SCIENTIFIC WORK OF THE “MAUD” EXPEDITION, 
1922-1925 + 
By H. U. Sverprvup, in charge of the scientific work of the expedition 
Capt. Roald Amundsen’s ship J/aud left Norway in July, 1918, 
with the intention of following the Siberian coast to the vicinity of 
the New Siberian Islands, penetrating into the drift ice, and, if 
possible, being carried across the Arctic Sea to the vicinity of 
Spitzbergen. However, on account of unfavorable ice conditions, 
it was necessary for the expedition to winter three times on the 
Siberian coast and, in 1921, to go to Seattle for repairs and replen- 
ishment of provisions. 
The Maud left Seattle again on June 3, 1922, in order to resume 
her task in the Arctic. The main object was, as previously, to make 
scientific observations of interest in various branches of geophysics. 
We could not expect to contribute to the geographical knowledge 
of the Arctic region, because it was improbable that the drift should 
carry us across the great unknown area within the Arctic Sea. To 
Captain Amundsen, however, the exploration of this unknown area 
had always been a fascinating task. Therefore, after having organ- 
ized and equipped the drift expedition in the best way possible, he 
resolved to leave the ship and try to fly across the Arctic Sea. <Ac- 
cordingly, he left us at Point Hope, Alaska, and went with a trading 
schooner to Point Barrow. 
I shall not here enter upon his first unsuccessful attempts, nor 
dwell upon his and Mr. Ellsworth’s marvelous achievement during 
the past summer. Captain Amundsen and Mr. Ellsworth have not 
yet reached their goal; however, they are, as you know, planning a 
flight with a dirigible airship from Spitzbergen to Alaska during the 
summer of 1926. 
Captain Amundsen left us on July 28, 1922, and the Maud headed 
toward the west under the command of Capt. Oscar Wisting. We 
met the ice a short distance from Point Hope but succeeded in 
penetrating to Herald Island, where we were closed in by the ice 
on August 8, 1922. The drift of the Maud is plotted in Figure 1, 
where the routes of earlier expeditions in this region are also en- 
tered. For one year we drifted toward the west-northwest in a 
1 Address delivered Dec. 1, 1925, at The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washing- 
ton, D. C. Reprinted by permission from the Scientific Monthly, May, 1926, Vol. XXII, 
pp. 400-410. 
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