Nimrod Expedition
The Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909 was the first of three successful expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton. Its main target, among a range of geographical and scientific objectives, was to be first to the South Pole. This was not attained, but the expedition’s southern march reached a Farthest South latitude of 88° 23′ S. A separate group led by Welsh Australian geology professor Edgeworth David reached the estimated location of the South Magnetic Pole. The expedition also achieved the first ascent of Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s second highest volcano.
About Nimrod Expedition in brief
The Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909 was the first of three successful expeditions to the Antarctic led by Ernest Shackleton. Its main target, among a range of geographical and scientific objectives, was to be first to the South Pole. This was not attained, but the expedition’s southern march reached a Farthest South latitude of 88° 23′ S, just 97. 5 nautical miles from the pole. A separate group led by Welsh Australian geology professor Edgeworth David reached the estimated location of the South Magnetic Pole. The expedition also achieved the first ascent of Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s second highest volcano. It was beset by financial problems and its preparations were hurried. Controversy arose from Shackleton’s decision to base the expedition in McMurdo Sound, close to Scott’s old headquarters, in contravention of a promise to Scott that he would not do so. On his return, Shackleton overcame the Royal Geographical Society’s initial scepticism about his achievements and received many public honours, including a knighthood from King Edward VII. He made little financial gain from the expedition and eventually depended on a government grant to cover its liabilities. Within three years his southernmost record had been surpassed, as first Amundsen and then Scott reached the South pole. In 1906 he was working for the industrial magnate Sir William Beardmore as a public relations officer. He began looking for potential backers for an expedition of his own; his initial plans appear in an unpublished document dated early 1906. These include a cost estimate of £17,000 for the entire expedition.
Other journeys would follow, and there would be a continuous programme of scientific work. In the event, Henry Arctowski was planning an expedition, which was announced at the same day as Shackleton’s. This plan also revealed early plans involving motor traction, specially-born ponies, and a combination of sled dogs and a specially designed combination of motor traction and sled dogs. Shackleton was stillborn, and his original plan envisaged basing himself at the old Discovery Expedition headquarters. He received his first promise of financial backing when his employer, Beardmore, offered a £7,000 loan on 12 February 1907. One reason for the urgency was the knowledge that the Polish explorer Henry Arkkowski was also planning a similar expedition. The British Antarctic Expedition was announced on the same date as the RGS expedition, and would launch on 13 February 1908. It would be the first expedition to reach the geographical South Pole and the second to reach Antarctica’s magnetic north pole. The scientific team, which included the future Australasian Antarctic Expedition leader Douglas Mawson, carried out extensive geological, zoological and meteorological work. It also carried out a series of geological, geological and Meteorological work, including the first observation of the North Magnetic Pole, as well as the discovery of the formation of the Ross Sea Iceberg. The ship, Nimrod, was less than half of the size of Robert Falcon Scott’s 1901–1904 expedition ship Discovery, and its crew lacked relevant experience.
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This page is based on the article Nimrod Expedition published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
