The third museum, which we managed to visit on the island of Bygde in Oslo, was again dedicated to the brave Norwegian travelers. This is the Fram ship museum. And it is dedicated to polar exploration.
Fram - unique ship. Ship was made specifically for polar exploration. It is now on display in Oslo, in a museum specially built for it. The ship was built on the initiative of the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen.
Nansen problem was to conduct research currents of the Arctic Ocean. To get information about them, he decided to sail by ship to the New Siberian Islands. And then he allowed the ice to freeze the ship. Ice and currents, according to Nansen's calculations, should have led him to Spitsbergen.
When Nansen convinced the Norwegian Geographical Society of his theory, he received funds to build the ship. Fram was the first ship built specifically for the expedition.
Ship Fram.
The shipbuilders faced a difficult task: the ship had to be strong enough so that the ice would not break it, but would pull it to the surface. At the same time, it had to be a comfortable home for team members.
The designers assumed that the crew would live on the ship for five years. Therefore, the ship was built with maximum comfort for the inhabitants. Various options were also provided for crew survivability. For example: n and the ship was equipped with an autonomous power supply system using wind generator.
Fram's expeditions
The first expedition to the Arctic on which the ship set off took place in 1893. At that time the team consisted of thirteen people. The provisions on the ship would last for five years. According to Nansen's plan, the ship reached 79o N. After which Fram froze into the ice and continued to drift along with the Arctic ice to the west. In case the ship sank, supplies of coal and food were transferred to the ice.
The Fram's drift did not pass as close to the pole as Nansen had hoped. Therefore, Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen attempted to reach the Pole on foot. Having reached 86o14 'N latitude on dogs, they decided to turn back, going to Franz Josef Land. There they built a primitive hut and spent the winter. In the spring, polar explorers moved to Cape Flora in kayaks. There they met the American research ship, which took them to Norway.
As for the Fram, it was able to free itself from the ice near Spitsbergen and headed south.
Expedition route: Fram's voyage in red, ice drift in blue, Nansen and Johansen's sleigh ride in green During Fram's second expedition in 1898, the islands of Axel-Heiberg, Ellef-Ringnes, Amund-Ringnes and others were discovered in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. The straits and the western coast of Ellesmere Island were also examined. All newly discovered lands were declared the property of Norway, which formally owned these territories until 1930.
The ship's expedition in 1910 was no less successful. Then Roald Amundsen set off on the Fram to Antarctica. The ship sailed to Antarctica on January 13, 1911. Here Amudsen changes to a dog sled and moves towards the south pole. On December 14, 1911, he reaches the South Pole, a month ahead of the English expedition of Robert Scott. Scott died while returning. WITH tragic story Scott can be found in his diaries at
Mooring to the pier of the bay of the Norwegian city of Oslo, on the Bygdøy peninsula, it is impossible not to pay attention to the large yellow building triangular shape with the inscription "FRAM". In Norwegian it sounds proud and translated from this language means “forward.” Under the gable roof, which seems to go into the ground, there is the most valuable and dear relic to the heart of every Norwegian - a ship.A small ship, which was built with money from the Norwegian shipbuilder Colin Archer. The schooner was intended to explore the polar latitudes. Thanks to three great navigators: Nansen, Sverdrup and Amudsen, it had the honor of being immortalized in the annals of the history of polar exploration of the Northern latitudes.
It all started like this. Nansen Fridtjof was preparing for another expedition, completely unaware of what awaited him ahead. They began to build the ship specifically for this purpose. The construction was carried out by Nansen’s close friend and like-minded person Otto Sverdrup, with whom Fridtjof skied all over Greenland. Archer made sketches and drawings of the future ship, working closely with travelers and coordinating all the details.
Fram Museum, Visit OSLO
It should be noted that Nansen was a very scrupulous and picky person about everything related to travel with access to the sea. He personally checked the hull of the ship, tapped each fastening, calculated the effect of friction of the ship on the ice, for the best performance of which an interesting design of the bottom of the ship was invented. The lower part to the waterline was very narrowed downwards - this gave the ship the opportunity, when frozen in ice, to rise to the top, avoiding the danger of being squeezed into blocks of ice.
Nansen was not only engaged in drawings, but also thought through various options for equipping the ship. It got to the point that he himself developed a burner for the stove in the galley, which served faithfully during the long polar nights. When all stages of construction were left behind, and the ship was ready to sail, it was decided to name it “Fram”.
In the summer of 1893, the first expedition took place, where Sverdrup was appointed captain. The expedition was very risky: it was necessary to travel through Russian Siberia, “freeze” into the ice, and only then reach the goal on drifting ice floes - the North Pole. By a coincidence of circumstances beyond the control of the pioneering discoverers, the ice floe passed far from the designated place. Nansen, with all his determination, tried to get to the Pole on foot, but for unknown reasons he turned back to Norway.
The attempt to carry out a second expedition was successful. Between 1898 and 1902, the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago were explored and mapped. Under the strict leadership of Captain Sverdrup, large-scale exploration of previously unknown territories was carried out. The captain was considered a very strict and silent person, and for his seriousness the local population gave him the definition of the most taciturn Norwegian.
Panoramic walk through the streets near the museum
The third expedition was the most dangerous and was kept secret. Amudsen, who had intentions of getting to the North Pole, upon learning that it had already been discovered, radically changed his plans and went to Antarctica. In October, he reached the Pole by dog sled, planting the flag of Norway there.
After all the events that took place in the past, the FRAM ship was laid up. Gradually, time began to undermine its strong sides, and the ship was forgotten for a while. The year 1920 was significant for him, when a complete restoration of the ship began, followed by the decision of the Norwegian authorities to turn it into a museum. In 1935, it was installed on a special pedestal in the town of Bygdoines. And only after this the builders began constructing the building that now houses the museum.
Fram Museum on the map
The structure has several levels from which you can view the entire ship in more detail. Every museum visitor dreams of bringing home a “piece” of it. This is quite feasible thanks to a small souvenir shop that sells souvenirs with “Fram” symbols.
In the direction of the pier, a small boat, Joa, is presented to the attention of tourists. From 1903 to 1906, Amudsen crossed the North Atlantic towards the Bering Strait.
It is easy to witness historical events, completely immersing yourself in their mysteries, on the Bygdey Peninsula. All you have to do is open the doors of the Fram Museum...
According to the tradition that developed at the dawn of European civilization, it was the Norwegians who were those brave travelers who could not sit still. It is worth remembering Erik the Red and his son Leif Eriksson, who discovered America 400 years before the glorious Columbus. The traditions of discovering new lands have survived to this day. Who doesn't know Thor Heyerdahl, whose restless nature led to numerous discoveries and impressive expeditions.
Fram Museum dedicated to one single ship on which three amazing voyages were made - two to the Earth's poles and one across two oceans.
The museum's exposition, in addition to the ship itself, includes:
- an exhibition of scientific equipment for polar expeditions;
- medical equipment of the ship's doctor;
- personal belongings of expedition participants;
- dog sled items;
- documents, photographs, maps, ship's logs.
A separate exhibition is dedicated to the animal world of the harsh Arctic. Stuffed penguins, polar bears, fur seals, seals, loons - the work of the best taxidermists in Europe.
The museum constantly hosts exhibitions dedicated to the active social activities of the polar explorers. Nansen organized a fundraiser for the benefit of the starving people in the Volga region during Civil War in Russia, Sverdrup was the most generous donor Red Cross.
Each stand has explanations in eight European languages, including Russian. But the main exhibit remains a small boat that withstood such serious tests. Visitors can not only inspect the ship, but also visit it on board, go into the galley or captain's cabin, and take photographs in the wheelhouse.
Special equipment allows visitors to admire the Northern Lights from the deck of the ship.
You can purchase in the museum store scientific literature more than 200 authors, and the selection of souvenirs is simply huge.
The museum is open: in summer from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in May and September from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at other times from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is possible to order a guide, but this must be done in advance.
Finding the museum is very easy: bus number 30 will take you almost to the very doors of the Fram Museum.
On the shore of the capital's fjord stands a glass tent that houses Norway's polar pride. During the existence of the museum, more than ten million visitors visited it. For such a small museum, this figure is quite impressive.
Nansen was great as a polar explorer,
greater as a scientist and even greater as a man.
Herald Sverdrup
On October 10, 1861, in the suburbs of Christiania (now Oslo), I am not afraid to express my perception - one of greatest people ever born on Earth. The boy was named Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen.
Now a search has arisen in your head: “Why is he so great? And who is greater or equal to him?”
Most readers know about Nansen as a polar explorer who never visited the North Pole.
That's why I decided to write this post. I will not rewrite his entire biography, which an interested reader can find for himself, both on the Internet and in the library. I will dwell only on the main known and little-known moments of its history.
The Nansen family is of Danish origin, its ancestor was the merchant Hans Nansen (1598-1667), who at the age of 16 made his first voyage on White Sea, and at the age of 21, at the invitation of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, he explored the Arkhangelsk coast and visited the Kola Bay. The father of young Fridtjof, Baldur Nansen, is a secretary of the district court, but he looked more like a pastor than a lawyer, so he is invariably measured, neat and quiet. Mother, Mrs. Adelaide Nansen, was the personification of mobility. Born Baroness Wedel-Jalberg, she was alien to aristocratic stiffness and disdained all conventions. Regardless of the opinion of the world, she skated and skied, and did not disdain any work. She sewed the children herself and read a lot in her spare time.
Fridtjof is just like his mother - the same active daredevil. At the age of seventeen he became the champion of Norway. and then the world in speed skating. Twelve years in a row he has won competitions in long ski treks. However, he also borrowed something from his father - there was more than enough persistence and meticulousness in his character. It was the fusion of these two characters that allowed Nansen to carry out the most difficult polar expeditions with confidence, constant success and without losses.
In 1881, Fridtjof entered the Christian University, choosing future profession- zoology.
In 1882, as they say now: “for practice,” Nansen was hired on the hunting schooner Viking. Where for the first time it enters the Arctic Ocean. The sailors of the Viking at first saw the passenger as a strange bird that had flown into their nest and dreamed of getting not a mister student into their crew, but an extra St. John's wort. But soon this young student proved that he could not only study the subject of their hunt, but also be one of the best hunters of the Viking.
It was while sailing on a hunting hunt that Nansen began to study Arctic ice and think about its appearance and movement in the vastness of the Arctic Ocean. His scientific approach made it possible, based on samples of “mud” obtained from the ice, to determine that this soil was brought to Spitsbergen from the shores of Siberia.
Fridtjof Nansen, the future great polar explorer and traveler, on April 28, 1888, 4 days before the departure of the ski expedition to Greenland, defended his doctoral dissertation “Nerve elements, their structure and interconnection in the central nervous system ascidians and hagfish." There was a lot of talk about his defense, but I liked the words of Nansen himself: “Better to have bad defense than bad equipment.”
Despite these advertisements in Norwegian newspapers:
"ATTENTION!
In June of this year, preparator Nansen demonstrates running and skiing in central region Greenland. Permanent seating areas in glacial crevasses. No return ticket required."
Fridtjof, his future comrade-in-arms on the Fram expedition, Otto Sverdrup, and 4 of their comrades make an unprecedented ski trip across the whole of Greenland. Frosts reached −40 °C, woolen clothes provided little protection from the cold, and there was almost no fat in the diet (Sverdrup even asked Nansen for shoe ointment based on linseed oil for food). The route was 470 km.
They returned to their homeland May 30, 1889 like triumphants,healthy and in full strength. For most of the people crowding on the pier, Nansen was a Viking, and for them he was the personification of the national type.
Love and new achievements awaited Fridtjof Nansen in the name of knowledge, Norway and all humanity.
The wedding took place on September 6, 1889. Nansen did not want to get married and by that time had officially left the state Lutheran church. Eva was the daughter of a priest, and Nansen relented at the last moment. The day after the wedding, the couple went to Newcastle for a geographical congress, and after it ended, to Stockholm for the Nansen award. The first joint anniversary was celebrated in a very original way. New Year- ski trip to Mount Norefjell.
In 1883-1884, the remains of items from an unsuccessful expedition under the command of American Navy Lieutenant George De Long on the ship Jeannette were found on the east coast of Greenland. This expedition crashed in 1881 northeast of the New Siberian Islands. Norwegian meteorologist Professor Henrik Mohn published an article in 1884 in which he analyzed these findings and confirmed Nansen's guesses about the existence of a transpolar current; Mohn's article became the basis for Fridtjof's idea of an expedition to the Pole.
Most critics did not question Nansen's theoretical arguments, but stated that the practical implementation of the plan was impossible.The leading American polar explorer of the time, Adolph Greeley, proved the absolute falsity of Nansen's postulates, suggesting that the things found in 1884 in Greenland did not belong to members of the De Long expedition. According to Greeley, the North Pole is unreachable, as it is occupied by a powerful land mass pressed down by a glacier, which serves as a source of pack ice. He was equally skeptical about the ideal ice ship project, calling Nansen's intentions a "senseless suicide project."
The polar countries slept in a dead sleep for thousands of years. Nobody disturbed their eternal silence. And not at all because people are so inclined to protect the peace of others, but only because they were powerless in the kingdom of night and cold. However, nothing stopped people in the eternal desire to illuminate their lives with knowledge.
Nansen had a great thirst for knowledge. And now, with his characteristic determination, persistence and meticulousness, he was preparing for an expedition to the Central Arctic. He had knowledge of the drift of ice from the coast of Siberia to the Atlantic Ocean. When crossing Greenland, he did without dogs, only because he could not get good sled dogs. But for the trip to the North Pole, he decided to use a unique type of transport: a boat combined with a dog sled. And of course, it was necessary to build a ship as small as possible, which could accommodate a five-year supply of coal and provisions for the crew, and the Arctic ice could not crush it in its powerful embrace.
This is how the name "Frama" is described: "Eva Nansen approaches the bow of the ship with a firm step. Colin Archer respectfully handed her a bottle of champagne. The roar of the crowd immediately fell silent: the traditional maritime rite of naming a new ship required almost prayerful silence. Eva raised her hand high and smashed it with a strong blow bottle on the stem.
“Fram is his name!”
Preserved by the descendants of "Fram" in Oslo.
The Fram is considered the strongest wooden ship ever built. He personified the highest and final achievement of humanity in its passive ice fighting. The designer included the necessary condition for the strength of the hull, capable of withstanding ice pressure, in the project; in addition, Nansen conducted experiments on friction various materials on ice and came to the conclusion that the hull is much stronger arctic ice, which has been proven in practice. The ship had a significant draft and contours that were atypical for that time - the cross-section of the hull corresponded to the shape of half a coconut. The length of the “Fram” along the waterline was 36.25 m.
The planking was oak, triple, so that the sides were more than 70 cm thick. The inside of the sides were covered with tarred felt, a layer of cork, fir wood paneling, another thick layer of felt, then linoleum and, finally, plank paneling.
Above the entrance to the Fram Museum in Oslo.
The side of the "Frame", frames, a spare crankshaft, a modern blue fire-fighting pipe and me.
Engine.
Rotor-steering complex "Frama".
Spare screws.
Fram steering wheel and compass.
Like this: a chain behind the tiller is transferred to the stock ( vertical axis of rotation of the rudder blade) movement of the steering wheel.
Galley on the Fram
Wardroom.
Cabin and medical instruments.
Bunk-sofa in Nansen's cabin.
On the deck of the Fram.
Even in Greenland, Nansen became convinced of the advantage of a small team of professionals, in which everyone bears an equal share of the work. The total number of applications for participation in the expedition exceeded 600, Nansen selected only 12 people from them (including himself), but in Vardø, an hour and a half before departure, the 13th member of the team was accepted - sailor Bernt Bentsen, who intended to go only to Yugorsky Shar, however, he remained until the end of the expedition. One of the applicants was the famous English polar explorer Frederick Jackson ( as it turned out it was not in vain!), who submitted an application back in 1890, but was rejected due to his origin, since the expedition was supposed to be national - Norwegian.
Fram went to sea on June 24, 1893. The captain on it was Nansen's friend, Otto Sverdrup, proven in the Greenland campaign.
On July 29, the Fram entered the Yugorsky Shar Strait, in the Nenets settlement of Khabarovo, where the envoy of E.V. Toll - half-Russian, half-Norwegian, Tobolsk tradesman Alexander Ivanovich Trontheim - delivered 34 Ostyak huskies.
On August 3, having loaded the dogs on board, said goodbye to Trondheim and sent with him last letters to relatives and friends, the expedition continued its journey to the East. When performing pilotage work, leading the Fram out of a narrow strait. Nansen was almost burned in his motorboat by ignited oil.
On September 22, to the West of the New Siberian Islands, the Fram was covered with ice and a 3-year drift began. All other Arctic expeditions that had to spend a long winter night suffered, in addition to hunger, cold and disease, from unbearable boredom; As a result of this boredom, quarrels, mutual accusations, general discontent and scurvy arose. Nothing like this could be expected on the Fram. Here everyone had their own business, for which they were more capable.
Astronomical observations. Sverdrup (standing) and Scott-Hansen
F. Nansen plays the organ in the wardroom of the Fram
Sigurd Scott-Hansen and Hjalmar Johansen measure magnetic declination.
Measuring ocean depth at 3500m.
Nansen measures the temperature of the water at depth.
Photo from the National Library of Norway in Oslo.
From January 3 to January 5, 1895, the Fram experienced the strongest ice compression of the entire expedition, so the crew was ready to evacuate to the ice. But the Fram withstood these hellish attacks of ice. By the end of January, the expedition was carried by currents to a latitude of 83° 34 "N. Soon Nansen realized that they would not reach the North Pole on the ship, the drift would go much further south. And he decided to set out together on dog sleds. With provisions of 850 kg on 120 days for people and only 30 for dogs, entrusting the command of the expedition to the captain of the Fram, Otto Sverdrup, Nansen and Johansen set out on March 14, 1895 on three sledges to the North Pole.
Nansen and Johansen leave the Fram.
The trip to the north turned out to be extremely difficult: headwinds constantly blew, concealing the distance traveled due to ice drift (on average, travelers covered from 13 to 17 km per day), the dogs became weak and could not sleep, woolen suits resembled ice armor. Nansen and Johansen repeatedly fell through the young ice and froze their fingers. The temperature was constantly kept between −40 °C and −30 °C. Finally, on April 8, 1895, Nansen decided to stop the fight for the Pole: having reached 86 ° 13 "36" N. sh., they turned towards Franz Josef Land. There were about 400 km left to the North Pole.
This decision is extremely important. Many polar explorers in the history of studying the Polar regions, they could not make such a decision or made it too late, which always ended in tragedy. With this decision, Nansen saved the lives not only of himself and Johansen, but also of many Norwegians, Swedes, starving people in the Volga region, and Armenians.
On August 10, after going through severe trials and bad weather, two Norwegians finally reached the long-awaited land. These were the northern, not yet explored, islands of Franz Josef Land. Here they make another informed decision - to remain for the winter on the cape of one of the northern islands and thoroughly prepare for the winter, and not to look for a way to the South. It is now Norway Point on Jackson Island. Almost until the end of May the following year, Nansen and Johansen lived in a dugout covered with walrus skins and covered with bear skins. On May 21, 1896, they resumed their advance to the South, hoping to reach Spitsbergen. On June 17, at Cape Flora on Northbrook Island, while cooking, Nansen heard dogs barking. This is how the meeting of the Norwegians, who left Fram more than a year ago, took place with Frederick Jackson, who was not taken into the Fram team.
Meeting of Nansen and Jackson. A staged photograph taken a few hours after their actual meeting.
On July 26, 1896, the yacht Windward arrived at Cape Flora, on which Nansen and Johansen returned to Norway, setting foot on August 13.
The Fram arrived in Skjervö a week later, on August 20, having suffered no damage during three years of fighting the Arctic ice and with a full crew. The return of the Fram expedition turned into a national holiday. Nansen received awards from all countries. Geographical societies elected him an honorary member. Having passed through ice and water, Fridtjof, at 35 years old, was covered with the sound of fanfare. But he remained faithful to science.
Although Nansen failed to reach the North Pole, as Sir Clement Markham (chairman of the Royal Geographical Society) put it, “the Norwegian expedition solved everything geographical problems Arctic". The expedition proved that there is no land in the area of the North Pole, instead establishing the existence of an ocean basin. Nansen discovered that the Coriolis force, caused by the rotation of the Earth, plays a huge role in the drift of pack ice. Based on an analysis of the results of the expedition in 1902, Nansen derived two simple rules, describing the speed and direction of ice drift, which received wide practical application in polar expeditions of the 20th century. In addition, Nansen was the first to describe in detail the process of growth and melting of pack ice.
Expedition roads. Red- the path to the start of the drift. Blue- drift "Fram". Green- the path of Nansen and Johansen. Yellow- return of the Fram.
Photo from Wikipedia.
This was the name of the legendary ship located right under the roof of the unusual museum.
Vessel history
The Fram is a small ship built by Colin Archer, a Norwegian shipbuilder, for polar exploration. This sailing ship became famous thanks to three great travelers - Amundsen, Sverdrup and Nansen, who left a deep mark on the history of the conquest of distant northern lands.
It all started when Fritjor Nansen began to gather for the next one, the prospects of which were at first completely vague and unpredictable. Otto Sverdrup, an old friend who had skied with Nansen across Greenland, helped him prepare the dangerous and long-term task. Colin Archer not only allocated funds for the construction of the ship, but also made sketches of its design, taking into account all the wishes of the sailors.
When the ship was ready, Nansen personally tapped all the fastenings and probed its entire plating to ensure the reliability of the vessel. It is worth noting that the creators took into account everything: the harsh weather conditions of polar latitudes, the friction of ice on the bottom of the ship and its sides, the need to constantly maneuver between ice blocks frozen forever.
Not everyone of that time could boast of such sophisticated and reliable equipment. Nansen personally developed a special galley burner, which served travelers for a long time, warming them during the long polar nights.
Conquerors of the northern ice
The first expedition, of which Sverdrup was appointed captain, took place in 1893. Before approaching the target, the Fram made its way for a long time along the cold shores of Russian Siberia, then froze into drifting ice floes and reached the North Pole with them.
As a result, the ship passed away from the designated place, and the expedition had to end there. The ship returned back to . The second attempt was made in 1898 - this expedition, which was crowned with success, continued until 1902. During this time, brave travelers managed to explore the islands belonging to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and map their contours.
The most dangerous was the third expedition, the details of which were kept strictly secret. It is known that travelers visited many lands where no human had ever set foot before. Amundsen, who intended to conquer the North Pole, changed his intentions at the last moment and went to the shores of Antarctica. There he reached the South Pole by dog sled and planted his country's flag, confirming that Norway is the homeland of true heroes.
Museum opening
After the ship traveled thousands of nautical miles, fraying its sails under the icy winds of the Antarctic, and returned to its native shore, it was decided to send it to rest. However, after being laid up for a long time, pests began to undermine the once strong sides of the ship, its frame tilted, and the sails drooped.
For a short period of time, people forgot about the sailboat that brought them fame and recognition. However, oblivion did not last long. In 1920, work began on the restoration of the ship, and the Norwegian authorities decided to replenish their country with its help.
In 1935, a special pedestal was erected in Oslo, on which the updated Fram was placed. Construction then began on the gable-roofed building that still preserves and protects the glorious heritage of Norwegian seafarers. The design of the museum itself is made in such a way that visitors can view the famous sailing ship from several levels.
Each guest of this establishment has the opportunity to personally stand at the helm of a sailboat, leisurely walk along its deck and even look into the cramped wardroom where great sailors once made important decisions. On board the ship are stored numerous things that belonged to Amundsen and Sverdrup, as well as special marine instruments, without which any long journey would be impossible.
Everything here is arranged in such a way that people fully experience the significance and grandeur of this small sailing ship, which circumnavigated the entire globe, reached the South Pole and conquered the harsh polar latitudes. In order not to lose sight of any detail, it is best to set aside a whole day to inspect the ship. It is also recommended to look, located nearby and of no less interest to tourists.
