Race To The South Pole Views
The Terra Nova Expedition (1910–1913), officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had preceded them by 33 days. Scott's entire party died on the return journey from the pole; some of their bodies, journals, and photographs were discovered by a search party eight months later.
Scott defined the objects of the expedition in his initial public appeal: The main objective of this expedition is to reach the South Pole, and to secure for The British Empire the honour of this achievement. [36] There were other objectives, both scientific and geographical; the scientific work was considered by chief scientist Wilson as the main work of the expedition: No one can say that it will have only been a Pole-hunti ... We want the scientific work to make the bagging of the Pole merely an item in the results. [43] Wilson hoped to continue investigations, begun during the Discovery expedition, of the penguin colony at Cape Crozier,[44] and to fulfil a programme of geological, magnetic and meteorology studies on an unprecedented scale.[36] There were further plans to explore King EdwardS VII Land, a venture described by Campbell, who was to lead it, as the thing of the whole expedition ,[45] and Victoria Land.[36]
Terra Nova sailed from Cardiff, Wales, on 15 June 1910.[46] Scott, detained by expedition business, sailed later on a faster passenger liner and joined the ship in South Africa.[47] In Melbourne, Australia, he left the ship to continue fund-raising, while Terra Nova proceeded to New Zealand.[48] Waiting for Scott in Melbourne was a telegram from Amundsen, informing Scott that the Norwegian was proceeding south ;[49] the telegram was the first indication to Scott that he was in a race. When asked by the press for a reaction, Scott replied that his plans would not change and that he would not sacrifice the expedition's scientific goals to win the race to the Pole.[48] In his diary he wrote that Amundsen had a fair chance of success, and perhaps deserved his luck if he got through.[50]
On 13 September 1911, Scott revealed his plans for the South Pole march. Sixteen men would set out, using motor-sledges, ponies and dogs for the Barrier stage of the journey, which would bring them to the Beardmore Glacier. At this point the dogs would return to base and the ponies would be shot for food. Thereafter, twelve men in three groups would ascend the glacier and begin the crossing of the polar plateau, using man-hauling. Only one of these groups would carry on to the pole; the supporting groups would be sent back at specified latitudes. The composition of the final polar group would be decided by Scott during the journey.[102]
Race To The South Pole Images
