At the first estimated position of the South Pole, Amundsen declared "So we plant you, dear flag, on the South Pole, and give the plain on which it lies the name King Haakon VII's Plateau." Both the Norwegian and Fram's flag were planted.
Due to the historical disputes over the claims of polar explorers prior to Amundsen's expedition, particularly the competing claims of Frederick Cook and Robert Peary to have reached the North Pole first, Amundsen took special care in making his polar observations.
Approaching the Geographic South Pole (or North Pole) the meridians of longitude converge, eventually making a measure of longitude meaningless, as a degree of longitude will become smaller and smaller. At the pole itself, assuming one has accurate enough instruments, all meridians meet. Amundsen reasoned that the extra effort in obtaining longitude could be saved, and he focused on latitude. Amundsen had adopted this strategy after attending a lecture at The Royal Geographical Society in London in November 1909, given by the British astronomer and geographer, Arthur Robert Hinks. In his lecture on Surveying and Cartography at Cambridge University, Hinks put forward this theory when discussing the subject of determining positions near the Pole.[2]
With the instruments he had, Amundsen estimated that he could determine the position of the pole by no better than a nautical mile (1.85km). In order to ensure that there was no doubt that his expedition had in fact reached the South Pole, he determined to encircle, or "box" the pole.
Three members of the expedition were sent out from the current estimated position of the pole, one continuing on the current expedition track and two at right angles to this direction. Each skier continued 10 miles (16km) and erected a spare sledge runner with a black flag and note for Robert Falcon Scott when and if he arrived. Scott did not arrive until more than a month later. The note contained the position to Amundsen's camp.
While the skiers erected the encircling markers, Amundsen took altitudes of the sun for fixing his position. Since his theodolite had been damaged, observations were made with a sextant, the sun slowly circling the camp in 24 hours, and never setting.
From these calculations, Amundsen determined that their current position was approximately 5.5 miles (8.9km) from the mathematical South Pole point. This point had been "boxed" by the skiers.
On 17 December Amundsen proceeded to his estimate of the true South Pole position, and took additional observations for 24 hours, two men standing watch for each observation, and co-signing each other's navigation books. Again, this was to ensure that there was no doubt as to the expedition attaining the pole. Four out of the five men in the polar party were trained navigators, Olav Bjaaland being the only one without such training.
From these calculations, it was determined that they were still 1.5 miles (2.4km) from the pole, and two men were sent to erect additional pennants.
Finally, Amundsen added still more pennants to cover the remaining area. In this way, the pole had been boxed three times all told.
Scott (at left) and companions at Polheim, South Pole, January 1912.
The official expedition camera had been damaged en route to the pole, so the only photographs taken were from an amateur camera brought by expedition member Olav Bjaaland.
On 18 December 1911, Amundsen's expedition left Polheim, leaving behind his reserve tent, along with a letter for Scott and a letter intended for Scott to deliver to King Haakon VII in case Amundsen failed to return. Both letters were later found with the bodies of Scott and his companions, and were further proof that Amundsen had attained the pole.
When Amundsen's calculations were verified, it was found that his final camp lay within 2.3km (2500 yards) of the mathematical South Pole. In addition, it had been ascertained that expedition member Helmer Hanssen—one of the expedition members who had been skiing in a grid pattern between the 'box' markers—came to within 180 metres (200 yards) of the mathematical South Pole on one of his runs.
The tent
The tent has not been seen since Scott's party left it in January 1912. Determining the present location of Amundsen's tent requires consideration of the precision of Amundsen's navigation in 1911, the flow of ice since then, and the amount of burial by intervening snow fall. The present location of the tent (as of December 2011) has been calculated to be 89° 58′ 51″ S, 46° 14′ E, with around 300 metres (980 feet) uncertainty in the position. It probably lies 17m (56ft) below the present snow surface.[3]
Captain Robert Falcon Scott was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova expedition of 1910–13.
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Fredrik Hjalmar Johansen was a Norwegian polar explorer. He participated on the first and third Fram expeditions. He shipped out with the Fridtjof Nansen expedition in 1893–1896, and accompanied Nansen to notch a new Farthest North record near the North Pole. Johansen also participated in the expedition of Roald Amundsen to the South Pole in 1910–1912.
Framheim was the name of explorer Roald Amundsen's base at the Bay of Whales on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica during his successful quest for the South Pole. It was used between January 1911 and February 1912.
Olav Bjaaland was a Norwegian ski champion and polar explorer. In 1911, he was one of the first five men to reach the South Pole as part of Amundsen's South Pole expedition.
The Amundsen Glacier is a major Antarctic glacier, about 7 to 11 km wide and 150 km (80 nmi) long. It originates on the Antarctic Plateau where it drains the area to the south and west of Nilsen Plateau, then descends through the Queen Maud Mountains to enter the Ross Ice Shelf just west of the MacDonald Nunataks.
Oscar Adolf Wisting was a Norwegian Naval officer and polar explorer. Together with Roald Amundsen he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles.
Helmer Julius Hanssen was a Norwegian sailor, pilot and polar explorer. He participated in three of the polar expeditions led by Roald Amundsen and was one of the first five explorers to reach the South Pole.
Sverre Helge Hassel was a Norwegian polar explorer and one of the first five people to reach the South Pole.
Petty Officer Edgar Evans was a Welsh Royal Navy petty officer and member of the "Polar Party" in Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole in 1911–1912. This group of five men, personally selected for the final expedition push, attained the Pole on 17 January 1912. The party perished as they attempted to return to the base camp.
Henry Robertson Bowers was one of Robert Falcon Scott's polar party on the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913, all of whom died during their return from the South Pole.
The Terra NovaExpedition, officially the British Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition to Antarctica which took place between 1910 and 1913. Led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, the expedition had various scientific and geographical objectives. Scott wished to continue the scientific work that he had begun when leading the Discovery Expedition from 1901 to 1904, and wanted to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole.
The Last Place on Earth is a 1985 Central Television seven-part serial, written by Trevor Griffiths based on the book Scott and Amundsen by Roland Huntford. The book is an exploration of the expeditions of Captain Robert F. Scott and his Norwegian rival in polar exploration, Roald Amundsen in their attempts to reach the South Pole.
The first ever expedition to reach the Geographic South Pole was led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. He and four other crew members made it to the geographical south pole on 14 December 1911, which would prove to be five weeks ahead of the competitive British party led by Robert Falcon Scott as part of the Terra Nova Expedition. Amundsen and his team returned safely to their base, and about a year later heard that Scott and his four companions had perished on their return journey.
Between December 1911 and January 1912, both Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole within five weeks of each other. But while Scott and his four companions died on the return journey, Amundsen's party managed to reach the geographic south pole first and subsequently return to their base camp at Framheim without loss of human life, suggesting that they were better prepared for the expedition. The contrasting fates of the two teams seeking the same prize at the same time invites comparison.
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipodally on the opposite side of Earth from the North Pole, at a distance of 20,004 km in all directions. It is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface.
The British Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott became the subject of controversy when, more than 60 years after his death on the return march from the South Pole in 1912, his achievements and character came under sustained attack.
The South Pole Medal or Medal Commemorating the 1910–1911 Fram Expedition to the South Pole is a Norwegian medal established by Haakon VII of Norway on August 20, 1912 to recognize participants in Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition. The medal was awarded to participants in the exhibition on the day it was instituted. The medal was designed by the engraver Ivar Throndsen.
Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm was a Norwegian chef and polar explorer.
Amundsen is a Norwegian film, released on 15 February 2019, that details the life of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. It was directed by Espen Sandberg and was distributed in Norway by SF Studios.
Roald Amundsen wrote about the expedition in Sydpolen published in two volumes in 1912–1913. The work was translated into English by A. G. Chater, and published as The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram," 1910–1912. (London: John Murray. 1912)
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