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| Amundsen,
Roald - expedition leader Beck, Andreas - seaman and ice pilot Bjaaland, Olav Olavson Gjertsen, Lieutenant Fredrick - first mate. Hansen, Ludvig - Seaman and ice pilot Hanssen, Helmer Hassel, Sverre Johansen, Hjalmar Kristensen - deck-hand and then 3rd engineer Kutchin, Alexander |
Lindstrøm,
Adolf Henrick - cook / carpenter Nilsen, Lieutenant Thorvald - First-Lieutenant, second in command. Nödtvedt, Jacob - 2nd engineer Olsen, Karinius - cook / carpenter Prestrude, Lieutenant Kristian - second officer. Rønne, Martin - sail maker Stubberud, Jorgen - carpenter Sundbeck, Knut - Engineer Wisting, Oskar |

Crew of the Fram - Amundsen centre with bowler
hat
Roald Amundsen had originally planned his expedition on the Fram to be one to the North Pole. Peary and Cook however independently claimed to have reached that goal in 1909 when Amundsen's plans were already well advanced.
When the Fram set off from Christiana (now Oslo) in Norway in August 1910 with provisions for 2 years and nearly a hundred Greenland sled dogs, most of the crew and all of the people in Norway who had helped and funded Amundsen thought that the North Pole was still the goal. It was only a month after setting sail, when the ship had reached Madeira, that Amundsen told them his true intentions.
Unlike nearly all of the other expeditions to Antarctica around this time, Amundsen's had but one single goal, to be the first to reach the South Pole. No scientific studies were planned and no investigatory detours of the ship were on the agenda. It was an incredibly bold and risky plan (Amundsen took a different route to that planned by Scott, one that he was not certain would be passable, in the end it turned out to be the better route) but one that was meticulously planned and carried out with precision and of course ultimate success.
In more detail
bullet denotes other Arctic or Antarctic expeditionary experience, prior to, or following this expedition
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| Lieutenant Thorvald Nilsen - First-Lieutenant, second in command. |
Lieutenant
Fredrick Gjertsen - first mate.
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Lieutenant
Kristian Prestrude - second officer.
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Hjalmar
Johansen -
A legendary figure in Norway at the time of the expedition after being Nansen's partner in 1895, sledging from the Fram to the farthest north record at that time. When not on expeditions Johansen was prone to alcoholism. Amundsen took Johansen at Nansen's request though he had personal reservations.
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Adolf
Henrick Lindstrøm - cook / carpenter
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Olav
Olavson Bjaaland - member of the south pole party on the first successful
expedition to reach the South PoleOlav Bjaaland, was probably the world's greatest living skier at the time. He came from the Telemark region of Norway where skiing was developed from a method of transportation into a sport. |
Helmer
Hanssen -
member of the south pole party on the
first successful expedition to reach the South PoleAt the time one the world's most talented (non Eskimo) dog drivers. Hanssen had his Mate's certificate and could navigate.
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Sverre
Hassel -
member of the south pole party on the
first successful expedition to reach the South PoleMaster dog driver. Navigator.
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Oskar
Wisting -
member of the south pole party on the
first successful expedition to reach the South PoleNaval gunner, with whaling experience in the arctic. He also had his mate's certificate. |
Ludvig
Hansen - Seaman and ice pilotExperienced in the Arctic. A skilled tin smith who made paraffin tanks for use on sledging journeys. Paraffin was used as fuel in the recently developed Primus stoves used on the expedition. It has a tendency to evaporate in dry climates (known as creep), screw capped tanks will not seal well enough to prevent this. One of Hansen's solder sealed tanks was found 50 years later with the contents still intact. |
Martin
Rønne -
A skilled sail maker who did a lot of work on the tents for the expedition. |
Jorgen
Stubberud - carpenterA master carpenter who had renovated Amundsen's house. For the expedition he was commissioned to build a prefabricated observation hut for the pack ice. |
Andreas
Beck - seaman and ice pilotMaster Arctic ice pilot from the Tromsø area of northern Norway, with 20 years experience sailing in ice strewn waters. |
Knut
Sundbeck - EngineerA Swede and an employee of Diesels Moterer Co. of Stockholm Sweden, who helped design Fram's new engine. |
Jacob
Nödtvedt - 2nd engineerNödtvedt set up a black smith's shop on the deck of the Fram, and made parts for dog harnesses, ski bindings, etc.
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Alexander Kutchin
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Russian student of oceanography working under professor Bjørn Helland-Hansen. |
Karinius
Olsen - cook / carpenterYoungest member of the expedition at only 20. |
H.
Kristensen
- deck-hand and then 3rd engineerKristensen was trained for his position as third engineer during the voyage as Amundsen felt that the continuous watches by the first and second engineers while the motor was running was "... rather severe duty ..." and so another engineer was required. |
| Expedition members
in winter clothing The Norwegians wore furs rather than the tweeds and woollens that British Expeditions favoured at the time |
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![]() Jorgen Stubberud |
![]() Oskar Wisting |
![]() Sverre Hassel |
![]() Roald Amundsen |
| Roald Amundsen Books and Film | |||
![]() Scott and Amundsen: Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford UK |
![]() Roald Amundsenc by Tor Bomann-Larsen |
![]() The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the Fram, 1910-1912 UK |
![]() Last Place on Earth (1994) |
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![]() The Amundsen Photographs UK |
![]() Let Heroes Speak: Antarctic Explorers, 1772-1922 UK |
![]() Roald Amundsen - The Quest for the South Pole. Ages 9-12 |
| Roald Amundsen Prints | |||
![]() Roald Amundsen Norwegian Polar Explorer Giclee Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen on being the First to Reach the South Pole Photographic Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen on being the First to Reach the South Pole Photographic Print |
![]() Amundsen and Others in Their Winter Quarters in Antarctica Photographic Print |
![]() Amundsen and His Team at Hobart Photographic Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen in the Cabin of His Ship Gjoa Photographic Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen Norwegian Polar Explorer Giclee Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen the First to Reach the South Pole Giclee Print |
![]() The Fram - Ship of Roald Amundsen, First to Reach the South Pole Photographic Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen, The First to Reach the South Pole Photographic Print |
![]() Roald Amundsen the First to Reach the South Pole Giclee Print |
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Biographical information - This is a particularly difficult area to research and I am concentrating on the Antarctic (and Arctic) experiences of the men involved. Any further information or pictures visitors may have is gratefully received. Likewise links to other websites, details of family trees or any other form of information of the people mentioned here and involved in early Antarctic exploration, or of any corrections to the details published. Please email - Paul, webmaster. |
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HD DVD + DVD Combo Disc - 2007 |
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