De Belgischeontdekkingsreiziger Adrien de Gerlache leidde de eerste expeditie die gedwongen moest overwinteren in het zuidpoolgebied.
Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery werd op 2 augustus geboren in Hasselt. Hij stamde uit een oud officierengeslacht. Gerlache studeerde aan de Faculteit Toegepaste Wetenschappen van de Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Zelf was hij liever de zee opgegaan, maar zijn vader besliste anders. Tijdens de universiteitsvakanties ging hij alsnog de zee op. Zo was hij in scheepsjongen op het schip de Waesland waarmee hij van Antwerpen naar New York reisde. Een jaar later maakte hij tijdens de vakantie maar liefst twee reizen.
Nadat Adrien de Gerlache in oktober zijn getuigschrift van de Vrije Universiteit Brussel had ontvangen, trad hij toe tot de marine. Hij volgde een opleiding aan de zeevaartschool in Oostende. Na voltooiing van deze opleiding was hij eerste luitenant en werd hij gelegerd op het schip de Belgique. Tijdens zijn diensttijd ontwikkelde zich bij de Belg het idee voor een expeditie naar Antarctica.
Le 16 août au port d’Anvers, plus de personnes, massées sur les berges de l’Escaut, assistent au départ de la Belgica. Commandée par un capitaine de 31 ans, Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery, elle reviendra triomphalement le 5 novembre après avoir réalisé, dans des conditions extrêmes, le premier hivernage humain au cœur d’un Antarctique encore largement terra incognita. Julian Sancton, journaliste new-yorkais, a mobilisé toutes les ressources disponibles sur cette aventure qui « pouvait rivaliser avec les plus grandioses combats de l’homme contre la nature relatés dans l’histoire et dans la littérature » (Note de l’auteur) [1].
Entre autres sources, les journaux de bord tenus par neuf membres de l’expédition ont été mis à profit ainsi que les archives de la Belgica conservées en grande partie à l’Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique à Bruxelles. Mais l’auteur reconnaît aussi sa dette envers Jozef Verlinden, qui l’a précédé sur les traces de nos explorateurs [2]. La version originale de ce nouvel ouvrage, Madhouse at the End of the Earth…, fut sélectionnée par le Times
Belgica
The Belgica was originally named Patria and built in by master shipbuilder Johan Christian Jacobsen in Svelvik. Its primary use was for hunting northern bottlenose whales in the Arctic, sometimes in combination with seal hunting.
The ship was a three-masted barque, built of pine, oak and greenheart, with a hull protected by a double wooden skin wherever it could be exposed to ice screwing.
- Ship type: three-masted barque
- Main engine: 35 hp from Nyland&#;s workshop
In , Patria was bought for 70, francs (around 50, kroner) by Adrien de Gerlache, who needed a ship for his forthcoming expedition to Antarctica. A refit at Framnæs shipyard in Sandefjord saw the installation of several cabins and a laboratory, and the replacement of the ice-protective skin. The ship was repainted, and Patria was renamed Belgica.
De Gerlache&#;s expedition left Belgium in summer and became the first to overwinter with a ship in Antarctica. Amundsen described Belgica in his diary as a &#;magnificent sea vessel,&#; adding, &#;It is with joy and grandeur that we look at it. We all love it. And it is beautiful, too, with its steel grey color and white trim.&#; 📜
Gerlache de Gomery collection
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery was born in into a wealthy family in Hasselt, Belgium. He joined the Royal Belgian Navy, taking particular interest in scientific research. In , he began planning, organizing and raising funds for a southern polar expedition, eventually leading the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, The expedition ship Belgica visited Tierra del Fuego before continuing to the South Shetland Islands. The ship was beset by pack ice and drifted south of Peter I y for 12 months, the first exploring vessel to winter in the Southern Ocean with its crew becoming the first men wintering south of the Antarctic Circle. A comprehensive scientific programme was undertaken and detailed collections were made.
After this expedition, de Gerlache led a zoological expedition to the Persian Gulf. He made a number of significant expeditions to the Arctic, among them Greenland in and and the Barents and Kara Seas in He did not return to Antarctica, but maintained polar interests and assisted others, including Jean Baptiste Charcot and Ernest Henry Shackleton, with preparations for polar work. He died in
Published works, Voyage de la B
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