Belgica antarctica ship

Belgica expedition photos
Gaston de gerlache
De gerlache pronunciation

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The completion of the great British naval expedition of 1839-43, under the command of James Clark Ross on HMS EREBUS and Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier on HMS TERROR, brought to an end the era of early Antarctic exploration. On the other hand, a significant number of sealing and whaling voyages were undertaken by a variety of nations in the years leading up to the end of the century. The majority of these subsequent sailings originated from New England in the United States and from France.

Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and by 1849 the great gold rush had begun. This resulted in a significant increase of travel through the Straits of Magellan and around Cape Horn. A ship repair business was developed in the Falkland Islands at this time.

In 1849 the Southern Whale Fishery Company, incorporated by British Royal Charter, attempted to settle a new British colony at Port Ross in the Auckland Islands. The SAMUEL ENDERBY arrived carrying Charles Enderby and a number of settlers on December 4 and found, to their surprise, about 40 Maoris and 30

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Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery, a life at sea

Belgium has a coastline of less than 70 kilometres and can hardly boast a maritime tradition. However, this did not stop Adrien de Gerlache braving the waves and making countless discoveries, particularly around the poles. His expedition was also the first to spend an entire winter in the Antarctic. In doing so he became one of the most famous explorers in Belgian history.

Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery was born in Hasselt on 2 August 1866. He studied at the Polytechnic School at the ULB (Université Libre de Bruxelles) before moving on to the maritime school in Oostende. After completing his studies de Gerlache began working for the ferry running between Oostende and Dover and later for the fishing patrol. Yet he had little enthusiasm for such employment. He wanted a more adventurous life.

By the end of the 19th century the entire world had been discovered and most of it had already been exploited by humans. The entire world? In fact no! One continent was still putting up a good fight and that was Antarctica. Only a handful of people

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Adrien de Gerlache

Adrien de Gerlache (1866-1934)

Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery was an officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99 (BAE). The BAE was the first expedition to overwinter within the Antarctic Circle, after the ship was icebound in the Bellingshausen Sea. It collected the first annual cycle of Antarctic observations, reached 71°30’S, and discovered the Gerlache Strait. The BAE was also the first expedition of what has come to be called the ‘Heroic Age’ of Antarctic Exploration (1897-1917), when international focus on the Antarctic continent resulted in intensive scientific and geographical exploration.

Early Years and Expedition Roots

From a young age de Gerlache was deeply attracted to the sea. He first worked as a cabin boy on an ocean liner and later joined the Belgian Navy. Longing for more adventurous work, he started planning an Antarctic expedition. He proposed his plan in 1894 to the Royal Geographical Society, and purchased a Norwegian-built whaling ship, which he re-fitted an