ANTaRcTIC EXPEDItIONS

Antarctic expeditions

THE TIME OF DISCOVERERS

Between 1772 and 1775 the Englishman James Cook circumnavigates Antarctica reaching unprecedented latitudes, and making most of his journey south of the Antarctic Circle (66º 33¨ S), he found the islands of San Pedro, renaming them South Georgia in homage to his King.

Around the same time, a series of trips organized by commercial and shipping companies took place, entrusting their captains with scientific observations, for the better knowledge of the hunting areas with a view to the best and safest performance; In this way, these companies indirectly contributed to the progress of Antarctic knowledge, and their expeditions could be considered as a prelude to scientific research in the following years. From that commercial-scientific activity, we rescued the names of: George Powell, who together with Nathaniel Palmer discovered the South Orkney; James Weddell, discoverer of the sea that bears his name; Henry Foster, Antarctic Peninsula area explorer, and John Biscoe, who circumnavigated Antarctica and explored the north coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, which he named Graham Land.

THE TIME OF SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL ANTARCTIC COOPERATION

Between 1819 and 1820, the Russian expedition of Fabián Thaddeus von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev with the ships "Vostok" and "Mirny", first explored the islands of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, discovering a large number of islands named after the names of the expedition officers, and then cross the Polar Circle to reach the greatest possible latitude. Then with the ship "Vostok" sails the sea that today remembers in its name the commander of the ship, Bellingshausen. During this expedition, on January 28, 1820, at 69º 7'30 ”South and 0º 16'15” West, Captain Bellingshausen spotted, according to his detailed report, “a solid surface of ice extended from the East, by the South, to the West ", was the edge of the continent, for the first time sighted by man. Between 1837 and 1843 are worth mentioning: the expedition of Dumond D'Urville with the" Astrolabe "and the" Zelée "(1837- 40), who sighted continental land named Adela after the expedition chief's wife. At the same time (1839-1841), the North American expedition of five ships under the command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes and with a good scientific team, surpassed 70º South by the sea of ​​Bellingshausen, making a very good cartographic contribution. Then the British expedition of James Clark Ross (1840-1843) made three voyages with the ships "Erebus" and "Terror", reaching 78º 04 ’South, the maximum latitude navigated up to that time, in the sea named after him. He called the eastern coast the Victoria Land of the South, and applied the place name Land of the Admiralty, to an uncovered mountain range. He sighted two volcanoes in that mountain range, one in activity, which he named Erebus and Terror. At the beginning of the 20th century, the most singular feat of that period was the one carried out by Adrián De Gerlache de Gomery with the "B & eacueacute; lgica", responding to the recommendations of the VI International Congress of Geography. His scientific team included future celebrities: the Polish geologist Arktowsky, the American doctor Frederick Cook, the geologist Emile Danco, who died during the expedition, and Roald Amundsen, the future protagonist of a great polar feat. The expedition sailed the Bellingshausen Sea, exploring and studying the strait that today remembers the expedition leader in its name. A good mapping of the Drake Passage, sounding of its waters, verification of the inexistence of a platform between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica, coastal surveys of the South Shetland, and meteorological, magnetic and biological data. Another expedition at that time was that of the British Carsten Borchgrevink; he explored the Cape Adare area using dog sleds.

At the same time, but outside the recommendations of the VII International Congress, the Scottish expedition of Dr. William S. Bruce (1902-04) took place, closely related to our polar history. With the "Scotia" he sighted the Sandwich and the Orkney, where after a frustrated attempt at navigation by the Weddell, he landed in the bay that he christened "Scotia", off Laurie Island. There he installed a box with instruments for meteorology and magnetism, and a hut for wintering that he baptized "Omond House", origin of the National Observatory of the South Orkney Islands. In November 1903, leaving a small garrison on the island, he came with the "Scotia" to Buenos Aires at the time of the arrival of the "Uruguay" with the Swedish expeditionists from Nordenskjöld. The British expedition led by Robert Scott with the "Discovery" (1901-04), sailed the Ross Sea; he explored the coast of Mc Murdo Bay and then, together with Shackleton, reached 82º South. In a balloon, he flew over Ross's barrier.

The Swedish expedition led by the geologist Otto Nordenskjöld with the "Antarctic" (1901-03), was closely related to our own history, both because the lieutenant of the National Navy José María Sobral participated in it as a scientific observer, as well as because the Swedes were rescued by our corvette "Uruguay" in 1903. They returned with collections of fossils, plants and animals and important meteorological and gravimetric data. It was the first toboggan exploration in the Weddell Sea and off the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The German expedition (1901-03) was led by Erich Von Drygalsky with the ship "Gauss", and explored the Antarctic zone corresponding to the Indian Ocean, discovering the coast of Wilhhelm II. It was the first expedition to do aerial exploration with a captive balloon. The fourth expedition organized responding to the recommendations of the VII International Congress of Geography, was led by Juan B. Charcot with the "Francais" (1903-05). He recognized the Strait of Bismarck, the Palmer Archipelago and Alexander Iº Island, he wintered in the Charcot port of Booth (or Wandel) Island, doing reconnaissance and survey in the adjacent areas. To the west of the Land of San Martín (Antarctic peninsula) Charcot discovered a series of picturesque islands that he named Argentinas in homage to the Argentine Republic, as well as Cape Roca and the Roca islets, after the president of the nation who had favored your expedition. Charcot returned to the Antarctic in 1908-10 with the ship “Pourquois Pas ?, touring the South Shetlands and mapping the Gerlache Strait area. THE“ HEROIC ”AGE

THE ASSAULT ON THE SOUTH POLE

The 20th century begins with the first three attempts to reach the South Pole. Between 1907 and 1909, the Englishman Shackleton made the first attempt with sleds pulled by Siberian ponies, which, overcome by the effort, had to be sacrificed, and the expedition finally reached 88º 23 ’South, while three members arrived at the South Magnetic Pole. In 1914 Shackleton made a second attempt that also failed due to the sinking of the "Endurance" commanded by him, in the Weddell Sea, the men embarking on an iceberg where they drifted and with the boats they reached Elephant Island, of the South Shetlands. There Shackleton left part of his crew, while he with five men reached the island of San Pedro, South Georgia; and landed on the southwestern coast. They crossed mountains and glaciers in extreme conditions, arriving at the port of Gritviken on the opposite coast, the seat of the whaling factory whose administrator, a friend of Shackleton, offered the brave and intrepid men all the help they needed. From there he left for the Malvinas Islands, from where he tried unsuccessfully to rescue the shipwrecked people from Elephant Island due to the ice conditions, and returned to the Falkland Islands, where after several attempts, the Chilean ship cutter Yelcho, was able to carry out the rescue. The expedition members returned to London, ending one of the most remarkable odysseys in Antarctica. Those who managed to reach the South Pole were the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and the British Robert Falcon Scott. The first with light sleds pulled by dogs contributed a sum of geographical knowledge by taking a route never previously traveled by man. He arrived with four sleds and four men at the South Pole on November 14, 1911, and christened the surrounding land Haakon VII; Scott used Siberian ponies on his expedition, unsuitable for this attempt, as had happened in his previous attempt (1903), an experience that he failed to take advantage of. He reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912, with the painful disappointment that the Norwegians had arrived a month earlier. The misuse of logistics culminated in the dramatic end of the expedition, when all the men who arrived at the Pole died. Added to this was the effort made in the strenuous crossing under bad weather conditions, and on foot or on skis, since the ponies had to be slaughtered shortly after departure, as had also happened in Shackleton's attempt in 1908.