Kristian Prestrud

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Kristian Prestrud (1911)

Kristian Prestrud (born October 22, 1881 in the municipality of Vang , Hedmark , † November 11, 1927 in Kristiansand ) was a Norwegian naval officer and polar explorer who took part in Roald Amundsen's Fram expedition from 1910 to 1912.

Life

Prestrud was one of the officers of Amundsen's expedition and was therefore one of the first members of Amundsen's change of plan - after Frederick Cook and Robert Edwin Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1909 , Amundsen abandoned his original plan to explore the Arctic Basin and to travel to the Pole on the side, and instead made his way to the South Pole .

During the winter in Framheim in Antarctica, it was Prestrud's job to make scientific observations together with Hjalmar Johansen . Prestrud was also part of the original group of eight men who made an unsuccessful launch towards the South Pole on September 8, 1911. Although they had to turn back because of the extreme temperatures, the men decided to advance to the depot at 80 ° South to unload their goods and to drive back to Framheim as quickly as possible. On the disorderly retreat, the group split into several small subgroups, with the last two men arriving over six hours after the other. These two, Johansen and Prestrud, returned to the camp, completely exhausted, which they could only find in the darkness and fog by following the barking of the dogs. Prestrud would probably have frozen to death if Johansen hadn't waited for him and helped him make the way back.

The next morning Amundsen was heavily criticized by Johansen, who had experience of the Arctic since his expedition with Fridtjof Nansen . Amundsen could not allow such a mutiny; as a punishment, he reorganized the polar group by reducing the number of participants by three. Johansen, Prestrud and Jørgen Stubberud were commissioned to explore the Edward VII Peninsula . To humiliate Johansen even further, the inexperienced (but senior) Prestrud was given command.

Prestrud is the namesake in Antarctica for Mount Prestrud , Prestrud Inlet and Prestrud Bank .

literature

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Commons : Kristian Prestrud  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Prestrud, Kristian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Norwegian polar explorer and officer
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Vang , Norway
DATE OF DEATH November 11, 1927
Place of death Kristiansand