In 1897, Belgian naval officer Adrien de Gerlache organized the first major expedition to Antarctica in half a century. It will kick off the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The expedition included two men critic to the exploration of the polar regions – Roald Amundsen and Dr. Frederick Cook.
Episodes
Belgica Expedition – Part 1
Adrien de Gerlach defies the odds and manages to raise enough money to kick off the Belgian Antarctic Expedition. It will be the opening chapter in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
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Belgica Expedition – Part 2
In part 2 of our series on the Belgica Expedition, the ship travels to Rio de Janeiro, through the dangerous Strait of Magellan, and onto Antarctica. Along the way, the expedition will be joined by Dr. Frederick Cook, and there will be a near mutiny – plus a tragic death.
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Belgica Expedition – Part 3
The Belgica begins to explore the coast of Antarctica – and plunges deeper and deeper to the south as the long night of winter approaches.
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Belgica Expedition – Part 4
As the winter of 1898 approaches, the Belgica and her crew prepare to endure 70 days of darkness. No one in history had endured a winter in the Antarctic environment. What follows will include extreme cold, isolation, madness and death.
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Belgica Expedition – Part 5
In the final chapter of the Belgica saga, the ship and her crew struggle to find a way out of the Antarctic ice pack. As they do so, the men struggle with the physical and mental health as they face yet another year trapped in the pack.
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Belgica Expedition – Interview with Author Julian Sancton
In the final episode in the Belgica Expedition, we have a conversation with New York Times best-selling author Julian Sancton, who wrote the book “Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night”. This is the definitive book about the expedition. In our talk, Sancton discusses the challenges, surprises and rewards of writing the book.
Find out more about Julian Sancton and “Madhouse at the End of the Earth”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602593/madhouse-at-the-end-of-the-earth-by-julian-sancton/
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Maps
The blue line represents the rough path of the Belgica.
This image represents a very rough look position of Belgica in the Antarctic ice, and the attempts to cut a channel from the ship to the ice. Please note the map is very simplistic – but I think it gives you the idea of the challenges facing the men, and how it all transpired. This drawing is based up one found in Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton.
This image represents the unique cutting strategy devised by Dr. Frederick Cook. The crew cut the ice between the banks in asymmetrical quadrilaterals pieces. This prevented the ice from getting wedged into place – and allowed the men to push it towards the mouth of the channel. This drawing is based up one found in Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton.
Resources
Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton. This is the best resource – by far – about the Belgica Expedition. Highly recommended.
Go here to learn more about the book, and its author, Julian Sancton.
Through the first Antarctic night, 1898-1899, Frederick Cook, 1900. This is an excellent original source of one of the Belgica’s key expedition members. While Cook glosses over many of the more difficult facets of the expedition – it is an entertaining and informative story.
Fifteen months in the Antarctic, by Adrien de Gerlache. The book by the commander of the is, unfortunately, a difficult one to find in English. French versions are readily accessible online. I was only able to read excerpts for de Gerlache’s book, but provides a lot of details about the expedition’s journey.
Roald Amundsen’s Belgica Diary: The First Scientific Expedition to the Antarctic, but Roald Amundsen. Like de Gerlache’s book, this is hard to find in English – and very expensive.
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