GEOGRAPHIC NAMES OF ANTARCTICA 



1911-12. Norwegian whaling expedition. 

 Leader: Capt. Ole Jorgensen. Ship: Thulla. 

 Summary : Sought satisfactory anchorages for fac- 

 tory ships in South Shetland and South Orkney 

 Islands. Experimental whaling operation was car- 

 ried on at South Sandwich Islands. 



1911-14. Australasian Antarctic Expedition. 

 Leader: Sir Douglas Mawson. Ship: Aurora. 

 Summary: Sponsored by Australian State and 

 Commonwealth governments, British government, 

 scientific societies and private contributors. In- 

 termediate base set up on Macquarie Island to 

 operate radio station and conduct scientific inves- 

 tigation. Sailed south from Macquarie Island, De- 

 cember 25, 1911, to George V Coast, establishing 

 Main Base on Commonwealth Bay January 8, 1912. 

 The Aurora sailed westward, skirting coast of 

 Wilkes Land as near as ice and storms would 

 permit. West Base established on Shackleton Ice 

 Shelf, about 17 miles north of Queen Mary Coast. 

 The Aurora left February 20, 1912, to conduct sub- 

 Antarctic oceanographic investigations. From 

 Main Base five major surveys were conducted: 

 (1) Mawson led Far Eastern Party along edge of 

 continental plateau for 316 miles to 68°54'S., 

 151°33'E., (2) Southern Party sledged 301 miles 

 to 70°36'S., 148°10'E., (3) Eastern Coastal Party 

 sledged along coast, mostly on sea ice, across 

 Mertz and Ninnis Glacier Tongues to 68°18'S., 

 150°12'E., midway between Cape Freshfield and 

 Horn Bluff, (4) Near Eastern Party made two 

 journeys, exploring area between base and Mertz 

 Glacier, and (5) Western Sledging Party sledged 

 across Adelie Coast to 138°E., back of Cape Robert. 

 From West Base the Eastern Party made a major 

 trek across Shackleton Ice Shelf to Denman Gla- 

 cier, while the Western Coastal Party journeyed 

 on land to Gaussberg. West Base evacuated Feb- 

 ruary 23, 1913, but delayed return of Far Eastern 

 Party due to fatalities caused small search party 

 to be left at Main Base during winter of 1913. 

 This group relieved by the Aurora in December 

 1913, following which the coast of Wilkes Land 

 was again skirted to Wilhelm II Coast before re- 

 tiring northward. 



1912-13. Norwegian whaling expedition. 

 Leader: Capt. Petter S0rlle. Ship: Palmer. 

 Summary: Whaling operations in South Orkney 

 Islands. Made running surveys of Coronation, 

 Signy, Powell, and Fredriksen Islands, plotting in 

 detail the rocks and islets which fringe their 

 coasts. Numerous soundings taken; sketch-plans 

 made of important anchorages, notably EUefsen, 

 Paal, and Falkland Harbors, and Borge Bay. 



1912-13. United States whaling expedition. 

 Leaders: Capt. Benjamin D. Cleveland and Robert 

 Cushman Murphy. Ship: Daisy. 

 Summary: A private whaling and sealing expedi- 

 tion on which Murphy served as naturalist. Sailed 

 east from West Indies, July 31, 1912, to Cape Verde 

 Islands, thence south to South Georgia, arriving 

 there November 24. Sealing carried on for four 

 months at South Georgia. Murphy engaged in 

 natural history studies and made accurate sketch- 

 chart of Bay of Isles. Left South Georgia March 

 16, 1913. 



1913-14. Norwegian whaling expedition. 

 Leader: Capt. Hans Borge. Ship: Polynesia. 

 Summary: In the course of whaling operations, 

 Borge undertook additional charting of Borge Bay 

 in South Orkney Islands, supplementing S0rlle's 

 chart of previous year. 



1914-16. British expedition. 



Leader: Sir Ernest Shackleton. Ships: Endurance 

 and Aurora. 



Summary: Sponsored by Sir James Caird and 

 other private donors, with aid from government 

 and Royal Geographical Society. The Endurance 

 sailed for Weddell Sea from South Georgia Decem- 

 ber 5, 1914. Caird Coast discovered January 12, 

 1915. Ship beset five days later in 76°34'S., 

 31°30'W., from where she drifted with the ice 573 

 miles northwestward until crushed October 27, 

 1915, in 69°05'S., 51°30'W. Crew lived on the ice, 

 drifting northward until they took to boats on 

 April 9, 1916, within sight of Elephant Island, 

 which was reached April 15. From there Shackle- 

 ton, with five others, sailed in open whale boat 800 

 miles to South Georgia where he chartered the 

 whaler Southern Sky in an unsuccessful attempt 

 to rescue his men. Attempts in Uruguayan 

 trawler Instituto de Pesca and British schooner 

 Emma also failed. Crew finally rescued on August 

 30, 1916 by the Yelcho, loaned by Chile. 



The Aurora, under Capt. A. Mackintosh, sailed 

 from Hobart carrying the Ross Sea party of the 

 expedition and reached Cape Evans, Ross Island, 

 where base was set up January 16, 1915. Ship 

 was beset and drifted out to sea in the pack before 

 completely unloading. She drifted northward out 

 of Ross Sea and northeastward between Gates 

 Coast and Balleny Islands before being freed in 

 damaged condition in March 1915; ship continued 

 north to New Zealand. Meanwhile, the winter 

 party at Ross Island succeeded in laying depots 

 between the base and Beardmore Glacier in prepa- 

 ration for Shackleton 's proposed transcontinental 

 journey. They were rescued by the Aurora under 

 Capt. J. K. Davis in January 1916. 



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