History of the Northwest Passage

During the ICESAIL Expedition in the year 1993, Arved Fuchs and his crew
very nearly failed to sail through the Northwest Passage. Due to the massive ice pressure, the leader of the expedition had even given orders to prepare to abandon ship.
During the night, ice flows had set under the hull and had begun to raise the “Dagmar Aaen”. Despite this, the crew managed, with much patience, to conquer the old Amundsen-Route and to reach the Bering Sea. Back then, the crew left from the Norwegian town of Tromsö and managed to cross the legendary passage in 186 days, covering a distance of 8154 sea miles. Again this year, Arved Fuchs will sail along Amundsen’s route, but this time from Dutch Harbour in the direction of Greenland.
Amundsen, who was born in Borge (Ostfold),  was the first person ever to cross the Northwest Passage with his ship the “Gjöa”. It was at the age of 15, when the Norwegian got hold of John Franklin’s journals. The arctic explorer had lost his life in the ice while attempting to find the passage in the year 1845. In 1889, Amundsen was present during Fridtjof Nansen’s return to Oslo, following his crossing of the Greenland ice, and the young student could be held back no longer.
Eight years later and with a recommendation from Nansen, Amundsen set off on his first Antarctic expedition as second officer, with the Antarctic explorer Adrien de Gerlache in command. As helmsman, he succeeded in bringing the “Belgica” safely through the ice and decided he would lead the next expedition himself. At the age of 29 he achieved his captaincy and bought the fishing vessel “Gjöa”. The Norwegian wanted to sail the legendary passage; the crossing which John Franklin had not accomplished. Fridtjof Nansen said farewell to his young friend in the harbour of Oslo. The “Gjöa” managed to sail through the Arctic island world without experiencing many serious problems. He stayed two years with the Netsilik Inuit and was, due to the fact that they had no contact to the outside world, declared missing. In August of the year 1905 he departed once again on a westerly course, to continue the journey – through waters, which had not as yet been mapped. On the 26^th of August, he met with a schooner from San Francisco. The captain asked, rather surprised, if he were Amundsen. He then congratulated the Norwegian: The Northwest Passage had been conquered. 100 years following Amundsen’s departure, Arved Fuchs with the “Dagmar Aaen” will again attempt to sail through the Northwest Passage. 

             Roald Amundsen           

History of the Aleut Inhabitants

Siberian nomads, so-called “Unagan”, settled on the islands about 10 000 years ago. The extreme weather conditions of the Bering Sea coasts forced these inhabitants to develop a certain flexibility. They would otherwise not have been able to live in this inhospitable environment. Fishing and the hunting of sea mammals were their only means of survival. Due to this, the Aleuts were led to develop a highly functional fishing vessel for the high seas. They ventured out to sea on kayaks, which had several seats, so-called Baidarkas. Of all the native groups around the world, who fish and hunt with small boats on the high seas, it was the Aleuts, who were confronted with the most dangerous and difficult conditions and, who have learned over the centuries to use their kayaks to the point of perfection.

Because of the lack of trees on the islands, the Aleuts lived in earthen dwellings, so-called Barabaras, which were often astonishingly big in size – big enough to accommodate more than one family. Some groups embalmed their dead and placed these mummies in caves. Some of these burial places have been discovered; but most of them are obviously still hidden.
The native Aleuts have suffered humiliation in the past 250 years. Their social structures have been shattered and their people almost wiped out. The island groups were proud and even war-like, but were still unable to ward off the Russian invaders. They were murdered, enslaved or they died from many diseases. Neither American nor English hunters took consideration of the inhabitants. It wasn’t until Alaska was sold by Russia to the United States, that the situation improved to some degree. Interest for the region was lost for a time because the population of fur-bearing animals became almost extinct. For some species it was already too late. The “Steller’s sea cow”, for example, became irretrievably extinct. Finally, protective measures were taken, allowing the population to recover somewhat, and these animals were hunted once again. This time it was the Americans who determined the rules. Nevertheless, the situation of the Aleuts did not actually improve.
 

During World War II the Aleutians became a point of interest once again. The Japanese attacked the islands in 1942, bombed Dutch Harbour and took over the islands Attu and Kiska. The battle of the Aleutian Islands turned into a battle with high losses on both sides. Attu and Kiska were occupied by the Japanese and it was only following heavy fighting, that the Americans were able to recapture them. This battle is remembered in the United States as the “Forgotten Battle”. In the course of the war, the Americans placed the inhabitants in detention camps in the southern parts of the islands – in old mining camps or in fishing factories – where they were left to vegetate. Their abandoned villages and dwellings with all their belongings were burned down. It was a long time after the war before some of the survivors were allowed to return to their destroyed settlements. The ruins of detention camps with their graveyards can still be found in southeast Alaska.