The first attempt to reach the South Pole was made by the Englishman Robert Scott in 1902. But he only reached 82 ° 17 "south latitude. Returning to England, Scott began to prepare for the next more serious expedition to the South Pole. But one of the participants in his first expedition, Ernest Shackleton, who arrived at home earlier, decided to get ahead of him. rivalry for the conquest of the South Pole Shackleton arrived on the coast of Antarctica in early 1908. On January 9, 1909, he and his companions reached 88 ° 23 "south latitude. Only 180 kilometers remained to the Pole, but food was negligible. I had to turn back. After that, Japan and Germany began to prepare expeditions to the South Pole. And then, unexpectedly, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who was preparing an expedition to the Arctic on the ship Fram, entered the competition. But he, having learned that the North Pole had been reached, secretly changed the purpose of the expedition and decided to go to Antarctica to conquer the South Pole. At first, he did not tell anyone about his decision, even the members of the expedition.

On May 1, 1910, the Fram was moored in Akershus to load equipment. On June 2, the royal couple was on board, hosted by Amundsen and Nansen. On June 3, the Fram was relocated to Bunnefjord, where a dismantled house was loaded on board for wintering in Antarctica. On June 7, they sailed for a short cruise in the North Sea and around the British Isles - this was a preliminary test of a marine diesel engine, during which oceanographic research was carried out. Severe storms have shortened sailing. On July 11, "Fram" returned to Bergen, and on July 23 - to Christiania (to take dried fish, dogs, etc.). Here, the assistant commander Ertsen and Lieutenant Prestrud were dedicated to the true goals of the expedition.

2 Madeira, Funchal

Roald Amundsen handed over the management of all his affairs to his brother Leon. Even before the Fram left Christiania, Leon Amundsen made a trip to Madeira, where he checked the quantity and quality of supplies for the transition of his brother's team to Antarctica, subsequent wintering and assault on the pole.

The Fram arrived at Funchal on September 6, 1910. For a few days, the team was dismissed. The parking lasted until September 9: the propeller bearings were repaired and 35 tons of fresh water were stored (it was poured even into large boats and fuel tanks).

On September 9, an incident occurred: local newspapers published reports of Amundsen's campaign to the South Pole. Amundsen assembled a team and clarified his true intentions, inviting those who disagreed to return to their homeland at his expense. Helmer Hansen described it this way: “Each of us, one by one, was asked whether he agreed with this new plan for us and whether he wanted to overcome the South instead of the North Pole. The result was that all of us, as one, answered yes. This is where the show ended."

Leon Amundsen went ashore with three letters from his brother addressed to the King, Nansen and the Norwegian people. The messages were delivered to the King and Nansen on 1 October.

Roald Amundsen's letter to the Norwegian people (as amended by Leon Amundsen) was reprinted by many newspapers in Norway on 2 October. On the same day, Leon Amundsen sent a telegram in English to Christchurch, signed by his brother, addressed to Robert Scott: “I have the honor to inform the Fram is heading for Antarctica. Amundsen. She reached the addressee on October 12.

At 21:00 on September 9, the Fram left Madeira. The next stop was supposed to be made at Kerguelen, but bad weather prevented us from approaching it. The equator was crossed on October 4th.

On January 1, 1911, the first iceberg was seen; on January 2, the expedition crossed the Antarctic Circle. The passage through the pack ice took four days. On January 11, the Great Ice Barrier was seen, on January 14, 1911, the Fram entered the Bay of Whales.

3 Wintering at Framheim

The landing of the Amundsen team on the coast of the Bay of Whales took place on January 15, 1911. The transportation of building materials took place on January 15-16, 1911, and the wintering house was brought under the roof on January 21. Housewarming was celebrated on January 28, the house was named "Framheim". On this day, more than 900 boxes of provisions were transported from the ship to the base. On February 4, the barque "Terra Nova" - the supply ship of Robert Scott, visited the Bay of Whales, some members of the expedition of which visited both the "Fram" and the Amundsen coastal base.

Amundsen announced the list of participants in the campaign to the South Pole on December 1, 1910, when the Fram was still at sea. The wintering detachment included the following persons: Roald Amundsen - head of the expedition, head of the sledge party on the campaign to the South Pole, Olaf Bjoland - an experienced skier and carpenter, Oscar Wisting - skier and musher, Jorgen Stubberud - carpenter, participant in the campaign to King Edward VII Land , Christian Prestrud - lieutenant of the Norwegian Navy, immediate head of Wisting at the Horten shipyard, head of the sledge party to King Edward VII Land, carried out meteorological and other measurements on the expedition, Frederik Hjalmar Johansen - reserve captain of the Norwegian army, member of the Norwegian polar expedition in 1893-1896 , Helmer Hansen - skier, Sverre Hassel - skier, Adolf Henrik Lindstrom - cook and food master, member of the expeditions of Sverdrup and Amundsen.

On February 10, 1911, Amundsen, Johansen, Hansen and Prestrud set off for 80° S. sh. on three sleighs, reaching their destination on the 14th. They were supposed to lay a base warehouse for a trip to the South. They returned on February 16, the day before the Fram had left the Bay of Whales. Subsequent campaigns of the Amundsen group to the south were based on the camp of the 80th latitude. The road was marked with bamboo milestones with black flags; when the milestones were over, they were perfectly replaced by dried cod. The people who remained at the base stocked up more than 60 tons of seal. As a result of three campaigns (until April 11), warehouses were laid up to 82 ° S. sh., where over 3,000 kg of provisions were brought, including 1,200 kg of seals, and fuel. The chief did not participate in the last (April) campaign: he suffered from bleeding from the rectum and recovered only by June. These were the consequences of an injury received on Gyoa. Johansen commanded the last campaign as the most experienced polar explorer in the team.

The polar night at the Framheim latitude began on April 21, 1911 and lasted until August 24. The wintering took place in a favorable environment, for the necessary work the Norwegians built a snowy town, where there was even a sauna. The winterers had a gramophone and a set of records, mostly of the classical repertoire. For entertainment, cards and darts served, as well as reading (the library included 80 books).

Throughout the polar winter, intensive preparations for the campaign went on. Bjoland, having made sure that the surface of the glacier was flat, reduced the weight of the sled from 80 to 30 kg - they were originally intended for heavy terrain. Johansen spent the winter packing up provisions so as not to waste time unpacking and weighing them on the way.

4 Unsuccessful exit to the pole

By the onset of the polar day, the Chief was impatient - his team was 650 km from Scott's group and 96 km closer to the pole, so it was impossible to judge the weather conditions of competitors (at that time it was not yet known that it was colder in Framheim than At Scott's base, the average winter temperature reached -38 °C at Amundsen and -27 °C at Scott, but Scott's main draft force was horses, which determined the later release dates). Amundsen was particularly concerned about the news of Scott's motor sleigh, so he decided to perform on September 1, 1911. However, even 4 days before departure, the temperature did not rise above -57 °C. Only on August 31 it warmed up to -26 ° С, but then the weather deteriorated again.

The team included 8 people (except Lindstrom, the permanent keeper of the base) with all the dogs that survived the winter, of which 86 remained. The first attempt to hike to the South Pole was made on September 8, 1911 at -37 ° С. The trip turned out to be unsuccessful: when the temperature dropped to -56 ° C, the skis did not slip, and the dogs could not sleep. The vodka taken on the trip froze.

The polar explorers decided to get to the warehouse at 80 ° S. sh., unload the sledges there and return to Framheim. On September 16, Amundsen rushed back to base. The return turned into an unorganized flight, in which each polar explorer was left to himself. The time interval between the return of the members of the expedition to Framheim was 6 hours, the lantern was not even lit at the base to make it easier for those who were behind to orient themselves in space. Along the way, Johansen saved the less experienced Prestrud from certain death in a snowstorm and in the extreme cold of -60 ° C: his entire dog team fell.

The next morning, upon his return to Framheim, Johansen sharply criticized Amundsen's leadership. Irritated by the opposition, Amundsen expelled Johansen from the polar party despite being the expedition's most experienced musher. Johansen, together with Prestrud and Stubberud, who supported him, instead of a prestigious campaign to the geographical pole, were sent by Amundsen on a minor expedition to the Land of King Edward VII. In addition, Captain Johansen was now subordinate to the notoriously less trained thirty-year-old Lieutenant Prestrud.

5 Leaving Framheim

Only in October 1911 did signs of the Antarctic spring appear. Nevertheless, the weather in the 1911/1912 season was abnormally cold: temperatures were between -30 °C and -20 °C, while the norm was -15 °C - -10 °C.

On October 20, five participants of the polar campaign set off. They had 4 sleds and 52 dogs. The first warehouse at 80 ° S. sh. reached October 23 and arranged a two-day halt. Starting from October 26, the expedition began to build snow pyramids about 2 m high for orientation in space (frequent cloudy weather on the Antarctic glacier generally leads to disorientation), they were erected every 3 miles. The initial 180 miles of the journey were marked with poles with flags and other milestones. The last of the previously laid down warehouses was reached on November 5 in dense fog. Then the path passed through unknown territory. On November 9, the team reached 83°S. sh., where a large warehouse was laid for the return trip. Here I had to shoot several pregnant bitches, which were buried in the snow in reserve.

6 Ascent to the Polar Plateau

On November 11, the Transantarctic Mountains appeared, the highest peaks were named Fridtjof Nansen and Don Pedro Christophersen. Geological samples were collected here and left in an intermediate warehouse. On November 17, the team approached the border of the ice shelf, the ascent to the Polar Plateau was coming. There were 550 km to the Pole.

On the last push to the Pole, Amundsen took provisions for 60 days, a 30-day supply remained in a warehouse at 84 ° S. sh. By this time there were 42 dogs left. It was decided to climb the plateau, kill 24 dogs and move to the pole with 18. Six more dogs were supposed to be slaughtered along the way, 12 animals were supposed to return to the camp.

The ascent to the plateau began on November 18 under the canopy of Mount Betty, named after Amundsen's old nurse, the Swede Elisabeth Gustavson. On the first day, the team covered 18.5 km, rising 600 meters above sea level. Wisting and Hansen reconnoitered an ascent of a glacier about 1300 m high, the length of which could not be determined (he received the name of Axel Heiberg). Then there were other passes, up to 2400 m high. On November 21, 31 km were passed with an ascent to a height of 1800 m.

7 Camp "Slaughterhouse"

On November 21, the camp was called “Slaughterhouses”: each musher killed his dogs, on which the choice fell, Amundsen did not participate in this, taking on the duties of a cook. 24 dogs were butchered and buried in a glacier, and also partially eaten on the spot. The sun came out for a short time, after which it was possible to determine that the expedition reached 85 ° 36 "S. Lat. The two-day rest with plentiful food strengthened the dogs, but further the team met with great difficulties, as evidenced by the names given to these places: Devil's Glacier and Dance Floor "Devil. These were zones of deep cracks at an altitude of 3030 m above sea level and a steep glacier. The mountains discovered further were named Helland-Hansen. Amundsen was worried: climbing equipment was left in a warehouse below, but managed to find a relatively gentle glacier to climb.

Temperatures hovered around -20°C all along with gale-force winds, dogs and team members suffering from altitude sickness. Constant storm winds brought new problems.

On December 6, the Norwegians reached the highest point on the route - 3260 m above sea level - and on the same day broke Shackleton's 1909 record. The nerves of the team were on edge: petty quarrels often flared up.

8 South Pole

Amundsen and his comrades reached the Pole on December 14 at 15:00 Framheim time. The plain surrounding it was named after Haakon VII (Shackleton named it after Edward VII). The conquest of the Pole was celebrated by smoking cigars, stocked by Bjoland. Since there were eight cigars - according to the number of original team members, three of them went to Amundsen.

Due to the heated debate that accompanied the discussions of the reports of polar expeditions and, in particular, the competing claims of Frederick Cook and Robert Peary that they had reached the North Pole first, Amundsen approached the definition of geographical location with special responsibility. Amundsen believed that his instruments would determine the position with an error of no better than one nautical mile, so he decided to "surround" the pole with ski runs at a distance of 10 miles from the calculated point.

Since the theodolite was damaged, the observation was made using a sextant. The sun made a circle around the camp in 24 hours, not hiding behind the horizon. After making measurements and calculations, Amundsen determined that their current position was about 5.5 miles (8.5 kilometers) away from the mathematical point of the South Pole. This place was also "surrounded" by skis.

On December 17, Amundsen decided that he was at the true point of the South Pole and undertook a new 24-hour measurement cycle, with each observation performed by two people with careful recording in the navigation log. Four out of five travelers were qualified as navigators (except for Olaf Bjoland).

This time, from Amundsen's calculations, it followed that the group was 1.5 miles (about 2.4 kilometers) from the pole, and two expeditioners marked with flags and "surrounded" the calculated place. Thus, for the sake of authenticity of the conquest, the South Pole was “surrounded” by the expedition three times. A silk tent, the Pulheim, was left at the Pole with letters to Robert Scott and the King of Norway.

Amundsen left a letter at the South Pole with the following content: “Dear Captain Scott, since you will probably be the first to reach this place after us, I kindly request that this letter be sent to King Haakon VII. If you need any of the items in this tent, feel free to use them. I sincerely wish you a safe return. Sincerely yours, Roald Amundsen.

9 Return to Framheim

They returned quickly: the Devil's Glacier was reached on January 2, 1912, the descent took one day. The weather deteriorated sharply: fog descended. In the fog on January 5, the expedition nearly missed the Slaughterhouse, which Wisting accidentally found when he stumbled upon his own broken ski. On the same day, a storm broke out at a temperature of -23 ° C. The success achieved, however, did not improve the relationship of the team members: once Bjoland and Hassel were severely reprimanded for snoring. Hassel complained in his diary that Amundsen "always chooses the most hostile and haughty tone of reprimand"; by that time, only H. Hansen had maintained good relations with the Chief.

On January 7, the Norwegians were at the foot of the Axel Heiberg glacier, in the same place that they left on November 19, at an altitude of 900 m above sea level. Here the team adopted a new routine: after 28 kilometers of crossing, a 6-hour halt was made, then a new crossing, etc. After the new collection of geological data, one dog was killed (11 remained), and 17 liters were buried in a stone pyramid at the foot of the glacier kerosene in a can and matches. The expedition had provisions for 35 days of travel and intermediate warehouses at every degree of latitude. From that day on, the expeditionaries ate meat every day.

The team arrived at Framheim at 04:00 on January 26, 1912 with two sleds and 11 dogs. The distance traveled was just under 3,000 km, so for a 99-day journey the average journey was 36 km.

10 Hobart

Amundsen's nervous tension only increased after returning from the pole, especially since he did not know that he had already defeated Scott: he had to return to civilization as soon as possible and report the results. Outwardly, this was expressed in the fact that in the diary and letters Amundsen generally ceased to adhere to the generally accepted Norwegian spelling. On the evening of January 30, the Fram left the Bay of Whales in thick fog and for about 5 weeks crossed the fields of pack ice, heading for Hobart, although Lyttelton in New Zealand was closer, but this was Scott's main base.

The Fram arrived in Hobart on March 7, 1912. Only Amundsen went ashore with a folder containing the texts of telegrams drawn up in advance. There was no news about Scott. Amundsen incognito rented a room in a port hotel, after which he immediately contacted Norway, sending three telegrams - to his brother Leon, Nansen and the king, even the sponsors of the news were sent later. In the morning telegram from his brother, it was reported that Leon Amundsen had by then sold the exclusive rights to publish materials about the Norwegian Polar Expedition to the London newspaper Daily Chronicle. Roald Amundsen's fee was 2,000 pounds - at the highest rate. Ernest Shackleton provided invaluable assistance in concluding the treaty. Under the terms of the contract, Amundsen had the exclusive right to publish reports and diaries of all members of the expedition. They could not publish anything without Amundsen's consent for three years after their return. The telegram to Nansen was very laconic: “Thank you for everything. Mission accomplished. Everything is good". Leon Amundsen failed to meet with the King of Norway - he sat at the headquarters of military exercises, but the content of the telegram was handed over to him by the adjutant.

Only on March 11, 1912, the Fram crew were allowed to go ashore in Hobart, giving out 10 shillings for pocket expenses.

11 Buenos Aires

On March 20, 1912, Amundsen left on a lecture tour of Australia and New Zealand, on the same day he received news that the publishing house of Jacob Dubwad had concluded an agreement with him for a book about the trip in the amount of 111 thousand crowns - a record for that time. On May 21, he arrived in Buenos Aires, posing as businessman Engelbregt Gravning, and a solemn celebration took place on May 30 at the Norwegian Society of La Plata. The team was sent to Norway, "Fram" remained in Argentina under the supervision of Lieutenant T. Nielsen.

12 Return

On July 1, 1912, almost all the participants of the expedition to the South Pole arrived in Bergen. On July 31, Amundsen also arrived from Buenos Aires via Copenhagen.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the era of geographical discoveries on Earth had practically ended. All the tropical islands were marked on the map, tireless explorers traveled along and across Africa and South America.


Only two points remained unconquered by people - the North and South Poles, which were difficult to reach because of the barren ice desert surrounding them. But in 1908-09, two American expeditions (F. Cook and R. Peary) took place to the North Pole. After them, the only worthy goal was the South Pole, located on the territory of the mainland covered with eternal ice - Antarctica.

History of Antarctic exploration

Many researchers sought to visit the southernmost point of the globe. The beginning was laid by the famous Amerigo Vespucci, whose ships in 1501 reached the fiftieth latitudes, but were forced to turn because of the ice. More successful was the attempt of J. Cook, who reached 72 degrees south latitude in 1772-75. He, too, was forced to turn back before reaching the Pole, because of the mighty ice and icebergs that threatened to crush the fragile wooden ship.

The honor of discovering Antarctica belongs to the Russian sailors F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev. In 1820, two sailing sloops came close to the shore and recorded the presence of a previously unknown mainland. After 20 years, the expedition of J.K. Rossa circled Antarctica and plotted its coastline on a map, but still did not land on land.


The first person to set foot on the southernmost continent was the Australian explorer G. Buhl in 1895. Since that time, reaching the South Pole has become a matter of time and preparedness of the expedition.

Conquest of the South Pole

The first attempt to reach the South Pole took place in 1909 and was unsuccessful. The English explorer E. Shackleton did not reach him for about a hundred miles and was forced to turn back, as he ran out of food. In the polar spring of 1911, two expeditions went to the South Pole at once - an English one led by R. Scott and a Norwegian one led by R. Amundsen.

Over the next few months, the eternal ice of Antarctica witnessed the grandiose triumph of one of them and the no less grandiose tragedy of the other.

The tragic fate of R. Scott's expedition

British naval officer Robert Scott was an experienced polar explorer. A few years earlier, he had already landed on the coast of Antarctica and spent about three months here, walking through the icy desert for about a thousand miles. This time he was determined to reach the Pole and plant the British flag at that point. His expedition was well prepared: Manchurian horses, accustomed to the cold, were chosen as the main draft force, there were also several dog teams and even a technical novelty - a motor sled.

R. Scott's expedition had to travel about 800 miles to reach the South Pole. It was a terrible route, full of ice hummocks and deep cracks. The air temperature almost all the time did not exceed 40 degrees below zero, a snowstorm was a frequent occurrence, during which visibility did not exceed 10-15 meters.


On the way to the Pole, all the horses died from frostbite, then the snowmobile broke down. Before reaching the final point of about 150 km, the expedition split up: only five people went further, harnessed to sleds loaded with luggage, the rest turned back.

Having overcome unthinkable difficulties, the five explorers reached the South Pole - and then Scott and his companions suffered a terrifying disappointment. At the southernmost point of the planet there was already a tent, on top of which fluttered the flag of Norway. The British were late - Amundsen was ahead of them by a whole month.

They were not destined to make their way back. One of the English explorers died of an illness, the second got frostbite on his hands and chose to leave himself, lost in the ice, so as not to become a burden for the others. The three remaining, including R. Scott himself, were frozen in the snow, only eleven miles short of the last of the intermediate food depots they left on their way to the Pole. A year later, their bodies were discovered by a rescue expedition sent after them.

Roald Amundsen - discoverer of the South Pole

The dream of the Norwegian traveler Roald Amundsen for many years was the North Pole. The expeditions of Cook and Peary were rather dubious in terms of effectiveness - neither one nor the other could reliably confirm that they had reached the northernmost point of the planet.

Amundsen prepared for the expedition for a long time, picking up the necessary equipment and supplies. He immediately decided that in the northern latitudes there is nothing better than dog teams in terms of endurance and speed of movement. Having already set sail, he learned about Scott's expedition, which set off to conquer the South Pole, and decided to also go south.

The Amundsen expedition chose a good place to land on the mainland, which was a hundred miles closer to the pole than the starting point of the Scott expedition. Four dog teams, consisting of 52 huskies, dragged sleds with everything necessary. In addition to Amundsen, four other Norwegians participated in the expedition, each of whom was an experienced cartographer and traveler.

The entire trip there and back took 99 days. Not a single explorer died, everyone safely reached the South Pole in December 1911 and returned home, covering themselves with the glory of the discoverers of the southernmost point of the planet Earth.

“... A black flag tied to a sleigh runner, nearby - the remains of a camp, traces of sledges and skis going in both directions, clear dog paw prints ... Then we understood everything. The Norwegians were ahead of us and reached the Pole first. This is a terrible disappointment, and I feel very sorry for my faithful comrades. We changed our minds a lot, argued a lot among ourselves. Tomorrow we must move on - 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, January 18, 1912).

Two attempts by the British to conquer the South Pole - in 1902 and 1909. - were unsuccessful. Robert Scott managed to advance to a latitude of 82 ° 17 ', Ernest Shackleton - to 88 ° 23 '. By the way, the news that Shackleton, a former member of Scott's 1902 campaign, is going on an independent expedition, was 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, as he considered this his exclusive right. After Shackleton was forced to land there, without finding anything more or less suitable around, Scott began to consider him his personal enemy. I wonder what Navy Captain Scott would have done if Shackleton had reached his goal? 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 mix a more successful competitor with dirt.

But Shackleton “lost the race” with 180 km to go, 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 Terra Nova expedition ship set sail. There were 65 people on board. Scott took with him 33 sled dogs and 15 undersized Chinese (or maybe Mongolian or Buryat) horses, as well as two motor sledges. There was a lot of scientific equipment on board, sufficient supplies of fuel, food and warm clothes.

And in September of the same year, the famous Fram headed 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 many times turned to Fridtjof Nansen with a request to provide him with this tested vessel, which also brings 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 ice through the central part of the Arctic.

And suddenly, on September 9, during a call to Madeira, Amundsen announced to the crew that he had changed his plans. Later, he claimed that he made the decision to go to the southernmost point of the planet spontaneously, suddenly learning that the North Pole had already submitted to one of the Americans. In fact, a whole year had passed since the sending of the victory telegrams of Cook and Peary - there could be no question of any suddenness. Most likely, for some time he really was preparing to drift in the Arctic Ocean, but nevertheless he made the decision to sail to Antarctica long before September 1910. Hiding his true plans, he bought time, and by announcing them, instilled nervousness in English. Scott received word of Amundsen's plans in October, when the British were in Australia.

Scott's expedition arrived in Antarctica, on the coast of McMurdo Strait, which he had chosen, in January 1911. At about the same time, but to the east, in the Bay of Whales, cut into the Ross Ice Shelf, the Fram appeared. Almost everyone considered it extremely dangerous to land on the surface of the glacier, especially very close to its edge, which constantly breaks off. Risk? Undoubtedly. But Amundsen calculated everything. He knew that in the area of ​​the Bay of Whales, 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, with several companions, immediately set off on a hike to 80 ° S. sh. There he set up a food warehouse. Along the way, at regular intervals, beacons were installed - poles with flags, and stocks of food for dogs were also made. At the end of February, Amundsen led another detachment. This time the warehouses were set up at 81°S and 82°S. sh. In total, before the onset of the Antarctic winter, 3 tons of food for people and food for dogs were delivered to the warehouses. 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 - gloomy, but very noticeable. Amundsen tried to take into account every little thing. According to the great Norwegian, it is not the so-called luck that brings victory, but a 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 in vain and made several reconnaissance and preparatory trips along the future route. In the Antarctic spring, both detachments went to the pole. But the British left on November 1, and Amundsen on October 20, and the camp of the latter was located much closer to the pole. Amundsen took several dozen sled dogs on the road, the British again counted on horsepower. They were just not enough. The unfortunate odd-toed ungulates were not adapted at all to movement on ice; by the end of the first half of the distance they all died. By the way, motor sledges turned out to be an even more unreliable means of transportation on the Ice Continent. In general, soon people had to drag the sled uphill 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 went on the assault with four companions. The British reached the South Pole on January 17, but there was already a tent with a Norwegian flag and a note from Amundsen. The Norwegians arrived at the Pole on December 14, having overtaken their competitors by more than a month, and now they were completing 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 return. At first, everything went well: the five moved from warehouse to warehouse, and the temperature did not fall below -30 ° C. However, every day the headwind

was getting stronger. And then misfortunes followed. Junior officer Edgar Evans, a big man and joker, taken by Scott in the assault group despite serious violations of discipline, had 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 go, the weather deteriorated - winter began. Frost forty, and a terrible wind that knocked down. Frostbite began; Lawrence Oates, who was no longer able to walk, was especially hard hit. Once at one of the intermediate camps, Oates crawled into a snowstorm and did not return. Nobody stopped him. It happened on March 17th.

There was not much left to the coastal base, but even fewer forces, and food and fuel were coming to an end. On top of all the troubles - a monstrous snowstorm that did not allow even a step to 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 raged ... Every day we were ready to go - only 11 miles to the warehouse - but there is no way to get out of the tent, so it carries and twists the snow. I don’t think that we can hope for anything else now ... It’s a pity, but I don’t think that I would be able to write. R. Scott.

It was not until the following summer, eight months later, that 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 sack was not closed. Notebooks, a camera, and film cassettes were found next to him. Among the things were geological samples.

And what about the winners? The entire route - to the Pole and back, only about 3 thousand km - 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 weight 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 caught winter halfway to the shore. And finally, that same initial handicap - 100 km of advantage and an earlier start. Here, perhaps, are 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 a draft force, but also as a source of food (an Eskimo dog provides about 25 kg of meat), which, moreover, does not need to be transported. He calculated when to shoot each dog in order to turn it from a means of transportation into food. Cruel? Of course - in relation to dogs, faithfully serving people. And in relation to people? Probably, it is worth recognizing the correctness of Amundsen, who chose the best option - from the point of view of the survival of people. The Norwegian himself believed that it was this circumstance that became the main factor in reaching the South Pole and safely returning to the coastal base.

The British for a very long time considered Robert Scott to be the real conqueror of the pole.

"I have the honor to inform you that I am going to Antarctica - Amundsen"
Such a telegram was sent by the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen to the head of the English expedition, Robert Scott, and this was the beginning of the drama that played out in the southern polar latitudes 100 years ago ....

December 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most important events in the series of geographical discoveries of the 20th century - the South Pole was reached for the first time.

This was achieved by the Norwegian expedition of Roald Amundsen and the English expedition of Robert Scott.

The Pole was discovered by Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and a month later (January 18, 1912) Scott's group reached it, perishing on their way back to the Ross Sea.

The geographic South Pole, the mathematical point at which the imaginary axis of rotation of the Earth intersects its surface in the Southern Hemisphere, is not located in the central part of the mainland of Antarctica, but closer to its Pacific coast, within the Polar Plateau at an altitude of 2800 m. The thickness of the ice here exceeds 2000 m The minimum distance to the coast is 1276 km.

The sun at the pole for half a year (from September 23 to March 20–21, excluding refraction) does not set below the horizon and does not rise above the horizon for half a year,

but until mid-May and from the beginning of August, astronomical twilight is observed, when dawn appears in the sky. The climate in the region of the pole is very severe. The average air temperature at the Pole is -48.9 °С, the minimum is -77.1 °С (in September). The South Pole is not the coldest point in Antarctica. The lowest temperature on the Earth's surface (-89.2 ºС) was recorded on July 21, 1983 at the Soviet scientific station Vostok. At the geographic point of the South Pole is the American research station "Amundsen-Scott".

The English navigator James Cook in 1772-75 twice came quite close (less than 300 km) to Antarctica. In 1820, the Russian expedition of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev on the ships "Vostok" and "Mirny" came close to the coast of Antarctica. Great scientific work was carried out in Antarctic waters, currents, water temperatures, depths were studied, 29 islands were discovered (Peter I, Alexander I, Mordvinov, etc.). The expedition ships circled around Antarctica. In 1821-23, the hunters Palmer and Weddell approached Antarctica. In 1841, the English expedition of James Ross discovered an ice shelf (the Ross Glacier, from where the path to the Pole began). Its outer edge is an ice cliff up to 50 m high (Ross barrier). The barrier is washed by the waters of the Ross Sea. By the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, many expeditions carried out work off the coast of Antarctica, collecting data on depths, bottom topography, bottom sediments, and marine fauna. In 1901-04, Scott's British expedition aboard the Discovery conducted oceanographic work in the Ross Sea. The members of the expedition penetrated deep into Antarctica to 77 ° 59 "S. In the Weddell Sea in 1902-04, the English expedition of Bruce carried out oceanological research. years and 1908-10 oceanographic research in the Bellingshausen Sea.

In 1907-09, the English expedition of E. Shackleton (of which R. Scott was a member) wintered in the Ross Sea, conducted oceanological and meteorological research here and made a trip to the south magnetic pole.

Shackleton also made an attempt to reach the geographic pole.

On January 9, 1909, he reached a latitude of 88 ° 23 "and, being 179 miles from the pole, turned back due to lack of food. Shackleton used undersized Manchurian horses (Siberian pony) as a draft force, however, during the ascent to the glacier Birdmore ponies broke their legs, were shot and left as food to use on the return trip.

For the first time, the South Pole was reached on December 14, 1911 by a Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen.

Amundsen's original target was the North Pole. The Fram expedition ship was provided by another great Norwegian, Fridtjof Nansen, who made the first ever drift across the Arctic Ocean (1893-1896). However, having learned that the North Pole was conquered by Robert Peary, Amundsen decided to go to the South Pole, which he notified Scott of by telegram.

On January 14, 1911, the Fram arrived at the landing site of the expedition chosen by Amundsen - the Bay of Whales. It is located in the eastern part of the Ross Ice Barrier, located in the Pacific sector of Antarctica. From February 10 to March 22, Amundsen was engaged in the creation of intermediate warehouses. On October 20, 1911, Amundsen, with four companions on dogs, set out on a campaign to the south and on December 14 was at the South Pole, and on January 26, 1912 he returned to the base camp. Together with Amundsen at the South Pole were the Norwegians Olaf Bjaland, Helmer Gansen, Sverre Gassel and Oscar Wisting.

Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition landed on January 5, 1911 on Ross Island, in the western part of the Ross Glacier. Warehouses were organized from January 25 to February 16. On November 1, a group of British led by Scott, accompanied by auxiliary detachments, went to the pole. The last auxiliaries left on January 4, 1912, after which Robert Scott and his comrades Edward Wilson, Lawrence Oates, Henry Bowers and Edgar Evans moved on, towing sleds with equipment and provisions.

Having reached the Pole on January 18, 1912, Scott and his comrades perished from starvation and deprivation on the way back.

The last entry in Scott's diary (It is a pity but I do not think I can write more - R.Scott - For God's sake look after our people - Sorry, but I don't think I can still write - R. Scott - For the sake of God, do not leave our loved ones) refers to March 29th.

The reasons for the tragic outcome of Scott's expedition and the prerequisites for the successful campaign of Amundsen have long been considered in various literary sources, ranging from the extremely emotional novella "The Struggle for the South Pole" by Stefan Zweig (in my opinion, very biased) and ending with the publications of Amundsen himself and scientific articles based on on modern knowledge about the climate of Antarctica.

Briefly, they are as follows:

Amundsen had an accurate calculation of forces and means and a rigid mindset for success; Scott can see the lack of a clear plan of action and a mistake in the choice of transport.

As a result, Scott returned in February-March, that is, at the beginning of the Antarctic autumn, with lower temperatures and blizzards. It was because of the strongest eight-day snowstorm that Scott and his comrades could not walk the last 11 miles to the food warehouse and died.

Without pretending to be an exhaustive review of the causes and prerequisites, we will nevertheless consider them in a little more detail.
The beginning of the way
The Norwegian expedition turned out to be in more favorable conditions than the English one. The Fram camp (the base camp of Amundsen's expedition) was located 100 km closer to the pole than Scott's camp. Dog sleds were used as a means of transport. However, the subsequent road to the Pole was no less difficult than that of the British. The British followed the path explored by Shackleton, knowing the place of ascent to the Beardmore Glacier; the Norwegians, on the other hand, overcame the glacier along an unknown path, since Scott's route was unanimously recognized as inviolable.

Ross Island was located 60 miles from the ice barrier, the path to which, already at the first stage, cost the participants of the English expedition enormous labor and losses.

Scott pinned his main hopes on motor sledges and Manchurian horses (ponies).

One of the three snowmobiles specially made for the expedition fell through the ice. The remaining motor sledges were out of order, the ponies fell into the snow and died from the cold. As a result, Scott and his comrades, 120 miles from the pole, had to pull the sled with equipment themselves.

The most important issue is transport
Amundsen was convinced that dogs were the only suitable mounts in the snow and ice. "They are fast, strong, intelligent and able to move in any road conditions, where only a person himself can pass." One of the foundations of success was that in preparing intermediate food stores and on the way to the Pole, Amundsen also took into account the meat of dogs carrying food.

“Since the Eskimo dog provides about 25 kg of edible meat, it was easy to calculate that each dog we took south meant a reduction of 25 kg of food both on the sledges and in warehouses. …

I fixed the exact day when each dog should be shot, that is, the moment when it ceased to serve as a means of transportation for us and began to serve as food.

We adhered to this calculation with an accuracy of approximately one day and one dog. Fifty-two dogs went on a campaign, eleven returned to the base.

Scott believed not in dogs, but in ponies, knowing about their successful use in expeditions to Franz Josef Land and Svalbard. "The pony carries the same load as ten dogs, and eats three times less food." It's right; however, ponies need a bulky diet unlike pemmican-fed dogs; in addition, the meat of a dead pony cannot be fed to other ponies; a dog, unlike a pony, can walk on the crust without falling through; finally, the dog is much better than the pony, endures frosts and snowstorms.

Scott had previously had bad experiences with dogs and had erroneously concluded that they were unsuitable for polar travel.

Meanwhile, all successful expeditions were carried out on dogs.

Polar group member Lawrence Oates, who was in charge of horses, found that dogs are better adapted to polar conditions than ponies. When he noticed how the horses were weakening from cold, hunger and hard work, he began to insist that Scott slaughter the weakest animals on the route and leave their carcasses in storage for the next season as dog food, and if necessary, also for people. . Scott refused: he hated the thought of killing animals.

Scott also had a negative attitude towards the killing of dogs in the Amundsen detachment, speaking out against cruelty to animals.

By the way, the same fate befell the dogs in Nansen's campaign to the North Pole and in the transition to Franz Josef Land in 1895, but no one reproached him for cruelty. This is the high price one has to pay in order to achieve success, and often in order to survive.

I no less feel sorry for the unfortunate ponies who first, on the road, suffered from seasickness, and then, falling into the snow and suffering from the cold, pulled the sled. They were doomed from the start (Scott was well aware of this: in the polar group they took food for ponies “one way”) and they all died, and on December 9 the last ones were shot and ... went to feed both dogs and people in Scott's group. In Scott's diary, upon returning from the Pole, we read: "It is a great happiness that our rations are replenished with horsemeat (February 24)."

When preparing food warehouses and on a trip to the Pole, motorized sledges were used (until they failed due to cracks in the cylinder block), and ponies, and ... all the same dogs. Scott's diary entry dated November 11: "Dogs work great." From December 9: "Dogs run well, despite the bad road."

However, on December 11, Scott sends the dogs back and is left without vehicles.

The change in seemingly unshakable principles suggests that Scott did not have a firm, clear plan of action. For example, only during the wintering of "Terra Nova" in Antarctica, some participants of the route groups for the first time in their lives got on skis. And here is the entry in the diary dated December 11: “Everywhere ... such loose snow that with every step you go into it up to your knees ...

One means is skis, and my stubborn compatriots have such a prejudice against them that they did not stock them up.

A very strange statement for the leader of the expedition - a simple statement of fact.

From the information below, you can see how different the pace of movement of the Amundsen and Scott groups was. Scott started 13 days behind Amundsen, at the pole he was already 22 days behind. To the place of the last camp, which became the grave of Scott and his comrades, the backlog was 2 months (it is already winter). Amundsen returned to the base in just 41 days, which indicates the excellent physical condition of the participants.

Start from base Pole Total Start from pole End of route Total Total
Amundsen 10/20/1911 12/14/1911 56 12/17/1912 1/26/1912 41 97
Scott 11/1/1911 1/17/1912 78 1/19/1912 3/21/1912 62,140

Looking for food stores
In preparing the food depots for the preliminary stage of the expedition, Amundsen secured himself against searching for them in case of poor visibility on the way to the Pole and back. For this purpose, a chain of landmarks was stretched from each warehouse to the west and east, perpendicular to the direction of movement. The landmarks were located 200 m apart; the length of the chain reached 8 km. The milestones were marked in such a way that, having found any of them, it was possible to determine the direction and distance to the warehouse. These chores fully justified themselves during the main campaign.

“We just then met the weather with fog and a snowstorm, which we had counted on in advance, and these conspicuous signs saved us more than once.”

The British piled up ice houris along the way, which also helped to navigate when returning, but the absence of perpendicularly located chains of signs sometimes made it difficult to find warehouses.

Shoes
Having tested ski boots during a trip to set up the first warehouse and identified their shortcomings, the Norwegians altered their boots, making them more comfortable and, most importantly, spacious, which made it possible to avoid frostbite. A little later, the British also took up this. Frostbite on the feet of Scott's group on the way back is most likely due to general exhaustion.

History of kerosene
The story of kerosene is very indicative, which hastened the fateful denouement in Scott's group.
Here are the entries in Scott's diary
02/24/1912: ... We reached the warehouse ... Our supplies are in order, but there is not enough kerosene.
26.02 Fuel is terribly low...
2.03. ... We reached the warehouse ... First of all, we found a very meager supply of fuel ... With the strictest economy, it can hardly be enough to reach the next warehouse, which is 71 miles away ...

Instead of the expected gallon (4.5 l) of kerosene, Scott found less than a quart (1.13 l) in the canister. As it turned out later, the shortage of kerosene in the warehouses was not at all the result of an incorrect calculation of the need for fuel. This happened because, under the influence of low temperatures, the leather linings in the jars of kerosene shrank, the tightness of the container was broken, and part of the fuel evaporated. Amundsen encountered similar kerosene leaks in extreme cold conditions while sailing through the Northwest Passage and made every effort to avoid this on an expedition to the South Pole.

Fifty years later, a hermetically sealed kerosene canister belonging to Amundsen was found at 86 degrees south latitude.

Its contents have been completely preserved.

Cold resistance
In my opinion, the exceptional ability of the Norwegians to endure low temperatures without losing strength and maintaining efficiency was of no small importance. This applies not only to the Amundsen expedition. The same, as an example, can be said about the expeditions of another great Norwegian, Fridtjof Nansen. In the book "Fram" in the Polar Sea, in that part of it, which tells about the campaign of Nansen and Johansen to the North Pole, we read the lines that struck me (remembering that they lived in a canvas tent, heated only by a primus stove and only while cooking):

"March 21. At 9 am it was -42 ºС. Sunny, fine weather, excellent for traveling.

March 29. Last night the temperature rose to -34 ºС, and we spent such a pleasant night in a sleeping bag, which we have not had for a long time.

March 31. A southerly wind blew and the temperature rose. Today it was -30 ºС, which we welcome as the onset of summer.”

As a result, the Norwegians moved at a calculated speed in such weather conditions (for example, during a snowstorm on the way to the pole), in which the British were forced to wait out or at least lose a lot of pace.

"A terrible disappointment!.. It will be a sad return... Farewell, golden dreams!" are Scott's words spoken at the pole. Would Scott's group have survived if there had not been a "terrible disappointment" and the British would have been the first at the pole? Suppose Peary had not reached the North Pole by 1910. In this case, Amundsen would certainly have taken the Fram on a new drift into the Arctic Ocean with his original goal of reaching the North Pole. It seems to me that this "virtual" question deserves attention. There is an opinion that

the main reason for the death of Scott's group was the grave morale of its members,

as well as difficult route and climatic conditions. And if it weren't for the race with Amundsen... However, an analysis of the events that took place allows us to draw a different conclusion.

The route conditions of the Amundsen group were no less difficult. Overcoming the glacier while climbing the Polar Plateau, the Norwegians encountered giant zones of cracks, which the British did not have. And the tight return schedule (alternating between 28-kilometer and 55-kilometer daily hikes until returning to base) allowed Amundsen to return before the fall. The main reason for the death of the Scott group is, first of all, the wrong choice of vehicles, which does not correspond to the goal. The consequence of this was the loss of pace and - due to a later return - getting into the difficult climatic conditions of the impending winter (the air temperature dropped to -47 ºС). To this circumstance was added overwork and exhaustion of the participants.

Under these conditions, the risk of frostbite increases - and everyone had frostbite on their feet.

The situation was extremely aggravated by the fact that Evans (February 17) and Ots (March 17) died during the return. Returning in such conditions was beyond human capabilities. There was practically no real chance to escape.

Scientific significance of expeditions
The dramatic nature of the events affected the evaluation of the scientific results of the Amundsen and Scott expeditions to a certain extent. In addition, there were no researchers in the wintering composition of the Norwegian expedition.

This sometimes led to preconceived notions about the "unscientific" nature of Amundsen's expedition.

Indeed, the British Antarctic Expedition achieved more results in its scientific program than Amundsen's expedition. However, it turned out that the observations made by the Amundsen group make it possible to extend the conclusions of British researchers to much more extensive territories. This applies to the geological structure, relief, meteorology. It was Amundsen's observations that made a significant contribution to modern principles for calculating the ice mass budget of the Antarctic ice sheet. There are other examples as well. A genuine explorer will not evaluate which of the expeditions is "more scientific", he will use the results of the work of both.

Despite the "terrible disappointment", on his return Scott was active, without losing the will to live.

The pages of the last notebook of Scott's diary are impressive evidence of genuine courage and great willpower.

Amundsen's expedition is still a model of the most accurate calculation of forces and means. So, while still in Norway and drawing up a campaign plan, he wrote down in 1910 (!) Year: “Return after conquering the South Pole to the base camp - January 23, 1912.” He returned on January 26th.

Estimated time in the path to the Pole and back, 2500 km, "the most difficult road on earth", coincided with the actual one to within three days.

Even in the 21st century, such accuracy of calculations can be envied.

Roald Amundsen dreamed of reaching the North Pole all his life, but discovered ... the South. He died on June 18, 1928, somewhere near Bear Island, flying to rescue the expedition of U. Nobile, whose airship crashed while returning from the North Pole.

On Ross Island, at its southern tip, there is a cross in memory of Robert Scott and his comrades Edward Wilson, Lawrence Oates, Henry Bowers and Edgar Evans, on which their names and motto are inscribed: To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield - "Fight and seek, find and not give up."

And what has Robert Scott been doing all these years? Like many of Her Majesty's naval officers, he follows a normal naval career.

In 1889 Scott was promoted to lieutenant; two years later he enters the mine-torpedo school. After graduating in 1893, he served for some time in the Mediterranean, and then, for family reasons, returned to his native shores.

By that time, Scott knows not only navigation, piloting and minecraft. He also mastered surveying instruments, learned to survey the terrain, and is well versed in the basics of electricity and magnetism. In 1896, he was appointed an officer in a squadron located in the English Channel.

It was at this time that Scott's second meeting with K. Markham took place, who, having already become president of the Royal Geographical Society, stubbornly urged the government to send an expedition to Antarctica. During conversations with Markham, the officer gradually gets carried away with this idea ... so as not to part with it ever again.

However, it took about three more years before Scott made a fateful decision for himself. With the support of Markham, he submits a report about his desire to lead an expedition to the extreme south of the Earth. After many months of overcoming various obstacles, in June 1900, Captain Second Rank Robert Scott finally takes command of the National Antarctic Expedition.

So, by an amazing coincidence, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the two main participants in the future grandiose competition were almost simultaneously ready for their first independent polar expeditions.

But if Amundsen was going to go to the North, then Scott intended to conquer the extreme South. And while Amundsen in 1901 is making a trial voyage on his ship in the North Atlantic, Scott is already heading for Antarctica.

Scott's expedition on the ship Discovery arrived at the shores of the icy continent in early 1902. The ship was wintered in the Ross Sea (South Pacific Ocean).

It went well, and in the Antarctic spring, in November 1902, Scot sets off for the first time south with two companions, navy sailor Ernst Shackleton and natural scientist Edward Wilson, secretly hoping to reach the South Pole.

True, it looks somewhat strange that, intending to do this with the help of dogs, they did not consider it necessary to acquire in advance the necessary experience in handling dog teams. The reason for this was the idea of ​​the British (which later turned out to be fatal) about dogs as a not very important vehicle in the conditions of Antarctica.

This is evidenced, in particular, by such a fact. In front of Scott's main group, for some time, an auxiliary party walked with an additional supply of food, pulling with their own hands several sleds with cargo, and with a flag on which was proudly inscribed: "We do not need the services of dogs." Meanwhile, when on November 2, 1902, Scott and his comrades set out on a campaign, they were surprised at the speed with which the dogs dragged their laden sledges.

However, pretty soon the animals lost their original agility. And it was not only an unusually difficult road, numerous bumps covered with deep loose snow. The main reason for the rapid decline in strength in dogs was poor-quality food.

With inadequate assistance from dogs, the expedition progressed slowly. In addition, snowstorms often raged, forcing travelers to stop and wait out the bad weather in a tent. In clear weather, the snow-white surface, easily reflecting the sun's rays, caused snow blindness in people.

But, despite all this, Scott's group was able to reach 82 degrees 17 "south latitude, where no human foot had ever set foot. Here, after weighing all the pros and cons, the pioneers decided to turn back. It turned out to be timely , because soon the dogs, one after another, began to die from exhaustion.

The most weakened animals were killed and fed to the rest. It ended with the people, again, harnessing themselves to the sled. Huge physical loads in extremely unfavorable natural conditions quickly exhausted the forces.

Shackleton began to show more and more symptoms of scurvy. He was coughing and spitting up blood. To a lesser extent, bleeding was manifested in Scott and Wilson, who began to pull the sled together. Shackleton, weakened by his illness, somehow trudged along behind them. In the end, three months later, in early February 1903, all three returned to the Discovery.