Abstract
This chapter details the last 2 weeks of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition’s work in Antarctica, and the sled dogs’ role in helping the men prepare for departure. A reunion of three parties takes place from January 26 to January 27, 1912—Captain Thorvald Nilsen’s sea party that has returned on the Fram, Lieutenant Kristian Prestrud’s land party that recently returned from the Eastern Expedition, and Roald Amundsen’s South Pole party that had successfully reached the South Pole. An unexpected visit also takes place when the Japanese Antarctic Expedition arrives at the Bay of Whales on the ship Kainan Maru. Using the expedition members’ diaries and letters, and referencing Amundsen’s book The South Pole as well, the impressions and activities of the men are documented and relayed, specifically as they relate to the flurry of activity that now ensues on the Great Ice Barrier (the Ross Ice Shelf). A study of Amundsen’s own reactions is undertaken, specifically in regard to the news that he hears from Norway, England, Australia, and Argentina—news that is brought to him by Captain Nilsen. It is at this time that he is informed about the predominantly severe criticism expressed worldwide regarding his secret foray to the South Pole using sled dogs, and about the only three individuals who have publicly defended him—Fridtjof Nansen the explorer, King Haakon VII of Norway, and Don Pedro Christophersen in Buenos Aires. He is also informed about a request and reaction from the Douglas Mawson Australasian Antarctic Expedition. These interesting pieces of news help Amundsen determine his next steps. And so, after the 39 dogs finish hauling the supplies from camp to the ship, and after they in turn are hoisted up the side of the Fram and re-situated on its deck, the men lift the ice anchors and set sail for Tasmania.
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References
Amundsen, R., Antarctic expedition diary, “Den tredje Framferd, 7 de Juni 1910” [“The Third Fram Journey, 7 June 1910”], 7 June 1910–19 October 1911 & 26 January 1912–6 March 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549, Manuscripts Collection. Oslo: National Library of Norway.
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Tahan, M. R. (2019). Roald Amundsen’s sled dogs: The sledge dogs who helped discover the South Pole. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
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Notes on Original Material and Unpublished Sources
Notes on Original Material and Unpublished Sources
Roald Amundsen’s expedition diary, quoted in this chapter, is in the Manuscripts Collection at the National Library of Norway (NB) in Oslo. (The excerpts quoted are translated from the original Norwegian.)
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 26 January 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549.
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 27 January 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549.
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 27 January 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549.
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 27 January 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549.
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R. Amundsen Antarctic expedition diary, 27 January 1912, NB Ms.4° 1549.
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Author’s viewing of original film footage taken by R. Amundsen and K. Prestrud during the Antarctic expedition of 1910–1912, restored by the Norwegian Film Institute and released on DVD, 2010, as Roald Amundsen’s South Pole Expedition (1910–1912).
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Tahan, M.R. (2021). All Aboard: The Departure from Antarctica. In: The Return of the South Pole Sled Dogs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65113-8_2
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