The Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901–1903 was a scientific expedition led by
Otto Nordenskjöld
Nils Otto Gustaf Nordenskjöld (6 December 1869 – 2 June 1928) was a Finnish and Swedish geologist, geographer, and polar explorer.
Early life
Nordenskjöld was born in Hässleby in Småland in eastern Sweden, in a Finland Swedish family th ...
and
Carl Anton Larsen
Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which ...
. It was the first Swedish endeavour to Antarctica in the
Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often cit ...
.
Background
Otto Nordenskjöld
Nils Otto Gustaf Nordenskjöld (6 December 1869 – 2 June 1928) was a Finnish and Swedish geologist, geographer, and polar explorer.
Early life
Nordenskjöld was born in Hässleby in Småland in eastern Sweden, in a Finland Swedish family th ...
, a Swedish geologist and geographer, organized and led a scientific expedition of the
Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctic ...
. The expedition's overall command was placed under the Norwegian
Carl Anton Larsen
Carl Anton Larsen (7 August 1860 – 8 December 1924) was a Norwegian-born whaler and Antarctic explorer who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils for which ...
, an experienced Antarctic explorer who served as captain of , and who had previously commanded a whaling reconnaissance mission in 1892–1893. Seven other scientists, including archaeologist
Johan Gunnar Andersson
Johan Gunnar Andersson (3 July 1874 – 29 October 1960)"Andersson, Johan Gunnar" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 385. was a Swedish archaeologist, paleontologist and ge ...
, botanist
Carl Skottsberg
Carl Johan Fredrik Skottsberg (1 December 1880 – 14 June 1963) was a Swedish botanist and explorer of Antarctica.
Life
Skottsberg was born in Karlshamn on 1 December 1880 the son of Carl Adolf Skottsberg a schoolmaster and his wife, Maria L ...
, and zoologist
Axel Ohlin
Axel Gabriel Ohlin (31 July 1867 – 12 July 1903) was a Swedish zoologist and Arctic and Antarctic explorer.
Biography
He was born in Visingsö to Per Ohlin and Hedda Hjertstedt. He was a student at Lund University earning a philosophy degre ...
, along with 16 officers and men joined them on the voyage. On 16 October 1901, the ''Antarctic'' left the
Port of Gothenburg
The municipally-owned Port of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs hamn) is the largest port in the Nordic countries, with over 11,000 ship visits per year from over 140 destinations worldwide. As the only Swedish port with the capacity to cope with the ...
.
Events
Despite its end and the great hardships endured, the expedition would be considered a scientific success, with the parties having explored much of the eastern coast of
Graham Land
Graham Land is the portion of the Antarctic Peninsula that lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee an ...
, including
Cape Longing
Cape Longing () is a rocky cape on the east coast of Graham Land, Antarctica, forming the south end of a large ice-covered promontory which marks the west side of the south entrance to Prince Gustav Channel. It was discovered by the Swedish Antarc ...
,
James Ross Island
James Ross Island is a large island off the southeast side and near the northeastern extremity of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Prince Gustav Channel. Rising to , it is irregularly shaped and extends in a north–south ...
, the
Joinville Island
Joinville Island is the largest island of the Joinville Island group, about long in an east-west direction and wide, lying off the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Antarctic Sound. Joinville Isla ...
group, and the
Palmer Archipelago
Palmer Archipelago, also known as Antarctic Archipelago, Archipiélago Palmer, Antarktiske Arkipel or Palmer Inseln, is a group of islands off the northwestern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
It extends from Tower Island in the north to Anver ...
. The expedition, which also recovered valuable geological samples and samples of marine animals, earned Nordenskjöld lasting fame at home, but its huge cost left him greatly in debt.
Two key Antarctic islands are associated with the expedition:
Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, long and wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the north-east by Admiralty Sound and from Seymour Island to the north ...
, where Nordenskjöld and five of his colleagues spent two winters—one of them planned and the second forced by the sinking of the ''Antarctic''—and
Paulet Island
Paulet Island is a circular island about in diameter, lying south-east of Dundee Island, off the north-eastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. Because of its large penguin colony, it is a popular destination for sightseeing tours.
Descripti ...
, where the crew of the ''Antarctic'' were stranded from February until November 1903. The expedition was rescued by the Argentinian naval vessel ''Uruguay''.
Snow Hill Island
On the way to
Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, long and wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the north-east by Admiralty Sound and from Seymour Island to the north ...
in 1901, Nordenskjöld had passed through
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, where the
Argentine government
The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the Presiden ...
gave him supplies and other assistance on the condition that he include in his wintering-over party a young Argentine naval officer, Lieutenant
José María Sobral
''Alférez de Navío'' José María Sobral (April 14, 1880 – April 14, 1961) was an Argentine explorer, geologist, naval officer and author who rose to prominence by participating in the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901–1904) becoming ...
. The American artist
Frank Wilbert Stokes
Frank Wilbert Stokes, also known as Frank Stokes, Frank W. Stokes and F. W. Stokes
Smithsonian American Art Muse ...
also joined the expedition and spent two years with Nordenskjöld at Snow Hill Island. In 1903, the Argentine government organized a rescue effort with the corvette , which successfully brought back all the surviving members of the Nordenskjöld party.
Paulet Island
After their ship sank, crushed by the ice about away, the 20 men from the ''Antarctic'' landed on
Paulet Island
Paulet Island is a circular island about in diameter, lying south-east of Dundee Island, off the north-eastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. Because of its large penguin colony, it is a popular destination for sightseeing tours.
Descripti ...
in their lifeboat and built a sturdy double-walled stone hut whose remains are clearly visible today. Apart from the limited supplies they brought from the ''Antarctic'', they survived on the thousand or so penguins they killed, as well as the birds' eggs.
See also
*
List of Antarctic expeditions
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
* ''Antarctica''. Sydney: Reader's Digest, 1985, pp. 152–159.
* Child, Jack. ''Antarctica and South American Geopolitics: Frozen Lebensraum''. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1988, pp. 69, 72.
* Stewart, Andrew, ''Antarctica: An Encyclopedia''. London: McFarland and Co., 1990 (2 volumes).
* Nordenskiöld, Otto, ''Antarctica: or, Two years amongst the ice of the South Pole'' (Macmillan. 1905)
* U.S. National Science Foundation, ''Geographic Names of the Antarctic'', Fred G. Alberts, ed. Washington: NSF, 1980.
External links
Antarctic Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901–1903
{{Authority control
1901 in Antarctica
1902 in Antarctica
1903 in Antarctica
Antarctic expeditions
Expeditions from Sweden
Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
Sweden and the Antarctic