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''Gjøa'' is a museum ship and was the first vessel to transit the
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...
. With a crew of six,
Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegians, 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, Am ...
traversed the passage in a three-year journey, finishing in 1906.''Gjøa – norsk polarskute'' (Store norske leksikon)
/ref>


History


Construction

The square-sterned sloop of 47
net register tonnage Net register tonnage (NRT, nrt, n.r.t.) is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, ...
() was built by Knut Johannesson Skaale in Rosendal,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
in 1872, the same year Amundsen was born. She was named ''Gjøa'' after her then owner's wife. For the next 28 years the vessel served as a
herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...
fishing boat.


Purchase by Amundsen

On March 28, 1901, Amundsen bought her from Asbjørn Sexe of
Ullensvang Ullensvang is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the Odda (town), town of Odda. Some o ...
, Norway, for his forthcoming expedition to the
Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...
. ''Gjøa'' was much smaller than vessels used by other
Arctic expeditions The Arctic (; . ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway (Nordland, Troms, Finnmar ...
, but Amundsen intended to live off the limited resources of the land and sea through which he was to travel, and reasoned that the land could sustain only a tiny crew (this had been a cause of the catastrophic failure of
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...
's expedition fifty years previously). Her shallow draught would help her traverse the shoals of the
Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
straits. Perhaps most importantly, the ageing ship was all that Amundsen (who was financing his expedition largely by spending his inheritance) could afford. Amundsen had little experience of Arctic sailing, and so decided to undertake a training expedition before braving the Arctic ice. He engaged Hans Christian Johannsen, her previous owner, and a small crew, and sailed from
Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
in April 1901. The next five months were spent sealing on the pack ice of the
Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...
. Following their return to Tromsø in September, Amundsen set about remedying the deficiencies in ''Gjøa'' that the trip had exposed. He had a little 13-
horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
marine
paraffin Paraffin may refer to: Substances * Paraffin wax, a white or colorless soft solid (also in liquid form) that is used as a lubricant and for other applications * Liquid paraffin (drug), a very highly refined mineral oil used in cosmetics and for med ...
motor, connected with a winch, for navigation in light winds and to facilitate handlings. Much of the winter was spent upgrading her ice sheathing, as Amundsen knew she would spend several winters iced-in.


Journey through the Northwest Passage

In the spring of 1902, her refit complete, Amundsen sailed ''Gjøa'' to Christiania (now Oslo), the capital of Norway. At this time Norway was still in a union with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, and Amundsen hoped the nationalistic spirit which was sweeping the country would attract sponsors willing to underwrite the expedition's growing costs. After much wrangling, and a donation from King Oscar, he succeeded. By the time Amundsen returned, Norway had gained its independence, and he and his crew were among the new country's first national heroes. Amundsen served as the expedition leader and ''Gjøa's'' master. His crew were Godfred Hansen, a Danish naval lieutenant and ''Gjøas first officer; Helmer Hanssen, second officer, an experienced ice pilot who later accompanied Amundsen on subsequent expeditions; Anton Lund, an experienced sealing captain; Peder Ristvedt, chief engineer; Gustav Juel Wiik, second engineer, a gunner in the
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...
; and Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm, cook. ''Gjøa'' left the
Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn, Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows s ...
on June 16, 1903, and made for the
Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (; ) is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelf, continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffi ...
west of
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
. From there she crossed
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; ; ; ), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a s ...
and navigated the narrow, icy straits of the
Arctic Archipelago The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, which is, by itself, much larger ...
. By late September ''Gjøa'' was west of the
Boothia Peninsula Boothia Peninsula (; formerly ''Boothia Felix'', Inuktitut ''Kingngailap Nunanga'') is a large peninsula in Nunavut's northern Canadian Arctic, south of Somerset Island. The northern part, Murchison Promontory, is the northernmost point of ...
and began to encounter worsening weather and sea ice. Amundsen put her into a natural harbour on the south shore of
King William Island King William Island (, ; previously: King William Land) is an island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, which is part of the Arctic Archipelago. In area it is between and making it the list of islands by area, 61st-largest island in the world ...
; by October 3 she was iced in. There she remained for nearly two years, with her crew undertaking sledge journeys to make measurements to determine the location of the
North Magnetic Pole The north magnetic pole, also known as the magnetic north pole, is a point on the surface of Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which the Earth's magnetic field, planet's magnetic field points vertically downward (in other words, if a magnetic comp ...
and learning from the local
Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
. The harbour, known as Uqsuqtuuq ("much fat") in
Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...
, has become the only settlement on the island – Gjoa Haven,
Nunavut Nunavut 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'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...
, which now has a population of over a thousand people (1,349 at the 2021 census). ''Gjøa'' left Gjoa Haven on August 13, 1905, and motored through the treacherous straits south of Victoria Island, and from there west into the
Beaufort Sea The Beaufort Sea ( ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska, and west of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The sea is named after Sir Francis Beaufort, a Hydrography, hydrographer. T ...
. By October ''Gjøa'' was again iced-in, this time near Herschel Island in the
Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
. Amundsen left his men on board and spent much of the winter skiing 500 miles south to
Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
,
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
to telegraph news of the expedition's success. He returned in March, but ''Gjøa'' remained icebound until July 11. ''Gjøa'' reached Nome in
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
on August 31, 1906. She sailed on to earthquake ravaged
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, where the expedition was met with a hero's welcome on October 19.


San Francisco

Rather than sail her round
Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...
and back to Norway, the
Norwegian American Norwegian Americans () are Americans with ancestral roots in Norway. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 milli ...
community in San Francisco prevailed on Amundsen to sell ''Gjøa'' to them.
After being anchored at
Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...
for three years, the Gjøa was given to San Francisco in 1909
The ship was donated to the city of San Francisco, and the ship was dragged up the beach to the northwest corner of
Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond and Sunset District, San Francisco, Sunset districts on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the Lis ...
, surrounded by a low fence and put on display. Amundsen knew that because of the fame that his exploits aboard ''Gjøa'' had earned, he would be able to gain access to
Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 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, humanitarian and co-founded the ...
's ship '' Fram'' which had been custom-built for ice work and was owned by the Norwegian state. Therefore, Amundsen left ''Gjøa'' in San Francisco. He and his crew traveled back to Norway by commercial ship. Of the original expedition members, only Wiik failed to return to Norway, because he had died of illness during the third Arctic winter.
Souvenir hunters and vandals necessitated a fence be erected and a caretaker hired — the gentleman lived in the ship and was enumerated there during the 1910 United States Census...The city installed a seal tank behind the stern of the ship and, according to '' the Call'', the Alaskan fur seal that occupied it acted as an additional nighttime guardian of the boat...Occasionally, the city would be spurred to make repairs and give the Gjøa a paint job (a 1968 visit to the city by Norway’s King Olav provided motivation for one such spruce-up), but generally the vessel that survived the crushing ice of the Arctic seas was a helpless victim to neglect and vandalism.


Preservation

Over the following decades ''Gjøa'' slowly deteriorated, and by 1939 she was in poor condition.
In 1939, Erik Krag founded the Gjoa Foundation and undertook a complete refurbishment that was completed in 1949.
Refurbishment was delayed by
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and repairs were not completed until 1949. Being displayed outdoors and having faced 66 years of high winds, ocean salt and sand, the boat once again suffered deterioration, and evidence of campfires, until in 1972, with the help of Erik Krag, a Danish American shipping company owner (Inter-Ocean Steamship Corporation) of San Francisco, ''Gjøa'' was returned to Norway. Krag was knighted by the king of Norway for his efforts in shipping home ''Gjøa''. ''Gjøa'' was displayed in the Norwegian Maritime Museum (Norwegian: ''Norsk Maritimt Museum'') in
Bygdøy Bygdøy or Bygdø is a peninsula situated on the western side of Oslo, Norway. Administratively, Bygdøy is part of the borough of Frogner. It historically was part of Aker Municipality and became part of Oslo in 1948. Bygdøy is a popular recr ...
, Oslo. In May 2009 the Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Fram Museum (Norwegian: ''Frammuseet'') signed an agreement for the Fram Museum of Bygdøy to take over the exhibition of ''Gjøa''. It has been displayed in a separate building at Fram Museum. A '' bauta'' (memorial pillar or standing stone) now stands near ''Gjøas former home in San Francisco.Gjoa Monument , Atlas Obscura
/ref> ''Gjøa'' was also featured as a filming location in the 2005 documentary, ''The Search for the Northwest Passage'', in which Kåre Conradi played Amundsen.


See also

*
Arctic exploration 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 ...
* Hendrick van der Heul


Sources

* Roald Amundsen told the story of the exploration of the Norwest Passage in ''Nordvestpassagen : Beretning om Gjøa-ekspedisjonen 1903-1907 ''. The material was translated into English as ''The North-West Passage: Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the ship "Gjøa" 1903–1907'' (Ams Press Inc; 1908, and reprinted Kessinger Pub Co; 2007, ). ** ** * Huntford, Roland (1999) ''The Last Place on Earth'' (Modern Library) * Oterhals, Leo (2006) ''Havdrønn : om berømte båter og stolte båteiere'' (AS Lagunen)


References


External links

*
The memorial bauta in San Francisco

Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjoa Exploration ships History of Oslo Museum ships in Norway Individual sailing vessels Pre-statehood history of Alaska Ships built in Norway Nome, Alaska 1872 ships