Richard Vahsel (9 February 1868 – 8 August 1912) was a German naval officer who served as second officer on the Antarctic ''Gauss'' expedition, under command of

Erich von Drygalski Erich Dagobert von Drygalski (; February 9, 1865 – January 10, 1949) was a German geographer, geophysicist and polar scientist, born in Königsberg, East Prussia. Between 1882 and 1887, Drygalski studied mathematics and natural science at t ...

. In 1911, Vahsel was controversially appointed as captain of the ''Deutschland'', on

Wilhelm Filchner Wilhelm Filchner (13 September 1877 – 7 May 1957) was a German army officer, scientist and explorer. He conducted several surveys and scientific investigations in China, Tibet and surrounding regions, and led the Second German Antarctic Expeditio ...

Second German Antarctic Expedition The Second German Antarctic Expedition of 1911–1913 was led by Wilhelm Filchner in the exploration ship . Its principal objective was to determine whether the Antarctic continent comprised a single landmass rather than separated elements, and ...

, 1911–1913. Vahsel and Filchner proved incompatible, and the failure of their relationship fatally undermined the chances of the expedition's success. Vahsel died during the expedition, of heart failure likely aggravated by the effects of syphilis, as ''Deutschland'' was drifting while trapped in the ice in the

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

. He was buried in the ice on 10 August 1912, as the ship drifted across the

Antarctic Circle The Antarctic Circle is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of Earth. The region south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone immediately to the north is called the Southern Temperate Zone. So ...

Vahsel Bay Vahsel Bay (german: Vahselbucht) is a bay about 7 miles wide in the western part of the Luitpold Coast, Antarctica. This bay receives the flow of the Schweitzer Glacier and Lerchenfeld Glacier. It was discovered by the German Antarctic Expeditio ...

, at the southern extreme of the Weddell Sea, is named after him, as are the Vahsel Glacier on

Heard Island The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size ...

, discovered during Drygalski's expedition, and

Cape Vahsel Cape Vahsel () is a headland forming the eastern tip of South Georgia. It was roughly charted by Captain James Cook in 1775, remapped by the Second German Antarctic Expedition under Wilhelm Filchner Wilhelm Filchner (13 September 1877 – 7 Ma ...

on the south-eastern coast of South Georgia.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vahsel, Richard 1868 births 1912 deaths Antarctic expedition deaths Deaths from syphilis Explorers of Antarctica German polar explorers