



IS 92 



firmly but safely locked in the ice, the 

 Fram awa/Ys f/)e spr/ng f/iaiv of 1895 at 

 lat. 84° N. Below is a section through the 

 Fram, showing the construction plan designed 

 to make her withstand ice pressure. 



private contributors, and in the end the Royal Geographical Society 

 granted him three hundred pounds. The success of this expedition 

 would depend almost entirely on the stoutness of the ship, so the 

 Fram, later to become world-famous, was specially built to with- 

 stand great ice pressure. 



Into the Fram went all the expert knowledge of Norwegian 

 sealers and whalers. The hull had that special rounded form which 

 provides the best shape for work in ice. Although such a round 

 hull makes cruising uncomfortable in a rough sea, there is nothing 

 for the ice to grip, and the effect of the floes coming together is to 

 push the ship up higher and higher, almost out of the water. 



The Fram obviously had to be small and very maneuverable, 

 but even so she was a fair size for a polar ship with a gross tonnage 

 of 402. The dimensions of the Fram were 128 feet long overall and 

 1 1 3 feet at the water line, while the extreme breadth was thirty-six 

 feet. At full load the draft was fifteen feet. The keel was sunk into 

 the planking so that it projected only a short distance below the 

 bottom, which was flat. The builders took every opportunity to 

 strengthen danger points; the stem piece, for instance, was made 

 of three oak beams with a thickness of four feet altogether. The 

 stern was specially strengthened and the rudder and propeller most 

 carefully set to reduce the danger of ice damage. 



The frames were built of two separate layers of oak, and the 

 spaces between were filled with pitch and sawdust to keep the hull 

 watertight, even if the planking were damaged. There was a further 

 internal lining some eight inches thick, while the outer planking was 

 constructed in three layers : first an oak sheathing three inches thick, 

 followed by other layers so that the total thickness of the Fram's 

 sides was between twenty-four and twenty-eight inches of water- 

 tight wood. In addition there were all sorts of cross stays and 

 supporting beams to give strength against outside pressure. 



The same care was given to every other aspect of the design of 

 the ship. The rigging was specially designed, simple and strong, 

 and she was rigged as a three-masted fore-and-aft schooner. The 

 crow's nest was 102 feet above the water line — a matter of extreme 

 importance for navigation where so much would depend on being 

 able to detect leads and gaps in the pack ice. She had a specially 

 designed three-cylinder engine, and the propellers were made of 

 cast iron. In calm weather she could make six or seven knots. 



Great care was also given to making the Fram livable, for she 

 was to be a moving base, possibly for several years. One of the 

 troubles that many polar explorers have met is the tendency for 

 condensation to form and freeze on the inside of the cabin ; if it 

 melts, living in the confined quarters can be quite uncomfortable. 

 Nansen's careful planning took this into account — even when a 

 fire was lighted in the saloon there was no trace of moisture on the 

 walls. The ship was also fitted with an electric generating plant to 

 be powered either by the engine or by a windmill. And as a final 

 touch, the saloon was decorated with pictures of familiar Norwegian 

 scenes and had a library and harmonium. Nansen planned to carry 

 enough scientific equipment and food to last for five years. 



On Midsummer Day (June 24) in 1893, Nansen sailed with a 

 crew of twelve Norwegians, each with special qualifications. Most 

 important of these was Otto Sverdrup, who had accompanied 

 Nansen across Greenland. He was a highly experienced sea captain 



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