Nils Nordensheld
Sweden- Biography of Nils Nordenskjold
- Exploratory Work in Greenland
- The Idea of the Northeast Passage
- The Vega Expedition
- Wintering and Return
Biography of Nils Nordenskjold
Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskjold (1832-1901) was a Swedish geologist and Arctic explorer. He was born and educated in Finland. As a student, he showed great abilities but due to his leftist views and outspokenness, he fell out of favor with the university authorities and Russian authorities. Eventually, he emigrated to Sweden and later led the Swedish expedition.
Exploratory Work in Greenland
Nordenskjold began his exploratory work in 1870 with a journey to Greenland. Unlike his predecessors, he did not settle for studying the coastline but attempted to penetrate the interior of the ice cap. However, he was only able to advance 50 kilometers and reach an elevation of 660 meters. Despite the modest extent of his journey, it provided new information about the structure of Greenland's ice cover. Nordenskjold returned to Greenland multiple times and also visited Spitsbergen. During one of his trips to Greenland, he ventured 120 kilometers inland from the coast.
The Idea of the Northeast Passage
But soon, Nordenskjold became obsessed with the idea of opening the Northeast Passage. He acquired a small vessel and sailed to the mouth of the Yenisei River. Here, he found a convenient harbor on a small island and named it Port Dickson, in honor of the man who helped him financially with the expedition. This trip was merely a reconnaissance mission, but it convinced Nordenskjold that overcoming the Northeast Passage was entirely feasible. Upon his return to Sweden, Nordenskjold, with the assistance of Dickson and Russian merchant Siberiakov, outfitted a larger steamship called the "Vega." With a diverse group of scientists and sailors from different nationalities, Nordenskjold set sail from Gothenburg in the summer of 1878. The expedition was well-organized, with a suitable steamship chosen for polar navigation and meticulous preparations made.
The Vega Expedition
The "Vega," accompanied by the steamer "Lena," quickly circumvented Norway, crossed the Barents Sea, and entered the Kara Sea through the Yugorsky Shar Strait. On August 19, the ships rounded Cape Chelyuskin, after which the "Lena," as planned from the beginning, turned towards the Lena River. The ice conditions that year favored the "Vega's" journey. Occasionally, fog, ice, and headwinds hindered their progress, especially when circumnavigating the Taymyr Peninsula. But overall, the expedition progressed so successfully that Nordenskjold hoped to cross the Bering Strait before the sea froze, thus completing the Northeast Passage in one summer. The steamship was already close to its destination when the ice began to accumulate. Movement slowed down, and on September 28, the expedition was forced to winter, falling 300 kilometers short of the strait. However, the prospect of wintering did not frighten them, as the ship was well-prepared. The scientists even rejoiced, hoping to utilize the winter for scientific observations.
Wintering and Return
The "Vega" remained trapped in the ice for 289 days. Expeditions were even organized worldwide to rescue the "Vega." One of these, described below, ended tragically. Only on July 18 the following year did they get the opportunity to continue their journey. After passing through the strait, Nordenskjold visited Alaska, the Bering Island, and Yokohama before circumnavigating Asia and returning to Sweden. He succeeded in completing the passage without a single loss, accomplishing a feat that humanity had been striving for over 350 years. Nordenskjold's expedition gave hope that the Northeast Passage could be crossed in one season if one set out early enough. There were even hopes of utilizing the Northeast Passage as a major trade route in the North.
