experienced ice pilot, a skill he had learned while hunting around
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norw ...
. Between 1894 and 1897, he hunted small whales and seals in the
Arctic Sea
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
. He later sailed for the Norwegian shipping company, Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab.
Career
From 1903 to 1905 Helmer Hanssen participated in
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 bega ...
's successful search for the
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...
, as second mate on board the ship ''
Gjøa
''Gjøa'' was the first vessel to transit the Northwest Passage. With a crew of six, Roald Amundsen traversed the passage in a three-year journey, finishing in 1906.
History
Construction
The square-sterned sloop of 47 net register ton ...
''. On the expedition he learned from the
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 ...
how to drive
sled dog
A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in Dog harness, harness, most commonly a Dog sled, sled over snow.
Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for at least 8,000 years and, along with watercraft, were the only transport ...
s. In 1910 he headed south with Amundsen to conquer the
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
, this time as an expert dog driver. He was also in charge of
navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
, carrying the master
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
on his sledge.
![Sydpolmedaljen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Sydpolmedaljen.jpg)
He was one of the first five people
to reach the South Pole on 14 December 1911, along with Roald Amundsen,
Olav Bjaaland
Olav Bjaaland (5 March 1873 – 8 June 1961) was a Norwegian ski champion and polar explorer. In 1911, he was one of the first five men to reach the South Pole as part of Amundsen's South Pole expedition.
Biography
Olav Olavsen Bjaaland ...
,
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 ...
, and
Sverre Hassel
Sverre Helge Hassel (30 July 1876 – 6 June 1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer and one of the first five people to reach the South Pole.
Biography
Sverre Hassel was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. As soon as he was old enough, ...
. During their stay at the South Pole, it is estimated that Hanssen passed within 200 yards (180 meters) of the mathematical South Pole point. This was during one of his ski runs which Amundsen had ordered be performed to completely encircle or "box" the pole, to ensure that there was no doubt that the expedition had attained the pole. For his participation in the expedition, he was awarded the
South Pole Medal
The South Pole Medal ( no, Sydpolsmedaljen) or Medal Commemorating the 1910–1911 ''Fram'' Expedition to the South Pole (''Medalje til erindring om "Frams" ekspedisjon til Sydpolen 1910–1911'') is a Norwegian medal established by Haakon VII of ...
(''Sydpolsmedaljen''), the Royal Norwegian award instituted by King
Haakon VII
Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957.
Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...
in 1912 to reward participants in Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition.
In 1919 he once again went north, this time as captain on ''Maud'' in Roald Amundsen's
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 ...
expedition. Helmer Hanssen was awarded the
Knight of St. Olav for exceptional seamanship on Roald Amundsen's expeditions in the northern and southern parts of the world. In 1936 Hanssen published his autobiography ''The Voyages of a Modern Viking'', (London: G. Routledge & Sons Limited, 1936).
A statue of Helmer Hanssen together with the rest of Roald Amundsen's Antarctic explorer team is located at the
Fram Museum
The Fram Museum ( no, Frammuseet) is a museum telling the story of Norwegian polar exploration. It is located on the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway.
Fram Museum is in an area with several other museums including the Kon-Tiki Museum, the ...
at
Bygdøy
Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy belongs to the borough of Frogner; historically Bygdøy was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948.
Bygdøy is a popular ...
in Oslo, Norway. A scientific research vessel, the FF Helmer Hanssen, has also been named in his honour.
References
Other sources
*Michalsen, Bård Borch (2011) ''Polarhelten Helmer Hanssen : den trofaste toer'' (God strek)
External links
Research Vessel R/V Helmer Hanssen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanssen, Helmer
1870 births
1956 deaths
People from Andøy
Norwegian aviators
Norwegian sailors
Norwegian hunters
Norwegian polar explorers
Explorers of Antarctica
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal
Amundsen's South Pole expedition
Sportspeople from Nordland