PREPARATIONS AND EQUIPMENT 63 



speak, a double stern-post. The planking is carried out- 

 side these timbers, and the stern protected by heavy iron 

 plates wrought outside the planking. 



Between these two counter-timbers there is a well for 

 the screw, and also one for the rudder, through which 

 they can both be hoisted up on deck. It is usual in 

 sealers to have the screw arranged in this way, so that 

 it can easily be replaced by a spare screw should it 

 be broken by the ice. But such an arrangement is not 

 usual in the case of the rudder, and, while with our small 

 crew, and with the help of the capstan, we could hoist 

 the rudder on deck in a few minutes in case of any sud- 

 den ice-pressure or the like, I have known it take seal- 

 ers with a crew of over 60 men several hours, or even a 

 whole day, to ship a fresh rudder. 



The stern is, on the whole, the Achilles' heel of ships 

 in the Polar Seas ; here the ice can easily inflict great 

 damage, for instance, by breaking the rudder. To guard 

 against this danger, our rudder was placed so low down 

 as not to be visible above water, so that if a floe should 

 strike the vessel aft, it would break its force against the 

 strong stern-part, and could hardly touch the rudder it- 

 self. As a matter of fact, notwithstanding the violent 

 pressures we met with, we never suffered any injury in 

 this respect. 



Everything was of course done to make the sides of 

 the ship as strong as possible. The frame timbers were 

 of choice Italian oak that had originally been intended 



