Fridtjof Nansen (October 10th 1861 with Store Froën close to Oslo - May 13rd 1930) is a Norwegian explorer , he was at the origin of the first Norwegian polar forwarding. He succeeded in the scientific and human exploit to approach the North pole more than whoever before him. Left with its ship the Fram , it was initially let involve by the drift, before approaching the pole with his companion Hjalmar Johansen until reaching 86° 15 '. Three years after their departure, the two men were collected by Jackson-Harmsworth forwarding.

Last child of an easy family whose father is lawyer, it enters in 1881 to the university to undertake studies of Zoologie, during which, in 1884, it embarks on board the Viking , for a forwarding of hunting for the seal and the whale in the Arctique. This forwarding will upset its life.

Its university degree out of pocket, it enters to the Muséum of natural history of Bergen and begins from work on the nervous system of the marine animals. Its work impassions it, but the routine is appropriate to him hardly. Large sportsman, practitioner the Ski, it then develops the first forwarding with the Greenland, at the time which, of August 1888 to October 1888, it undertakes and succeeds with three companions, the first East-West crossing of Greenland, a course of 500 kilometers on glacier with a temperature of -45°, then it spends the winter with the Esquimau X that it will study until in May 1889. Of return in Norway, Nansen teaches at the zoological institute of the university of Christiania (Oslo) and publishes articles and two books the first crossing of Greenland in 1890 and the Eskimo life in 1891.

The forwarding of the Fram

See also: Forwarding Amundsen, Fram

Having acquired an international repute thanks to its first forwarding, Nansen present at the Norwegian Geographical Company, a new project a transpolar drift , based on the experiment of the ship “ the Sleeve-board ”, having imprisoned and having broken by the ices in the north of the New Siberian Islandss and whose remains were collected three years later at the south-western end of Greenland. It succeeds in joining together funds sufficient for its project.

Nansen decides to make build its ship according to a new design, so that it is able to be let take by the ices and enough solid to resist their pressure. The Norwegian naval architect Hake Archer, builds to him, the Fram (which can be translated by " ahead "), a ship of 402 rough barrels, gréé in Three-masted ship goélette with an aerofoil of a surface of 600 m ².

In order to be raised by the pressure of the ices instead of being crushed, the Fram is built on specific levels, it has:

• a hull frayed with before and with the back, with sides linked to slip out of the ice in the event of pressure, made out of wood of oak, initially intended for the Norwegian navy, held under shelter during more than thirty years, with a total thickness from 70 to 80 cm. ;
• before reinforced and protected by an iron cutwater;
• a round skittle;
• a reinforced back;
• a rudder placed very low not to be broken by the ice;
• a hold divided into three tight compartments, to ensure the safety of the ship in the event of Way of water;
• an interior made up of a living room, and 6 cabins;
• a machine with triple expansion of 220 CV which can allow a speed from 6 to 7 miles per hour.

Nansen envisages a voyage from two to three years. It thus stores on board several years of food and fuel, as well as many books and scientific instruments. It leaves his wife and her six month old daughter and embarks.

The September 24th, 1893, with the latitude 78° 30 ' NR, the Fram begins its first wintering, and the crew starts to prepare to face the Arctic winter and to fit out the ship. Taken by the ices, the ship slips and rises to fall down in its initial place when its weight breaks the ice. The September 29th, 1893, the ship gains its first degree of latitude towards the pole and the temperature goes down to -14,5°C. The statements of position show a light drift towards north, but by surprising zigzags. In Christmas, the temperature is of -40°C. The surveys reveal funds much more important than envisaged and thus a less importance of the marine currents on the drift. The February 2nd, 1894, at the time of the return of the sun, the ship is with 82° 10 ' NR, but its position strongly will move back in July and August.

At the time of spring, Nansen, carries out many excursions, and studies the conditions of viability of the Banquise, for a forwarding towards the north pole, and makes build sledges and Kayak S. the second wintering begins, and on December 12th, the Fram reached 82° 30 ' NR, latitude never still reached by a ship, 833 kilometers only still separate it from the pole. In January 1895, an enormous monticule of blocks of ice approaches the ship, and buries it partially. March 14th 1895, Nansen and its Johansen companion leaves the ship and its companions to try to gain the north pole (cf following chapter). The March 15th, 1895, the ship reaches the position 84° 4 ' NR, but it is blocked in a thick mass of eight height meters ice, by a temperature of -40°C.

The third wintering begins and in January 1896, the temperature reaches its point low -52°C. At the end of May, whereas the ship is with the latitude 83° 45 ' NR, of vast stretch of water free are seen and the ship is released with explosives. The July 12th, 1896, it sails finally out of interstitial waters after, having crossed an ice-barrier of 180 miles. The July 19th, 1896, the Fram accosts with the port of Skjervøy in Norway.

Forwarding towards the north pole

After two unfruitful attempts, Nansen and Johansen leave the boat the March 14th 1895 and leave towards the north pole in terrestrial forwarding, carrying two kayaks and three sledges drawn by twenty-eight dogs to carry their business. After a sometimes easy and sometimes very difficult progression, the April 3rd, the position with 85° 59 ' NR. is disappointing, and the April 8th, after having reached in twenty-three days the point more with North ever reached before, 86° 10 ', they decide to stop the progression towards north and to beat a retreat on the course Fligely, the ground more in north of the Archipel François-Joseph.

At the end of May, Nansen and Johansen reach 82° 21 ' NR. with 16 dogs, of the insufficient reserves and a difficult progression on softened snow. The June 22nd 1895, they succeed in driving out Phoque S, which leaves them sufficient vivres and fuel for one month. The July 27th, for the first time for two years, the ground has been in sight. , The ice-barrier becomes impracticable, and the explorers use the kayaks. Deriving towards the east, they discover a formed archipelago of four unknown islands, and think of being on the east coast of the François-Joseph ground. Mid-August, they reach a new island which they name island Houen (Jackson Island) and are determined to winter there. They build a shelter and drive out to constitute an important reserve of food.

After a hard winter, the May 28th 1896, they set out again on the ice-barrier towards the south and reach the course Richthofen, where the June 17th 1896, they fall nose to nose with forwarding from the British Frederick Jackson to the course Flora. The ship of supply of forwarding recovers them and sets out again the August 7th 1896 to reach the port of Vardø in Norway later five days. The August 27th 1896, they find the Fram moving towards Tromsø, and make with him a triumphal entry the September 9th 1896 in the port of Christiana.

The assessment of the forwarding of the Fram

Forwarding was a real success on all the plans, sportsman and human, but so scientific:

• three winterings in the Arctic for thirteen team members without disease nor moral failure,
• the walk of two explorers up to the most septentrional point ever reached,
• the healthy return and except whole the crew and ship in perfect state.
• the discovery that the ocean which wraps the pole is very deep,
• the discovery of the route followed by the ice-barriers in drift since the Bering Strait to the Atlantic,
• the discovery which the drift is primarily due to the winds and to a small extent only to the currents,
• the discovery, thanks to the hydrographic observations, of the existence, under a cold surface layer, several relatively hot sheets of water (until + 1°) and very saltworks,
• the study of the formation of the ices,
• the observation of the existence of an important winged fauna (Mouette S, Petrel S, Stercoraire S, Bunting S).

After its forwarding

On its return, Nansen obtains a post of professor in zoology at the university of Christiana, and writes six volumes of the account of forwarding and of its scientific observations, in 1897 a book publishes Towards the pole , and takes part in the establishment of the international counsel for the exploration of the sea.

It also takes share with the combat for the independence of Norway, proclaimed the May 17th, 1905, and of 1906 with 1908, it is named first Norwegian ambassador with London.

In 1907, it offers its ship, the Fram , with Roald Amundsen for its conquest of the south pole. Of 1910 with 1914, it launches out in various explorations in the Atlantic Ocean Northern, in the Arctic Icy Océan and in Siberia.

At the time of the First World War, Nansen is named in 1917, chief of a Norwegian delegation with Washington, in order to negotiate an agreement to allow the forwarding of essential food. In 1919, he becomes president of the Norwegian Union for the League of the Nations. In April 1920, he works, within the framework of the Société of the Nations, with the organization of the repatriation of the prisoners of war, close to: 450000 soldiers, for the majority of the Germans and the Austrians held in the USSR.

September 1st, 1921, he becomes the first “High-Commissioner for the refugees” of the SDN. July 5th, 1922, an international agreement concluded in Geneva creates the “Nansen passport”, and will permetra with displaced persons to find an identity. This document will be recognized by 54 countries and will be used in particular to thousands as Russians, Greeks, Turks and Armenians to be established in the country of their choice.

For this action, it receives the Nobel Prize of peace the December 10th, 1922. Of 1921 with 1923, it was responsible for the food aid of the Croix-Rouge in the areas of the the Volga and the south of the Ukraine, in Soviet Union.

He dies of a Cerebral emboli, the May 13rd, 1930 with Polhøgda, in the surroundings of Oslo.

In its homage of the craters on the the Moon and Mars bear its name.

The Fram is worth visiting today in a museum of the Bygdøy island close to Oslo, in the vicinity of Drakkar Oseberg and Kon Tiki of Thor Heyerdahl.

Appendix

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