Читать книгу Polar Exploration. A practical handbook for North and South Pole expeditions онлайн

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Ernest Shackleton planned to cross the continent, but was forced to abandon this idea as his ship, Endurance, was crushed in the ice of the Weddell Sea in October 1915 after drifting for nine months. The 28 men camped on the floating ice for five more months before an opening in the ice allowed them to take to the boats to Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. Meanwhile, members of Shackleton's Ross shore party laid depots for the ill-fated group, to be used by Shackleton and his party on their trek across the continent. Three members died, but the rest were eventually rescued in 1917.

On 28 November 1929, after a 10-hour flight from their base at the Bay of Whales, Richard E Byrd and three others became the first to fly over the South Pole.

Typical Arctic scenery – a dynamic marine environment with the ocean's rock bottom at 4000m

American Lincoln Ellsworth was the first to fly across the continent successfully in November 1935, while another big-scale expedition, Operation Highjump, was organised in January 1947 by the US Navy. A total of 4700 men, 13 ships and 23 aircraft were involved. A base was set up at Little America. Extensive mapping of the coast and interior was accomplished, and over 70,000 aerial photographs were taken.