“... A black flag tied to a sleigh runner, nearby are the remains of a camp, traces of sleighs and skis going in both directions, clear prints of dog paws... Then we understood everything. The Norwegians were ahead of us and were the first to reach the Pole. This is a terrible disappointment, and I am very sorry for my faithful comrades. We changed our minds a lot, argued a lot among ourselves. Tomorrow we must go further - to the Pole, and then hurry home as fast as we can. The end of all our dreams; the return will be sad” (entry from the diary of R. F. Scott dated January 18, 1912).

Two attempts by the British to conquer the South Pole - in 1902 and 1909. - turned out to be unsuccessful. Robert Scott managed to advance to latitude 82° 17’, Ernest Shackleton - to 88° 23’. By the way, the news that Shackleton, a former participant in Scott’s 1902 campaign, was going on an independent expedition came as an unpleasant surprise for the latter. He wrote several letters to Shackleton, in which he demanded not to use the shore of McMurdo Sound for the base, since he considered this his exclusive right. After Shackleton was forced to land there, having found nothing more or less suitable around him, Scott began to consider him his personal enemy. I wonder what Navy Captain Scott would have done if Shackleton had achieved his goal? Let us recall that just in 1909 a scandal began over the other pole, the North: Robert Peary, having learned that he had lost the competition to Frederick Cook, used all his connections and a lot of money to throw the more successful competitor into the mud.

But Shackleton “left the race” 180 km before the finish, and in 1910 the British government and the Royal Geographical Society equipped another expedition to Antarctica, and Robert Falcon Scott, leading it, got a second chance. At the end of June, the expedition ship Terra Nova set sail. There were 65 people on board. Scott took with him 33 sled dogs and 15 short Chinese (or perhaps Mongolian or Buryat) horses, as well as two motor sleighs. On board there was a lot of scientific equipment, sufficient supplies of fuel, food and warm clothing.

And in September of the same year, the famous Fram, led by Roald Amundsen, set off for the shores of Antarctica. It was a real sensation. Amundsen dreamed of conquering the North Pole and specifically for this purpose many times turned to Fridtjof Nansen with a request to provide him with this proven vessel, which also brought good luck. However, Nansen himself was not averse to repeating the attempt to reach the Pole and therefore hesitated, but finally agreed to hand over the Fram to Amundsen. He prepared to sail - across the Atlantic, around Cape Horn, further along the Pacific Ocean to the Bering Strait, and then drift, like Nansen, along with the ice through the central part of the Arctic.

And suddenly on September 9, during the approach to Madeira, Amundsen announced to the crew a change in his plans. He later claimed that he decided to go to the southernmost point of the planet spontaneously, having suddenly learned that the North Pole had already been conquered by one of the Americans. In fact, a whole year had passed since Cook and Peary’s victorious telegrams were sent—there was no talk of any surprise. Most likely, for some time he was actually preparing to drift in the Arctic Ocean, but nevertheless he made the decision to sail to Antarctica long before September 1910. By hiding his true plans, he gained time, and by announcing them, he instilled nervousness in English. Scott received a message about Amundsen's plans in October, when the British were in Australia.

Scott's expedition arrived in Antarctica, on the shore of his favorite McMurdo Sound, in January 1911. Around the same time, but to the east, the Fram appeared in Whale Bay, embedded in the Ross Ice Shelf. Almost everyone considered it extremely dangerous to land on the surface of the glacier, especially close to its edge, which constantly breaks off. Risk? Undoubtedly. But Amundsen calculated everything. He knew that in the area of ​​Whale Bay the edge of the glacier had been stable for several decades, more precisely since 1841, when it was discovered by James Clark Ross. At the same time, the Norwegian base turned out to be almost 100 km closer to the pole than Scott’s camp.

The Fram was quickly unloaded. Instead of resting, Amundsen and several companions immediately set off on a campaign to 80° south. w. There he set up a food warehouse. Along the route, beacons were installed at regular intervals - poles with flags, and supplies of food for dogs were also made. At the end of February, Amundsen led another detachment. This time warehouses were built at 81° and 82° south. w. In total, 3 tons of food for people and dog food were delivered to warehouses before the onset of the Antarctic winter. During the winter, several strong and light sleds were made, the weight of the boxes was extremely lightened: the boards were planed to a minimum thickness. The tents were painted black - a bit gloomy, but very noticeable. Amundsen tried to take into account every little detail. According to the great Norwegian, victory is brought not by so-called luck, but by careful consideration of all possible difficulties and dangers and, of course, preparedness for them.

It cannot be said that Scott prepared poorly: like the Norwegians, the British did not waste time and made several reconnaissance and preparatory trips along the future route. In the Antarctic spring, both teams set off for the Pole. But the British left on November 1, and Amundsen on October 20, and the latter’s camp was located much closer to the pole. Amundsen took several dozen sled dogs on the journey; the British again relied on horsepower. There just weren't enough of them. The unfortunate equids were not at all adapted to moving on ice; By the end of the first half of the distance they had all died. By the way, motor sleds turned out to be an even more unreliable means of transportation on the Ice Continent. In general, soon people had to drag the sleigh up the mountain themselves. At the beginning of January 1912, when about 240 km remained to the target, Scott sent back the last auxiliary detachment, and he himself and four companions went on the assault. The British reached the South Pole on January 17, but there was already a tent there with a Norwegian flag and a note from Amundsen. The Norwegians reached the Pole on December 14, having overtaken their competitors by more than a month, and were now finishing their return journey. For the British this was a terrible blow, and for the immensely ambitious Scott it was a real shock.

But I had to go back. At first, everything went well: the five moved from warehouse to warehouse, and the temperature did not drop below -30 ° C. However, every day the headwind

was getting stronger. And then misfortunes began in a continuous series. Junior officer Edgar Evans, a big guy and a joker, taken by Scott into the assault group despite serious violations of discipline, severely cut his hand at the pole, and this had a catastrophic effect on his state of mind. Soon he fell into a crack and received severe bruises, as well as a severe concussion. Evans rapidly lost strength and died on February 17. It became more and more difficult to walk, the weather deteriorated - winter began. Frost in the forties, and a terrible wind that knocked you off your feet. Frostbite began; Lawrence Oates, who was no longer able to walk, was particularly badly affected. One day, at one of the intermediate camps, Oates crawled away in a snowstorm and did not return. Nobody stopped him. This happened on March 17th.

There was not much left to the coastal base, but there was even less strength, and food and fuel were running out. To top off all the troubles, there was a monstrous snowstorm that did not allow me to take a single step. Scott's diary is evidence of the gradual fading of hope for salvation. The last entry in it is dated March 29: “Since the 21st, a continuous storm has been raging... Every day we were ready to go - the warehouse is only 11 miles - but there is no way to leave the tent, the snow is blowing and swirling. I don’t think we can hope for anything else now... It’s a pity, but I don’t think I’ll be able to write. R. Scott."

Only the next summer, eight months later, the members of the English expedition found Scott’s tent, which had withstood all the winds. The bodies of Robert Scott, Edward Wilson and Henry Bowers lay in sleeping bags. Scott was the last to die: only his bag was not closed. Next to him they found notebooks, a camera, and film cassettes. Among the things were geological samples.

What about the winners? The entire route - to the Pole and back, about 3 thousand km in total - took Amundsen and his comrades 99 days. On the way back, the Norwegians were inspired by victory, while the British, on the contrary, were crushed by the monstrous burden of defeat. The British walked, and the Norwegians were carried by the remaining dogs. Amundsen and his comrades managed to cover the entire route before the weather worsened; Scott and his companions were caught by winter halfway to the shore. And finally, the same initial head start - a 100 km advantage and an earlier start on the road. These are, perhaps, all the reasons for the victory of some and the defeat of others - remember Amundsen’s statement about luck.

Subsequently, many accused Amundsen of cruelty to dogs. The fact is that food warehouses could not be installed along the entire route. Amundsen decided to use his dogs not only as draft force, but also as a source of food (an Eskimo dog produces about 25 kg of meat), which also does not need to be transported. He calculated when each dog should be shot in order to turn it from a means of transportation into food. Cruel? Of course - in relation to the dogs who faithfully served people. What about people? It is probably worth admitting that Amundsen was right in choosing the best option - from the point of view of human survival. The Norwegian himself believed that this circumstance was the main factor in reaching the South Pole and safely returning to the coastal base.

For a very long time the British considered Robert Scott to be the true conqueror of the Pole.

FIGURES AND FACTS

Main characters

Roald Amundsen, Norwegian polar explorer; Robert Scott, English officer, polar explorer

Other characters

Englishmen E. Evans, L. Oates, E. Wilson, G. Bowers; Norwegians O. Wisting, H. Hansen and others.

Time of action

Many people dreamed of reaching the South Pole, among them the French navigator Jean-Baptiste Charcot, a famous explorer of the Arctic and Antarctic (he died in 1936 during another expedition to Greenland).

Nansen also dreamed of being the first to reach the pole in Antarctica, intending to go to the southern polar seas on his beloved Fram. In 1909 Englishman Ernest Shackleton and his comrades penetrated into the very heart of the continent and were forced to turn to the coast just 100 miles from the Pole due to an acute shortage of food.

In October 1911, in the frosty Antarctic spring, two expeditions, Norwegian and British, rushed to the South Pole almost simultaneously. One was led by Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), a polar explorer who had already spent the winter on a ship in Antarctic waters at the end of the 19th century. And he managed to become famous in the Arctic, having overcome the labyrinth of the Canadian archipelago on the tiny boat “Yoa” in 1903-1906.

The second is Captain First Rank, Commander of the Order of Victoria, Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912). Scott was a naval officer who managed to command both cruisers and battleships in his time.

At the very beginning of the 20th century, he spent two years on the Antarctic coast, leading a research wintering camp. A small detachment led by Scott attempted to penetrate into the interior of the continent, and in three months they managed to advance almost 1000 miles towards the pole. Returning to his homeland, he began to prepare for the next expedition. When their ship "Tera Nova" was on the way to Antarctica, the British learned that the "Fram" was heading there at full speed with the Amundsen expedition on board and the goal of the Norwegians was the same South Pole!

The further competition went under the motto: “who will win?” Amundsen extremely skillfully chose the place of wintering and future launch - as much as 100 miles closer to the pole than Scott. On their route, which passed at an angle to the route of the British, Amundsen’s people did not encounter either terrible cold or deadly prolonged snowstorms. The Norwegian detachment completed the round trip in a much shorter time, without going beyond the short Arctic summer. And here we can only pay tribute to the organizer of the expedition.

And so, on January 17, 1912, Robert Scott and his comrades arrived at the geographic point of the South Pole. Here they saw the remains of someone else's camp, traces of sledges, dog paws and a tent with a flag - exactly a month before them, their rival reached the Pole. With his characteristic brilliance, without a single casualty, without serious injuries, following the route schedule he had drawn up almost to the minute (and, what looks absolutely fantastic, predicting with the same accuracy the timing of the return to the coastal base), Amundsen demonstrated another and far from my last achievement.

The following entry appeared in Scott’s diary: “The Norwegians were ahead of us. A terrible disappointment, and I feel pain for my faithful comrades. None of us could sleep as a result of the blow we received...”

The British detachment set off on the return journey, following from one intermediate warehouse with food and fuel to another. But they were stopped forever by the endless March snowstorm.

Their bodies were discovered more than seven months later by a rescue team that went out to search for them. Next to Scott's body was a bag containing diaries and farewell letters. There were also 35 pounds of samples collected during the route on the rocks framing the Antarctic glaciers. The British continued to carry these stones even when death was already staring them in the eye.

The last line in the diary was a phrase that later spread throughout the world: “For God’s sake, don’t leave our loved ones...”

Admitting to his wife that there was no chance of salvation, Robert Scott asked her to interest their son in natural history, so that in the future he would continue his work as a traveler-naturalist. Dr. Peter Scott (he was not even a year old when his father set off on his last expedition) became an outstanding biologist and ecologist, one of the leaders of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

On the coast of the mainland near the base of the British expedition, on the top of a high hill facing the majestic ice Ross Barrier, a three-meter cross made of Australian eucalyptus rose.

On it is a gravestone inscription in memory of the five victims and the final words of the classic of British poetry: “Fight, seek, find and do not give up!”

Amundsen, having learned about the death of Scott and his companions, wrote: “I would sacrifice glory, absolutely everything, to bring him back to life. My triumph is overshadowed by the thought of his tragedy. It haunts me!”

Amundsen and Scott, Scott and Amundsen... Today, at the very point that brought a great victory to one and a fatal defeat to the other, an Antarctic station called Amundsen-Scott is conducting scientific research.

Amundsen-Scott station: travel seasonality, life at the station, reviews of tours to the Amundsen-Scott station.

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“Place of residence - South Pole” - this is what the inhabitants of the American polar base “Amundsen-Scott” could rightfully write in their personal questionnaire. Founded in 1956 and continuously inhabited year-round ever since, Amundsen-Scott Station is an example of how humans can adapt to the most unfavorable living conditions. And not only adapt - build a comfortable home that can withstand the harsh climate of Antarctica for many years. In the era of commercial expeditions to the South Pole, Amundsen-Scott became a host home for tourists who came to trample underfoot the extreme southern point of the Earth. Travelers spend only a few hours here, but during this time they manage to get acquainted with the amazing life of the station and even send a postcard home with the stamp “South Pole”.

A little history

Amundsen-Scott is the first Antarctic station in the interior of the continent. It was founded in 1956, 45 years after the conquest of the South Pole, and bears the name of the glorious pioneers of the icy continent - the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and the Englishman Robert Scott. At the time of its founding, the station was located exactly at 90° south latitude, but by now, due to the movement of ice, it has deviated slightly from the South Pole point, which is now located about 100 meters from the station.

The original station was built under the ice, and scientific activities were carried out there until 1975. Then a domed base was erected, which served as a home for polar explorers until 2003. And then a large-scale structure appeared here on jack piles, which made it possible to raise the building as it was covered with snow. According to forecasts, it will last another 30-45 years.

The interiors here are no different from ordinary American “public places” - only massive doors that close like a safe indicate that this is happening in Antarctica.

Climate of the Amundsen-Scott station

The Amundsen-Scott station is located at an altitude of 2800 meters above sea level, which, taking into account the high rarity of the air in the South Pole region, turns into an actual 3500 meters, corresponding to the high mountain regions of the Earth.

The polar day lasts here from September 23 to March 21, and the peak of the “tourist season” occurs in December - January, when the temperature is most suitable for expeditions. At this time of year the thermometer does not show below -30 °C. Well, in winter there is about -60 °C and complete darkness, illuminated only by the northern lights.

Life at Amundsen-Scott Station

From 40 to 200 people permanently live on the Amundsen-Scott - scientists, researchers and professional polar explorers. In the summer, life here is in full swing - after all, outside the window it is a comfortable -22...-30 °C, and the sun shines around the clock. But for the winter, a little more than fifty people remain at the station to maintain its operation and continue scientific research. However, from mid-February to the end of October, access here from the outside world is closed.

The station is literally crammed with high-tech equipment: there is an 11-kilometer antenna for observing cosmic storms, a super-powerful telescope and a drilling rig embedded more than two kilometers into the ice, used for experiments on neutrino particles.

What to see

Tourists are allowed into the Amundsen-Scott station only for a few hours. The interiors are no different from ordinary American “public places” - only massive doors that close like a safe indicate that this is happening in Antarctica. A dining room, a gym, a hospital, a music studio, a laundry and a store, a greenhouse and a post office - this is all the simple life.

Amundsen-Scott (English: Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station) is a permanently inhabited US Antarctic station at the South Pole, operating since 1956. Located at an altitude of 2835 meters above sea level. The first station in the depths of Antarctica (not on the coast of the mainland). The station was built in November 1956 for scientific purposes by order of the US government.

Chronology

When opened (in 1956 as part of the International Geophysical Year), the station was located exactly at the South Pole, but at the beginning of 2006, due to ice movement, the station was approximately 100 meters from the geographic south pole. The station got its name in honor of the discoverers of the South Pole - Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott, who reached their goal in 1911-1912. The station is located at an altitude of 2835 m above sea level, on a glacier that nearby reaches a maximum thickness of 2850 m (2005). The average annual temperature is about −49 °C; varies from −28 °C in December to −60 °C in July. Average wind speed - 5.5 m/s; gusts of up to 27 m/s were recorded.

Foundation of the station (1957-1975)

The original station - now called Old Pole - was founded in 1956-1957 by an 18-man US Navy expedition that landed there in October 1956 and wintered there for the first time in Antarctic history in 1957. Since climatic conditions were previously unknown, the base was built under the ice to overcome any weather conditions. The lowest temperature in 1957 was recorded at −74 °C (−102 °F). Surviving such low temperatures, combined with low humidity and low air pressure, is only possible with proper protection. The station, abandoned in 1957, is covered with snow (like any structure at the South Pole) at a rate of 60-80 mm per year. Now it is buried quite deeply and is completely closed to visitors, since all the wooden floors have been crushed by the snow. On January 4, 1958, the Transantarctic Expedition of the British Commonwealth arrived at the station with the famous mountaineer Edmund Hillary. It was the first expedition to use road transport and the first to reach the Pole by land, since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912. The expedition moved from the New Zealand station "Scott Bays".

Dome (1975-2003)

The aluminum unheated “tent” is a landmark of the pole. There was even a post office, a shop and a pub. Any building at the pole is quickly surrounded by snow and the design of the dome was not the most successful. A huge amount of fuel was wasted to remove snow, and delivery of a liter of fuel costs $7. The 1975 equipment is completely outdated.

New scientific complex (since 2003)

The unique design on stilts allows snow not to accumulate near the building, but to pass under it. The sloped shape of the bottom of the building allows the wind to be directed under the building, which helps blow snow away. But sooner or later the snow will cover the piles, and then it will be possible twice...

Since they talked about Scott, here’s what was written (even before the community opened) for the anniversary of the conquest of the Pole.

In fact, he explored the Arctic and was going not to the South Pole, but to the North Pole - for which he began to prepare back in 1907, so that in 1910 he would drift with the Arctic ice, which, like an elevator, would take him where he needed to go. He actually planned everything very carefully. This is a common thing in Norway: no one is in a hurry.

Amundsen's Arctic plan was supported by the Norwegian polar guru Nansen, who was then serving as ambassador in London. Twelve years earlier, Nansen himself, with a huge budget and full government support, did not reach the North Pole by less than six degrees: although this is a world record for 1895, it still failed, even taking into account the heroic winter on Novaya Zemlya. The government placed at Amundsen's disposal the legendary egg-shaped Fram, the most indestructible wooden ship in the world: first Nansen and then Sverdrup successfully sailed on it on the ice, who crossed paths with Robert Peary during this trip and quarreled with him in absentia.

And so in 1908, when the leisurely Amundsen had already approved the budget, the American Cook suddenly announced the conquest of the North Pole. About this Cook (not the James supposedly eaten by aborigines!) They are still arguing whether he is a liar: for example, as it turned out, he did not climb to the top of McKinley in Alaska, although he also boasted. So whether he really was at the Pole has not been established. Cook had a generally bad ending: he got burned trading oil-bearing lands in Texas and ended up in prison, and Amundsen, who greatly respected him, allegedly brought him packages there a couple of times.

While the world was arguing about Cook, Peary managed to reach the North Pole with the last of his strength (no fools here, although it has now been calculated that he missed by eight miles) - so Amundsen’s grandiose Arctic campaign lost all meaning: and yet this The adventure was planned for 5 years, starting in 1910. Amundsen almost instantly (by Norwegian standards) decides to reorient himself to the South Pole, without telling anyone: only two were initiated, namely the captain of the ship and his personal lawyer. Amundsen arrived just in time, and the race to the South Pole began.

But the job was done, Fram circled Africa and, almost without stopping, by the beginning of 1911 reached the ice border in the Ross Sea: from there it is closest to the Pole. Almost simultaneously, Scott set up camp at the other end of the Ross Sea in McMurdo Sound. It took about six months to lay out the route and lay out intermediate bases: everything went according to Amundsen’s plan. The first attempt to move to the pole was made in August-September - at the end of winter, when it seemed that it was getting warmer and dissipating. Now winterers call this month nothing more than the f***ing month of August- and then it was the first experience of a ski and sleigh trip at minus 56 degrees, when nothing was moving on the snow. Amundsen wisely turned around on September 15 - without casualties and without significant damage, although two of the eight members of the detachment received serious frostbite on the way back, and on the final day there was complete chaos. Now they are arguing that if he had reached it then, Scott would have surrendered and, perhaps, would have remained alive. But this is all speculation, of course.

One way or another, having trained well, placed as many strong points as possible along the route and learned the lessons of the September false start, Amundsen with four people and fifty dogs set off from a coastal camp on October 19 - and by December 14 he successfully reached the South Pole, killing three dozen dogs along the way . Having left a tent with a Norwegian flag with a note at the pole and having lost four or five more dogs, the detachment returned to camp without losses just in time for lunch on January 25, 1912, having spent 99 days on the road (according to the plan it was exactly 100). A week earlier, Amundsen's note was read by Scott, who two months and four days later was destined to freeze to death just ten miles from the nearest fuel and supplies depot. Amundsen was very sad: he didn’t want to kill anyone, his plan just turned out to be better. It is known that, noticeably enriched after this success, Amundsen transferred significant funds to the family of Scott, whom he sincerely considered a hero. This is perhaps the only thing that Amundsen did not have according to plan.