German North Polar Expedition
Encyclopedia
German North Polar Expedition was a short series of mid-19th century German
expeditions to the Arctic
. The aim was to explore the North Polar Region
and to brand the newly united, Prussia
n-led German Empire
as a great power
. In 1866, the German geographer August Petermann wrote a pamphlet ("Proclamation to the German Nation") strongly advocating German participation in the international quest for the North Pole
, which kicked off the setup of a German expedition.
on the vessel Grönland. The expedition explored some hitherto unknown coastal tracts of northeastern Spitsbergen
, but did otherwise not lead to any new scientific knowledge. However, it served as preparation for the second expedition.
The crew included two medical doctors, who were also capable naturalists
– Adolf Pansch on Germania and Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz on Hansa – the astronomers and geophysicists Karl Nikolai Jensen Börgen and Ralph Copeland
, the Austrian
cartographer
Julius von Payer
and the Austrian
geologist
Gustav Carl Laube.
The expedition left Bremerhaven
on June 15, 1869 and headed North. After one month dense pack ice was encountered at approximately 75.5°N. The two ships got separated by mistake.
, Little Pendulum Island
and Shannon
. On September 13, 1869, it was anchored near the south coast of Sabine Island
for wintering. During autumn and the following spring, sledge trips were made Clavering Island
and Tyrolerfjord to the South West and as far North as Store Koldewey
Island and Germania Land
. In late July 1870, Germania was able to raise anchor and continue North, however only to find the way blocked by pack ice. After eight days, it was decided to head South instead, and extensive exploration of the vast fjord systems of North-East Greenland
, most notably the Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord
, was undertaken. Germania managed to get through the pack ice, but the engine broke, and returned to Bremerhaven
, most of the way by sail, on September 11, 1870.
. After unsuccessful attempts to get there, Hansa was inescapably stuck in the pack ice by mid-September 1869. During the next month, the ship was slowly milled by the ice and finally sank on October 22 at a position 70°32’N, 21°W approximately 10 km from the East Greenland
coast. The crew managed to survive the winter in a shelter built of coal dust briquettes, while drifting on the sea ice southward along the eastern coast of Greenland
. In June 1870, the crew got to the coast by boat and reached the Moravian Herrnhut mission at Narsaq Kujalleq (then Frederiksdal/Friedrichsthal) near Cape Farewell
, from where they got back to Germany
on a Danish
ship.
and Wilhelm Olbers Focke
, both from the University of Bremen
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
expeditions to the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. The aim was to explore the North Polar Region
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
and to brand the newly united, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n-led German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
as a great power
Great power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
. In 1866, the German geographer August Petermann wrote a pamphlet ("Proclamation to the German Nation") strongly advocating German participation in the international quest for the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, which kicked off the setup of a German expedition.
First German North Polar Expedition
The first expedition took place in the summer of 1868 and was led by Carl KoldeweyCarl Koldewey
Carl Christian Koldewey was a German Arctic explorer. He led both German North Polar Expeditions.-Life and career:...
on the vessel Grönland. The expedition explored some hitherto unknown coastal tracts of northeastern Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, but did otherwise not lead to any new scientific knowledge. However, it served as preparation for the second expedition.
Second German North Polar Expedition
The second expedition consisted of a two-vessel convoy:- Germania – a schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
constructed for the purpose of the expedition of extra strong planks and having an auxiliary engine – under the command of Carl KoldeweyCarl KoldeweyCarl Christian Koldewey was a German Arctic explorer. He led both German North Polar Expeditions.-Life and career:...
and having a crew of 15 men. - Hansa – a smaller escort schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
built 1864 and enforced for the expedition - under the command of Paul Friedrich August Hegemann and having a crew of 13 men.
The crew included two medical doctors, who were also capable naturalists
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
– Adolf Pansch on Germania and Reinhold Wilhelm Buchholz on Hansa – the astronomers and geophysicists Karl Nikolai Jensen Börgen and Ralph Copeland
Ralph Copeland
Ralph Copeland was an English astronomer and the third Astronomer Royal for Scotland.Copeland was born at Moorside Farm, near Woodplumpton in Lancashire, England and attended Kirkham Grammar School. He spent five years in Australia where he discovered his interest in astronomy...
, the Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
cartographer
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
Julius von Payer
Julius von Payer
Julius Johannes Ludovicus Ritter von Payer was an Austro-Hungarian arctic explorer and an Arctic landscape artist....
and the Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Gustav Carl Laube.
The expedition left Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
on June 15, 1869 and headed North. After one month dense pack ice was encountered at approximately 75.5°N. The two ships got separated by mistake.
Germania
Germania made it through the pack ice thanks to its auxiliary engine and, during late summer, explored the region around Sabine IslandSabine Island
Sabine Island is an island to the northeast of Wollaston Foreland, previously known as Inner Pendulum Island. It was named by the Second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70 as Sabine Insel for Edward Sabine, who carried out pendulum experiments on the island in 1823.Sabine Island is 16 km long...
, Little Pendulum Island
Little Pendulum Island
Little Pendulum Island is an island to the north east of Wollaston Foreland, Greenland. Together with Sabine Island , it constitutes the Pendulum Islands, named by Douglas Charles Clavering’s 1823 expedition, during which the Irish scientist Edward Sabine swung the pendulum on the largest of the...
and Shannon
Shannon Island
Shannon is a large island in the Sermersooq municipality, in eastern Greenland, to the east of Hochstetter Foreland, with an area of . It was named by Douglas Charles Clavering on his 1823 expedition for the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon, a 38 gun frigate on which he served as midshipman under Sir...
. On September 13, 1869, it was anchored near the south coast of Sabine Island
Sabine Island
Sabine Island is an island to the northeast of Wollaston Foreland, previously known as Inner Pendulum Island. It was named by the Second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70 as Sabine Insel for Edward Sabine, who carried out pendulum experiments on the island in 1823.Sabine Island is 16 km long...
for wintering. During autumn and the following spring, sledge trips were made Clavering Island
Clavering Island
Clavering Island is a large island in eastern Greenland, to the west of Wollaston Foreland. It was named by the second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70 as Clavering Insel to commemorate Douglas Charles Clavering , commander of the Griper on the 1823 voyage, which explored the area and, at the...
and Tyrolerfjord to the South West and as far North as Store Koldewey
Store Koldewey
Store Koldewey is an island in northeastern Greenland. It is the largest of the Koldewey Islands. The island was visited by the Second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70, led by Carl Koldewey and referred to as grosse Koldewey Insel in the astronomy section of the expedition report, but this may...
Island and Germania Land
Germania Land
Germania Land is a peninsula in northeastern Greenland. It is located in the Northeast Greenland National Park, between Skærfjord and Dove Bay...
. In late July 1870, Germania was able to raise anchor and continue North, however only to find the way blocked by pack ice. After eight days, it was decided to head South instead, and extensive exploration of the vast fjord systems of North-East Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, most notably the Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord
Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord
Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord is a major fjord system in East Greenland, bounded by Suess Land and Ymer Island to the South, and Frænkel Land, Andrée Land and Gauss Peninsula to the North...
, was undertaken. Germania managed to get through the pack ice, but the engine broke, and returned to Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, most of the way by sail, on September 11, 1870.
Hansa
As the supply ship, the Hansa followed the Germania until July 19, when Hegemann misread a flag signal by Koldeway and went ahead; the ship disappeared in the fog and got separated. The agreement was to meet in such a situation at Sabine IslandSabine Island
Sabine Island is an island to the northeast of Wollaston Foreland, previously known as Inner Pendulum Island. It was named by the Second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70 as Sabine Insel for Edward Sabine, who carried out pendulum experiments on the island in 1823.Sabine Island is 16 km long...
. After unsuccessful attempts to get there, Hansa was inescapably stuck in the pack ice by mid-September 1869. During the next month, the ship was slowly milled by the ice and finally sank on October 22 at a position 70°32’N, 21°W approximately 10 km from the East Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
coast. The crew managed to survive the winter in a shelter built of coal dust briquettes, while drifting on the sea ice southward along the eastern coast of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. In June 1870, the crew got to the coast by boat and reached the Moravian Herrnhut mission at Narsaq Kujalleq (then Frederiksdal/Friedrichsthal) near Cape Farewell
Cape Farewell
Cape Farewell can mean:* Cape Farewell, New Zealand, northernmost point of the South Island.* Cape Farewell, Greenland, southernmost point in the territory of Greenland....
, from where they got back to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
ship.
Botanical collections
Doctor Adolf Pansch made quite extensive botanical collections during the Second German North Polar Expedition. The vascular plants collected were later treated by the botanists Franz Georg Philipp BuchenauFranz Georg Philipp Buchenau
Franz Georg Philipp Buchenau was a German botanist and phytogeographer who was a native of Kassel. He specialized in flora of northwestern Germany....
and Wilhelm Olbers Focke
Wilhelm Olbers Focke
Wilhelm Olbers Focke was a medical doctor and botanist who in 1881 published a significant work on plant breeding entitled Die Pflanzen-Mischlinge, Ein Beitrag zur Biologie der Gewächse which briefly mentioned Gregor Mendel's discoveries on hybridization...
, both from the University of Bremen
University of Bremen
The University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
.