Terra Nova Expedition

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Scott's team at the South Pole, January 18, 1912. Left to right: (standing) Oates, Scott, Wilson; (seated) Bowers, Edgar Evans

The Terra Nova Expedition (1910-1913), officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910 , was a British expedition under Robert Falcon Scott . The main objective, according to Scott, was " to reach the South Pole [for the first time] and secure the honor of this achievement for the British Empire ". In addition, scientific research and exploration should be carried out along the coast and inland of mainland Antarctica , including the exploration of Victoria Land and the Transantarctic Mountains . The better known name derives from the Terra Nova ab, the ship that transported the expedition group and guaranteed supplies for the expedition.

The appearance of Roald Amundsen's Fram Expedition changed the character of the research trip and led to a race for the Austrian South Pole and for the (national) prestige associated with it. The main trip as part of the Terra Nova expedition was the advance to the South Pole. Scott led a five-man group that reached the pole on January 17, 1912 - just over a month after Amundsen. On the way back, Scott and his companions were killed. Amundsen's success was overshadowed by this fate. A search party found their bodies in November 1912. The records found on them, especially the diary kept by Scott, received a great deal of attention, as these documents documented their journey and in particular the circumstances of their failure in great detail.

A map of the Ross Sea with the routes of the Terra Nova expedition (green) and that of Amundsen (red)

Preparations

background

Scott's Discovery Expedition had contributed significantly to the scientific knowledge of Antarctica, as far as polar exploration was concerned, but it had been far less successful - it had got no further south than to 82 ° 17 'S. Scott saw the expedition as a kind of unfinished business, reflected in his belief that McMurdo Sound , the former Discovery base , was his personal working environment to which he and only he had to return. Scott resumed his naval career in 1906, but still had a desire to return to Antarctica - the "conquest" of the Pole was his first goal here. The triggering event that made him realize his ambitions was Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition from 1907 to 1909, which had to turn back just before the South Pole. Shackleton had established the route from Scott's Discovery base across Beardmore Glacier to the Polar Plateau and the South Pole and had reversed at 88 ° 23 'S, less than 180 kilometers from the destination. The use of Scott's station contrary to promises to the contrary had tarnished the relationship between the two and increased Scott's determination to surpass Shackleton's achievement.

As he was making his preparations, Scott had no reason to believe that his polar voyage would turn into a race. A concurrent Australian Antarctic expedition under Douglas Mawson would be operating in a different area, and Roald Amundsen, a potential rival, had announced plans for an Arctic expedition .

Previous expeditions that influenced the Terra Nova Expedition

Panorama of McMurdo Sound with Mount Erebus

The Terra Nova expedition was just one of many ventures in the Ross Sea area between 1840 and 1910. These expeditions aimed at a mixture of expeditions and scientific and commercial activities. The Southern Ocean around Antarctica became an area of ​​growing commercial importance in the late 19th century thanks to whaling . Individuals and governments financed expeditions with the intention of establishing bases in Antarctica. They wanted to exploit the whale and seal populations and investigate the potential of mineral resources. At the turn of the century, public attention began to focus on the South Pole . Fridtjof Nansen's failed attempt in 1895 to reach the North Pole and Robert Edwin Peary's apparently successful 1909 attempt (now controversial) left the South Pole as the 'final geographic challenge'. The Ross Sea, the southernmost point of Antarctica, where you can land with a ship, was the ideal place for the launch of an experiment.

Despite the existing tradition of states exploring only the areas they had discovered, both Norway and Great Britain had research histories in the Ross Sea . Earlier expeditions as well as the expeditions in the race for the South Pole are listed.

Members of the expedition

The leader of the expedition, Robert Falcon Scott

Of the 65 men who made up the individual groups and crew of the ship, who were selected from 8,000 applicants, six were veterans of the Discovery expedition and five had been on the Nimrod with Shackleton . Lieutenant Edward "Teddy" Evans had been the Morning's navigational officer during the Discovery evacuation operation and was named Scott's deputy. He had given up his plans to organize his own expedition and ceded financial backing to the Terra Nova expedition.

Although the expedition was privately organized, it enjoyed broad support from the British government; so the Admiralty was very generous in providing Scott with officers and seamen. Among the enlisted naval personnel, in addition to Scott himself and Teddy Evans, were Lieutenant Harry Pennell , who was to take command of the ship after the coastal groups landed, and two ship doctors with the rank of lieutenants, George Murray Levick and Edward Atkinson . Given the circumstances, Atkinson would command the coastal group during a difficult period during part of 1912. Former Royal Navy officer Victor Campbell was one of the few crew members who could ski and was supposed to lead the northern group. To Scott's satisfaction, the Admiralty made sure that his nautical substructure was practically entirely from the Navy, including Antarctic veterans Edgar Evans , Tom Crean and William Lashly .

Two non-Royal Navy officers were also hired: Henry Robertson Bowers , known as "Birdie," a lieutenant in the Royal Indian Navy , and Lawrence "Titus" Oates , an army captain with the Royal Iniskilling Dragoons . Oates, himself wealthy, also supported the expedition with 1,000 British pounds.

Oates and his horses

Following Fridtjof Nansen's advice, Scott recruited a young Norwegian ski expert, Tryggve Gran . As part of his proposed mixed transport strategy, he appointed Cecil Meares to be in charge of the dog teams and recruited Shackleton's former engine specialist, Bernard Day, to keep the snowmobiles going. Oates was supposed to take care of the horses, although Scott inexplicably hired Meares (who didn't know anything about horses) to buy them, which had an unfortunate effect on their quality.

To conduct his science program, Scott chose more experienced staff than those who had served on Discovery . The chief scientist and zoologist was Edward Adrian Wilson , who was the closest to Scott among men and who had proven himself not only a scientist but also a brilliant illustrator and daring polar explorer on the Discovery expedition. His scientific staff included some researchers who would later have great careers: George Clarke Simpson , the meteorologist, Charles Wright, the Canadian physicist, and geologists Frank Debenham and Raymond Priestley . T. Griffith Taylor , the head of the geologists, and the biologist Edward Nelson completed the team alongside the surprisingly hired assistant zoologist Apsley Cherry-Garrard . Cherry-Garrard had no scientific experience, but he was a protégé of Wilson. Like Oates, he had contributed £ 1,000 to finance the expedition. Cherry-Garrard proved not only to be persistent, but also a careful chronicler. Herbert Ponting , the photographer, left vivid visual records.

financing

Commercial support for the expedition

In contrast to the Discovery Expedition, which was paid for by the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society , the Terra Nova Expedition was financed as a private company. Half of the estimated total cost of £ 40,000 was raised by the government and the remainder by public donations and loans. Many companies were also willing to provide supplies and equipment free of charge. The task of fundraising was mainly done by Scott and cost him a significant portion of his time and energy, also as it continued in South Africa , Australia and New Zealand after the Terra Nova left Great Britain .

By far the largest cost item was the purchase of the Terra Nova for £ 12,500 and its overhaul. The Terra Nova had already sailed into Antarctic waters during the second operation to relieve Discovery . Scott wanted her to sail as a naval ship under the White Ensign ; to ensure this, he joined the Royal Yacht Squadron . He was able to take advantage of the navy's discipline on the expedition, and as a registered yacht of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Terra Nova was no longer subject to the regulations of the Board of Trade , which otherwise might have classified it as unsuitable for the ocean.

General plan for the expedition

The expedition was supposed to run during three Antarctic seasons, the plan was as follows:

1st season, 1910/11
A coastal station will be set up on Ross Island as an expedition base and laboratory. Research and Scientific Work Begin: Land groups explore the Edward VII Peninsula and / or Victoria Land , while a geological group works in the western mountains. The majority of the men on land work at the same time on the depot facility on the Ross Ice Shelf in order to prepare for the south polar journey in the next season.
2nd season, 1911/12
The south polar journey is the central activity of the second season. The journey follows Shackleton's route from 1908 over the ice shelf, up the Beardmore Glacier , then over the polar plateau and to the pole itself. Scientific and geological work continues, at the base and on the voyage.
3rd season, 1912/13
The scientific work is completed in an optional third season. If the first south polar journey fails, another attempt could be made.

The Terra Nova shouldn't hibernate in Antarctica. After unloading men, goods and equipment and transporting the research groups to their areas of operation, she was supposed to return to New Zealand. In January / February 1912 she was supposed to return with fresh men and supplies before she was supposed to bring the expedition back home in January 1913.

To implement this plan, Scott used a multi-mode transportation strategy. Fridtjof Nansen had recommended sled dogs to him. Shackleton's ponies had been used successfully for the first time on the Nimrod Expedition (1907-1909) in Antarctica, whereas the car that Shackleton also used failed. Scott therefore took dogs and ponies with him on the trip. As a technical innovation, tracked vehicles ("motors") were to be used for the first time to pull sleds in the Antarctic. Scott planned to transport most of the provisions and fuel with the help of ponies, dogs and motors over the ice shelf to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier, then on the glacier and then on the plateau with light sledges from the men on skis and with a tailwind To pull the sails. In practice, the engines were only of short use, as they failed after 50 miles (almost 100 km) on the ice shelf; several ponies died from calving ice shelves, and their performance was hampered by problems with their snowshoes, their age and their poor condition, because Meares had been commissioned to buy the ponies from Siberian traders, although he knew little about horses. The dogs, on the other hand, exceeded Scott's expectations, but were hardly numerous enough to compensate for the failed performance of the crashed ponies and motors.

Travels of the Terra Nova during the expedition

Terra Nova (1911)
  • June 1, 1910: departure from West India Docks, London
  • June 15, 1910: Departure from Cardiff , Wales
  • June 23, 1910: Arrival in Funchal , Madeira
  • June 26, 1910: departure from Funchal, Madeira
  • July 26, 1910: Arrival in Trinidade to receive specimens
  • July 27, 1910: departure from Trinidade
  • August 15, 1910: Arrival in Simons Bay, South Africa
  • September 2, 1910: Departure from Simons Bay
  • October 28, 1910: Arrival in Lyttelton , New Zealand. Accommodation of 34 dogs and 19 ponies
  • November 26, 1910: Departure from Lyttelton
  • January 4, 1911: Arrival at Cape Evans , Ross Island , Antarctica. Unloading the expedition members and supplies
  • January 28, 1911: Departure with the east group to the Edward VII Peninsula (via Butter Point to disembark the geological west group)
  • February 1, 1911: return to the west after the failed deposition of the eastern group, meeting with the Fram in the Bay of Whales
  • February 8, 1911: Arrival at Hut Point Peninsula , Ross Island, reception of two ponies and reporting of the news about Amundsen
  • February 9, 1911: Departure with the renamed Northern Group to Cape Adare
  • February 18, 1911: Arrival at Cape Adare. Unloading the northern group
  • April 1, 1911: Arrival in Lyttelton, New Zealand. Research on New Zealand Territory
  • December 15, 1911: Departure from Lyttelton to Cape Evans via Cape Adare
  • 4th January 1912: Arrival at Cape Adare, recording of the northern group
  • January 8, 1912: Arrival in Evans Bay, 400 kilometers south of Cape Adare, unloading of the northern group
  • February 6, 1912: Arrival at Cape Evans. Unloading of seven mules and 14 sled dogs
  • February 19, 1912: departure to pick up the northern group at Evans Bay. Unsuccessful continuation to McMurdo Sound
  • February 28, 1912: Arrival at the Hut Point Peninsula. Taking in nine returning men and leaving two substitutes behind. Departure for the second attempt to take up the northern group, unsuccessful return to Cape Evans
  • March 4, 1912: Departure from Cape Evans for New Zealand after the third failed attempt to salvage the northern group.
  • April 3, 1912: Arrival in Lyttelton, New Zealand
  • December 14, 1912: Departure from Lyttelton for Cape Evans
  • January 18, 1913: Arrival at Cape Evans, news of the loss of Scott and his men
  • January 22, 1913: departure from Cape Evans
  • January 23, 1913: arrival at the Granite Harbor; geological and marine species collection
  • January 26, 1913: Arrival in Evans Bay
  • January 29, 1913: Arrival in Cape Adare. Recovery of the specimens
  • February 10, 1913: Arrival in Oamaru , New Zealand. Telegram to England with news
  • June 14, 1913: Arrival in Cardiff, Wales. Crew hired.

The expedition

The Terra Nova in December 1910, taken by Herbert Ponting

getting there

The Terra Nova left the port of Cardiff ( Wales ) on June 15, 1910. Scott met the ship in South Africa and drove with him to Melbourne , where he left to organize further funds. The Terra Nova continued to New Zealand , where it arrived on October 28th. In Melbourne, Scott received a telegram from Roald Amundsen informing him that he was “proceeding south”. It had been assumed that Amundsen was planning an Arctic expedition - the telegram was the first sign of a race. Scott's outward reaction was stoic and he continued his work in Australia. He reunited with the ship in New Zealand and additional supplies and equipment were taken on board, including 34 dogs, 19 Siberian ponies and 3 snowmobiles. The overloaded Terra Nova finally left Lyttelton on November 26, 1910.

During the first days of December, a severe storm nearly sank the Terra Nova ; it got so far that the crew had to scoop out the ship with buckets during heavy seas because the pumps had failed. The Terra Nova survived the storm, but lost two ponies, a dog, ten tons of coal and 295.5 liters of petroleum. On December 10, they reached the southern pack ice and were trapped - it took 20 days to get free and head south. The unforeseen delay meant a late arrival on Ross Island , which set in motion a kind of domino effect for the expedition.

Cape Evans: base of operations

Interior of the Terra Nova Hut on Cape Evans

After arriving at Ross Island on January 4, 1911 and looking for a suitable landing site around Cape Crozier on the east side of Ross Island, the Terra Nova drove to McMurdo Sound on the island's west coast, where three expeditions had already landed earlier and had overwintered. They landed at Cape Evans , about 20 kilometers north of Scott's 1902 base on the Hut Point Peninsula . Scott hoped that Cape Evans would be accessible from the sea longer than its former camp, which in the winter of 1902 was completely enclosed by the pack ice that was even set by ships. In addition to the members of the expedition, 17 ponies, 32 dogs, 3 snowmobiles (one of which was lost during unloading), around 30 tons of supplies and a complete, prefabricated hut measuring 15 × 7.7 meters were unloaded. The cabin, known as Scott's Cabin , was built and made habitable by January 17th and is still there today. (77.636 S; 166.417 E) Coordinates: 77 ° 38 '9.75 "  S , 166 ° 25' 1.11"  E.

Depot facility (1911)

Scott's hut from the Discovery Expedition at Hut Point, used as shelter and storage space during the Terra Nova Expedition
Medicine box that Scott carried on his trip.

The aim of the depot facility for the first season was to place a series of depots about 210 kilometers long on the ice shelf, from its edge to 80 ° S, so that they could be used on the south polar voyage, which was scheduled to begin the following spring. The last depot should be the largest and be named One Ton Depot . The work was planned for twelve men, the eight ponies in the best condition and two dog teams were to support them; the condition of the ice prevented the use of snowmobiles.

Due to the late arrival, the season was already well advanced, so preparations had to be made quickly - the break of the ice was imminent, which offered the men a direct route to the Hut Point Peninsula on the southwest corner of Ross Island. The departure was hasty; there had been no time for careful training or adaptation of the animals that had suffered badly on the voyage. Progress was slower than planned and the ponies' performance was adversely affected by the fact that the Norwegian snowshoes needed to cross the ice shelf had been left behind at Cape Evans due to insufficient acclimatization time. When it was realized that they were still necessary, it was too late to turn back. A blizzard stopped the group after they set up Corner Camp , 40 miles from Hut Point. Scott sent the three weakest ponies back from there (two died on the way) and carried on with the remaining five ponies and the dogs. As they neared their intended latitude, Scott became concerned that the rest of the ponies might not be able to make the return trip if the group didn't turn around immediately. Against the advice of Oates, who wanted to go ahead and slaughter the ponies after they collapsed, Scott decided to moor the One Ton Depot on February 13 at 79 ° 29'S, about 35 miles north of the proposed location. This discrepancy was of crucial importance on the return journey of the South Polar Group twelve months later.

Scott returned with the dog teams to the first depot on the edge of the ice shelf and waited there for the slower ponies. When they arrived one was in extremely bad shape and died shortly afterwards. When the surviving ponies crossed the pack ice at Hut Point, it broke open. Despite a determined rescue attempt, three more ponies perished. Of the eight ponies that were taken on the journey to the depot facility, only two returned.

The depots had been set up by mid-April, the first geological expedition to the western mountains had taken place and Campbell's group had set off for Viktorialand (see below ). 27 men got ready for the long polar winter at Cape Evans. The main activities were the continuation of the scientific work, the planning of the upcoming polar trip, the maintenance of the equipment, the preparation of the rations, readings on various topics, the production of the South Polar Times and the winter trip to Cape Crozier (see below ).

Northern group (1911–1912)

Scott's intention was that a second group ("Eastern Group") under Victor Campbell should travel to the Edward VII Peninsula or alternatively to Victoria Land with the Terra Nova and spend the winter there and later carry out scientific work and explorations. Members of the group included Campbell, Priestley, Levick, Abbot, Dickason and Browning. After no suitable landing site had been found, the men met Amundsen's South Polar expedition in the Bay of Whales on the way to Victoria Land . Amundsen proved to be a good host, even offering the men to help them with the dogs, which Campbell refused. The Terra Nova drove back to Cape Evans to bring the news of Amundsen's men. Campbell's group was then renamed Northern Group and sailed north to land at Cape Adare . A hut was built there near the former quarters of the Norwegian researcher Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink .

Borchgrevink's hut on Cape Adare

The northern group spent the winter of 1911 in this hut, but in the summer of 1911/12 they could not go on as many sled excursions as planned because the sea ice had melted early and no route through the mountains to the plateau could be found. The Terra Nova returned from New Zealand on January 4, 1912, where it had taken on further equipment, and it was decided to move Campbell's men to Evans Bay, about 400 kilometers from Cape Adare and 650 kilometers from Cape Evans. They left the ship on January 8th to be resumed on February 18th. After their work was done, there were rations left for four weeks. Nobody expected the Terra Nova to have difficulty picking up the men, but the ship could not reach them because of heavy pack ice. So the group was forced to hibernate in a snow cave on the island later called Inexpressible Island .

By March 1912, Scott and the Antarctic Group were missing and likely dead, leaving Edward L. Atkinson in command. The resources, men and dogs, were limited to rescue the northern group and to search for the bodies and diaries of the researchers. So it was decided that four men would be sent down the coast to meet Campbell in case he tried to go to Hut Point Peninsula . The group left Hut Point on April 17th, but the attempt failed and the rescue workers turned and returned to Cape Evans on May 1st.

The northern group did not survive the winter of 1912 without problems: the men suffered from frostbite, hunger, diarrhea and the strong winds on the island. They boiled through the winter with a bubbler in the cave, which brought further inconvenience as clothes, skin and utensils were blackened by soot, which also clogged the men's throats and inflamed their eyes.

On September 30, 1912, at the beginning of the southern summer, the men made their way home in the direction of the Hut Point Peninsula , which led them about 320 kilometers along the coast, including crossing the Drygalski Glacier . Browning was sick and Dickason nearly died of diarrhea. They reached Hut Point on November 5th. Geological and other samples were collected from the Terra Nova in January 1913 .

West Geological Group

First geological expedition, January – March 1911

The aim of this trip was the geological exploration of the coastal area west of the McMurdo Sound in a region between the McMurdo dry valleys and the Koettlitz glacier . The work was undertaken by a group that consisted of Griffith Taylor, Debenham, Wright, and Boatswain Evans. They landed on January 26 from the Terra Nova at Butter Point across from Cape Evans on the Victoria Land coast. On January 30th, the group set up their headquarters near the Ferrar Glacier and then carried out research in the area of ​​the dry valleys and the Taylor Glacier before moving more south towards the Koettlitz Glacier. After continuing to work there, she left for home on March 2nd, taking a southern route to Hut Point, arriving on March 14th.

Second geological expedition, November 1911 to February 1912

This expedition was a continuation of the work carried out in the former; this time it focused on the Granite Harbor area about 50 miles north of Butter Point. Taylor's comrades this time were Debenham, Gran, and Forde. The main voyage began on November 14th and included difficult journeys across the ice to Granite Harbor, which was reached on November 26th. At a place called Geology Point , the headquarters was set up and a stone hut was built. In the weeks that followed, research took place on the Mackay Glacier and a number of geographic features north of the glacier were identified and named. The group was supposed to be picked up by the Terra Nova on January 15, 1912 , but the ship could not reach them. They waited until February 5 before setting off south and were rescued by the ice when they were finally located by the ship on February 18. Geological samples from both expeditions were collected from the Terra Nova in January 1913.

More geological work

The northern group, the southern polar group on Beardmore Glacier and a group that climbed Mount Erebus in December 1912 shortly before the end of the expedition also carried out geological surveys.

Winter March to Cape Crozier (June-August 1911)

On June 22, 1911, a group of three men - Wilson, Bowers, and Cherry-Garrard - set out from Hut Point to study the embryology of the emperor penguin at Cape Crozier . The excursion was about fifteen months earlier by Dr. Wilson has been suggested to a zoologist. A secondary purpose were experiments with food rations in order to be able to better plan for the south polar trip in summer. At that time, the only known breeding colony of the emperor penguin was on this cape in the far east of Ross Island. Chicks had been found there in September, and Dr. Wilson estimated that the eggs would be laid in early July, in the middle of the Antarctic winter. The expedition's plan was to take eggs for scientific samples.

While previous expeditions had already overwintered in Antarctica, no one had attempted research during this period of continuous darkness and storms with temperatures as low as −55 ° C. The group suffered serious disadvantages. Cherry-Garrard described the nineteen days it took to travel to Cape Crozier as " horror " in which the device, clothes and sleeping bags were constantly frozen. On the night of July 5th the temperature dropped to -59 ° C, at breakfast it was -55 ° C and at lunch it was almost -60 ° C. Sometimes you couldn't go more than a mile a day.

When they arrived at Cape Crozier, the men built a shelter out of blocks of snow, stones and a tarpaulin they had brought with them as a roof. They reached their destination early enough to be the first people to observe emperor penguins with their nests and to collect numerous specimens. However, they almost died when their quarters were destroyed during a blizzard with a wind force of up to 11 Beaufort . The men took shelter in their sleeping bags for three days, and when the storm passed they discovered that their tent, which would have been vital on the return trip, had been blown away. Fortunately for them, they were able to find it about half a mile away. The group returned to Cape Evans on August 1, 1911. Wilson had refused to leave the eggs behind, even though he had been very close to death at times. The three eggs were later moved to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington before going to study at Edinburgh University .

Cherry-Garrard later described the excursion as " The Worst Journey in the World" and transferred this name to his 1922 book about the expedition. Scott, on the other hand, called the winter trip "a wonderful achievement" and was extremely satisfied with the experiments with rations and equipment: "We were as close to perfection as experience can tell."

South polar trip (October 1911 to March 1912)

The south polar trip should run over 2842 kilometers , take 144 days and start at the Hut Point Peninsula . It was initially undertaken with four groups of four men. Snowmobiles, ponies and dogs were used to drive over the ice shelf to Beardmore Glacier, whereupon the dogs would return and the ponies would be slaughtered. Three of the groups would then climb the glacier, with the men hauling the supplies. Only the last of the groups should reach the pole; the others should create further depots for the outgoing and incoming groups and support the polar group up to a certain latitude. Scott determined the composition of the polar group on the trip.

The motorized group, consisting of Day, Lashly , Lieutenant Evans and Hooper, started with the two snowmobiles on October 24, 1911. They were supposed to haul loads up to a latitude of 80 ° 30 'S and wait there for the other teams. By November 1st, however, both snowmobiles broke down; the men dragged another 336 kilograms over the remaining 150 miles and arrived at the planned location on November 15. The rest of the teams that left Evans Bay on October 31st reached the motorized group on November 21st. They had been held up by bad weather and poor performance by the ponies.

On November 24th, Day and Hooper returned. The dogs should have turned back now, too, but Scott kept taking them with him to move faster. On December 4, 1911, the expedition set up camp 21 kilometers from the entrance to Beardmore Glacier , which is formed by a gap filled with snowdrifts between Mount Hope and the mainland. A blizzard forced the men to wait until December 9th and consume rations that were originally intended to be eaten on the glacier. When the blizzard was over, the remaining ponies were shot (four had already been killed) and the meat dumped or put on the sledges; the men split into three teams of four.

The dog teams under Meares and Girew turned back on December 11, 1911, and reached Hut Point on January 4, 1912. It was believed that the dog sleds could not drive the crevasse -strewn glacier. Scott wanted the dog teams to take up more supplies after their return to base and create additional supply depots for the returning groups like Scott's own. With that in mind, Scott relied heavily on the work of the dog teams.

The men reached the upper end of Beardmore Glacier on December 20, 1911 and created the Upper Glacier Depot . Scott made his first decision on the composition of the three groups on December 22nd; he decided that the first returnees would be the doctor Atkinson, the zoologist Cherry-Garrard, the physicist Wright, and Keohane. Essentially, this group comprised the scientific staff who returned home that same day at 85 ° 15 '. Scott gave Atkinson further orders regarding the dogs, asking him to make sure the One Ton Depot was replenished and later move the dogs further south to accompany the polar group home. Scott drove south with the rest of the men, who apart from Wilson consisted largely of tough and hardened Army and Navy men who had worked with Scott since the Discovery expedition , making up for some of the lost time thanks to the good weather.

On January 3, 1912, at latitude 87 ° 32 'S, Scott made his decision on the composition of the polar group - five men (Scott, Wilson, Oates, Bowers, and Edgar Evans) should continue while Lt. Evans, Lashly and Crean returned as the last support group on the same day. The decision involved complicated recalculations of weight and rations - everything was geared towards four-man groups. During the return of the second group, Evans became seriously ill with scurvy. From the One Ton Depot he could no longer walk and was pulled by his comrades in a sledge to a point eight kilometers south of Hut Point. From there, Crean went alone to Hut Point on February 18, and there happened to meet Atkinson and Girew with the dog teams preparing for the One Ton Depot replenishment trip (see below ). A rescue team was formed and Evans was brought to Hut Point on February 22nd, more dead than alive. Lashly and Crean were later recognized for their life-saving efforts.

Scott and his men in Polheim , Amundsen's base on the Pole. Left to right: Scott, Bowers, Wilson and Boatswain Evans. Photo taken by Lawrence Oates

The Antarctic Group continued to tow the sleds in good conditions. On January 16, Amundsen's flag was sighted from a distance of 15 miles and upon arrival the next day it was learned that Amundsen had been there a month earlier. Amundsen had left a tent, some food and a letter, which Scott was supposed to deliver to King Håkon of Norway if he failed on the return trip .

Amundsen's earlier arrival, though a great disappointment, was not unexpected - it had been predicted by Scott back in 1911 when he learned that Amundsen had established his base in the Bay of Whales , further south than Scott, and that he was planning to to rely entirely on dogs. The crux of this, to Scott, wasn't the advantage dogs would have had over ponies or human strength, but that Scott's own blended strategy (using dogs, ponies, human strength, and motorized tractors) would delay the start until the weather was good the less robust ponies was mild enough.

After checking their position and setting their own flag, Scott's group turned back the next day and made good progress over the next three weeks, averaging 14 miles per day. However, the summer was drawing to a close and temperatures were falling. It became problematic to locate every depot and to find enough food and especially heating oil. As the temperatures dropped below −30 ° C, the snow became hard and rough - the skis lost their gliding ability and the sleds became harder and harder to pull.

On February 7, 1912, the men had reached the depot at the summit of Beardmore Glacier and began the descent. Despite the delay, Scott ordered half a day of geological research, 13 kilograms of geological samples were loaded onto the sled. Evans suffered from frostbite and his health began to deteriorate. He collapsed at the foot of the glacier on February 17th and died shortly afterwards. Presumably he had suffered a concussion on the difficult to walk glacier . The group may also have struggled with dehydration and malnutrition, which led to problems with wound healing. Oates, who was suffering from an old war wound and frostbite, got weaker and weaker and left the tent around March 17, 1912 (Scott had lost track of the data), apparently in his right mind, after hearing the later famous words “I am just going outside and I may be some time. ”(for example:“ I'm just going out and could take a little longer. ”). Oates' conscious sacrifice was not enough to save the rest of the group, who were eating less food every day and moving more slowly. On March 10, 1912, Scott calculated that there would be enough food for seven days, but the nearest depot, One Ton Depot 225 kilometers south of Cape Evans, was about nine days away. On March 20, the men were 11 miles - about two to three days - from the depot when a blizzard hit and prevented them from leaving their tent, where they died eight to nine days later. Scott's last entry in his diary is dated March 29, 1912 and ends with the words:

Each day we were ready to make our way to our depot eleven miles away, but the swirling storm remains outside the tent. I don't think we can hope now. We will get through it to the end, but of course we are getting weaker and the end cannot be far. It's a shame, but I can't write anymore. For God's sake, take care of our bereaved.

Replenishment of the One Ton Depot (February – March 1912)

Scott had ordered replenishment of the One Ton Depot several times. The orders demanded an increase in the depot by "five XS rations or in any case three, ... and as much dog food as possible, the depot should be closed by January 10, 1912". One XS ration (Extra Summit) is equivalent to food for four men for one week. Since Scott's two dog teams were taken longer than planned on the southern trip, they came back too late and exhausted to bring the supplies for humans and dogs out to the One Ton Depot as planned . Meanwhile, a man-pulling group from Cape Evans made up of Day, Nelson, Clissold, and Hooper had planned out three of the five XS rations for the returning groups. The loads of this group did not allow the transport of the other two XS rations or that of the dog food. When Atkinson wanted to go with the dog handler Dmitri Girew from Hut Point to fill the One Ton Depot with the missing supplies, Tom Crean arrived there alone on February 19 with the surprising news that Lieutenant Evans was 56 km further south To die and Lashly to be with him.

The swift action that required Lieutenant Evans illness and rescue changed Atkinson's plans, and the job of replenishing the depot fell to Cherry-Garrard in the absence of another candidate. He was accompanied by the capable dog handler Dimitri Gerow. Atkinson did not yet fear for the safety of the South Pole Group, as Scott was not overdue and had made good progress on the last contact with Evans. Atkinson's verbal assignments to Cherry-Garrard, later written down, included “ travel to One Ton Depot as soon as possible and leave the food there. If Scott hadn't got there before me, I should decide what to do ”and“ remember that Scott didn't depend on the dogs to return and they shouldn't be put at risk ”. Atkinson's written report supports this information.

Cherry-Garrard left Hut Point on February 26th with Gerow and two dog teams and arrived at the One Ton Depot on March 4th , where he deposited the extra rations. Scott wasn't there yet. With food for the men themselves and the dogs for 24 days, they had about eight days to wait before returning to Hut Point. The alternative to waiting, driving south, would have meant, due to the lack of dog food, gradually killing the dogs as food for their conspecifics, which would have been against Scott's order. Cherry-Garrard decided to wait for Scott. On March 10, in bad weather and dwindling supplies, Cherry-Garrard turned back, not knowing that Scott's men were fighting for their lives less than 120 kilometers away. He reached Hut Point on March 16. Atkinson later wrote: “I am satisfied; no other officer on the expedition could have done it better. ”But Cherry-Garrard reproached himself for the rest of his life for not having chosen any other alternative that could have saved the lives of Scott's men.

After Cherry-Garrard returned from One Ton Depot with no news from Scott, worries began to grow. Atkinson decided to make another trip to try to reach the polar group. On March 26th, he and Keohane left, pulling a sled with supplies for 18 days. At very low temperatures (−40 ° C), they had reached Corner Camp by March 30 , when the weather, cold, and time of year made further progress south of Atkinson impossible. Atkinson reported: "In my mind I was certain that the group had perished". He and Keohane then returned to Hut Point.

Search group (October – November 1912)

The Terra Nova had taken eight men with it in February 1912 and left two substitutes behind. The remaining members of the expedition waited through the winter and continued their scientific work until they set off with mules on October 29, 1912 to search for Scott's group.

On November 12, 1912, Tryggve Gran's search team found the frozen bodies of Robert Falcon Scott , Edward Adrian Wilson and Henry Robertson Bowers , 18 kilometers south of One Ton Depot . Her tent was covered in blown snow almost to the top.

After personal items and diaries, Bowers' meteorological logs, and about 16 kilograms of geological samples were collected, the tent was folded over the bodies. A snow mound was piled up over the tent to mark the grave. Tryggve Gran's skis were converted into a cross on the tip, Gran used Scott's skis instead for the trip home.

Knowing from Scott's diary that Oates had died only 42 kilometers south, the search party drove further to find his body. However, this did not succeed. Only Oates' sleeping bag and a theodolite he used were found . Scott had taken both items with him for a few kilometers after Oates' death, but then left them at a temporary storage facility. On November 15, 1912, a marker and a cross were erected at the presumed place of his death. During the return trip, the search party passed the tomb of Scott, Wilson and Bowers again. They took the geological samples and rolls of film they had left there while searching for Oates. They then continued their journey and reached Cape Evans on November 25, 1912.

As the senior naval officer, Campbell had assumed command during the final weeks of the expedition until the Terra Nova arrived on January 18, 1913. Prior to the final departure, a wooden cross was erected on the slope of Observation Hill that overlooks Hut Point. Incised are the five names of the dead and a quote from Alfred Tennyson's Ulysses : “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (“Strive, seek, find and not give in”).

The grave of Scott, Wilson, and Bowers is now under ice and the location is only roughly known. According to calculations by the geophysicist Charles Bentley , the three dead will reach the northern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf around the year 2275 due to the glacier drift and there may be released into the Ross Sea in an iceberg .

aftermath

The death of Scott and his men subsequently overshadowed everything else in the public eye, even Amundsen's success. For many years the image of Scott as a tragic hero remained practically unchallenged; although there was tension among people close to the expedition, especially relatives of the dead, this disharmony was not made public. The legend grew over time and was renewed for another generation with the film Scott of the Antarctic (1948) and the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 . The first real changes in public perception did not take place until the 1970s, when almost everyone directly affected by the expedition was dead.

It was only with the publication of Roland Huntford's book Scott and Amundsen in 1979 that controversy began. This book, a sustained criticism of Scott for blaming everything that went wrong, was willingly received by a generation less susceptible to heroism and daring. Particular points of criticism were Scott's authoritarian leadership style, his poor understanding of human nature and a number of organizational errors such as the transportation "chaos". It was many years before counter-notices such as Ranulph Fiennes and Susan Solomon restored Scott's reputation to some extent.

Polar historians basically agree that Amundsen's techniques, aided by his arctic experience and familiarity with icy conditions, gave him a great advantage, but that doesn't explain why Scott's group went down. Scott's own judgment in the public message he wrote when he was on the verge of death and found himself in extreme weather conditions places the blame on a copious list of "calamities" rather than poor organization. The most passionate of all Scott critics, Roland Huntford, rejects this as a self-justification, while for the polar explorer Ranulph Fiennes, who has extensive practical experience in Antarctica, representations like this make Huntford the clear "main slanderer" of Scott. Diana Preston's analysis suggests a mix of the reasons - poor logistics and sheer bad luck.

Diet, which was based on the state of nutritional science from 1910, also played an important role in the failure of the expedition. The focus was on a large amount of carbohydrates (bread, sugar) and fat, as one had to replace food energy consumed during the heavy work, especially pulling the sledges . In practice, the calorific value of the rations used was greatly overestimated, even if this only became apparent much later. The daily basic ration per man was 450 grams of bread, 336 grams of pemmican , 84 grams of sugar, 56 grams of butter, 20 grams of tea and 16 grams of cocoa. This diet was supported by pony meat on the south polar voyage, but such additions could only bridge the energy deficit for short periods.

Memorabilia and places of historical interest

See also

Remarks

  1. ↑ Shackleton had written to Scott on May 17, 1907: "I leave McMurdo Sound to you," and outlined various alternatives
  2. ↑ Amundsen later secretly changed his plans, as by that time it was believed that Frederick Cook had already reached the North Pole
  3. ↑ Cherry-Garrard was originally rejected by Scott, but did not withdraw his financial stake. This impressed Scott, who was convinced by Wilson to accept him.
  4. ↑ His book about the expedition The Worst Journey in the World is a classic in travel literature
  5. ↑ It is unclear to what extent this plan was fulfilled and how much the expedition actually cost.
  6. ↑ There are different representations of the wording of the telegram. Cherry-Garrard (p. 82), Crane (p. 423) and Preston (p. 127) all report that it was a simple "Am going south". Lt. According to Solomon (p. 64), Evans reports a much more polite "Beg leave to inform you Fram proceeding Antarctica", which Fiennes and Huntford support becomes.
  7. ↑ Amundsen had indeed planned an expedition to the North Pole, but later secretly changed his plans, as both Frederick Cook and Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole.
  8. ↑ 1901/02 took the Discovery 16 days to sail from Lyttelton to Cape Adare ; the Nimrod reached the Ross Ice Shelf in 1908 in 24 days. The 40 days of the Terra Nova are by far the longest comparable trip
  9. ↑ Butter Point was named after a depot containing butter that was left on the Discovery Expedition
  10. ↑ Amundsen's journey to the Pole took 57 days, whereas Scott was en route for 79 days. Amundsen had started twelve days earlier
  11. ↑ The lack of dog food at the One Ton Depot made it later actually impossible for Cherry-Garrards to carry out Scott's order and to bring the dogs further south, or to 82 or 83 ° S on detailed instructions from Evans
  12. ↑ Meares was supposed to leave with the ship, Wright (Atkinson's first choice) was busy with scientific work - Cherry-Garrard was the only available "officer"
  13. ↑ These were a gift from the Indian government and arrived on the Terra Nova in February . They were of better quality than their predecessors.
  14. ↑ In The Coldest March , based on extensive meteorological research, Solomon attributes the death of the five men to the simple cause of the extreme weather on the ice shelf.

literature

Source literature

Supplementary literature

Web links

Commons : Terra Nova Expedition  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Crane, p. 397.
  2. ^ Letter to Shackleton, quoted by Crane, pp. 335-36.
  3. ^ Fiennes, p. 157
  4. ↑ Evans in Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, p. 498.
  5. ^ Huntford, p. 267.
  6. ↑ Preston, pp. 113 and 217. Preston suspects that Teddy Evans is responsible for Meares' strange assignment.
  7. ↑ See Lt. Evans' calculations in Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, p. 489 f.
  8. ^ Crane, p. 406.
  9. ↑ Solomon, p. 22.
  10. ^ Crane, pp. 462-464.
  11. ↑ Scott in Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 432.
  12. ^ Crane, p. 427.
  13. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, pp. 13, 14.
  14. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 16.
  15. ^ RF Scott, Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. 1, pp. 88-90.
  16. ^ Fiennes, p. 206.
  17. ↑ Fiennes, p. 212.
  18. ↑ Cherry-Garrard, p. 119.
  19. ↑ Cherry-Garrard, pp. 182–196 (Bowers' report of the incident)
  20. ↑ Scott's orders to Campbell, Scott's Last Expedition , Vol. II, pp. 79-82 (the group was then still the "Eastern Party")
  21. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, pp. XXXVII
  22. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 89.
  23. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, pp. XXXIX
  24. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. XL
  25. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, pp. 155-179.
  26. ↑ See Scott's instructions, Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, pp. 184/85.
  27. ↑ Scott's Instructions; Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, pp. 22, 23.
  28. ↑ Priestley's Report; Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, p. 350 ff.
  29. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 239.
  30. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 261.
  31. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 240.
  32. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 253.
  33. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 306.
  34. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 304.
  35. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 361.
  36. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 368.
  37. ↑ Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 373.
  38. ^ RF Scott, Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 489.
  39. ↑ a b Apsley Cherry-Garrard, p. 394.
  40. ↑ Lashlys diary, quoted by Cherry-Garrard, pp 442-462.
  41. ^ RF Scott, Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 573.
  42. ↑ See Scott's diary entry of March 17, Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I p. 592.
  43. ^ Scott's diary, last entry of March 29, 1912 in Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 595.
  44. ↑ Cherry-Garrard, p. 30 (George Seaver's preface to the 1965 edition)
  45. ↑ Cherry-Garrard, pp. 472/73. Scott had previously made it clear that the dogs should be "saved" for scientific work in the third season
  46. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, pp. 298-306.
  47. ↑ See distance table in Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. I, p. 632.
  48. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, p. 306.
  49. ^ Preston, p. 210.
  50. ↑ Scott's Last Expedition. Vol. II, p. 309.
  51. ↑ Tryggve Gran, p. 208.
  52. ↑ Jack Williams: The heroic Age still lives in Antarctica , USA Today , January 16, 2001 (no longer available online).
  53. ^ Huntford, p. 526.
  54. ↑ Fiennes mentions this, pp. 410-422.
  55. ↑ See, e.g. B. Crane, p. 426 or Preston, p. 221.
  56. ^ Huntford, p. 509
  57. ↑ Fiennes, p. 405
  58. ↑ See The Reason Why in Preston, pp. 214-228.
  59. ^ Preston, pp. 218f.
  60. ^ Preston, p. 181.
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on April 20, 2008 in this version .