Author: HANSSEN, HELMER
Title: Voyages of a Modern Viking
Description: London, George Routledge. 1936, First Edition. Blue Cloth, 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Book, x, 216 pages, frontispiece, 5 plates, map. Everybody think of Roald Amundsen when they're asked who was first explorer to reach the North Pole. However, without the assistance of Helmer Julius Hanssen, Amundsen might not have succeeded. Hanssen met Amundsen in the 1890s. From 1903-6, Hanssen was second mate among a crew of just six onboard the herring boat Gjøa on Roald Amundsen's successful search for the Northwest passage. The link between the Pacific and the Atlantic had long been sought as a trade route and Amundsen's expedition made the journey from Oslo to Alaska. For two years they were stranded on King William Island, where Hanssen learned from the Inuit how to drive sled dogs. In 1910 he headed south with Amundsen to conquer the South Pole, this time as an expert dog driver. He was also in charge of navigation, carrying the master compass on his sledge. In 1915 he gained his skipper's license. Because of his previous good work, Amundsen hired Hanssen to serve as captain on the s/s Maud through the Northeast Passage in 1918-20. His sledding expertise came in handy during this expedition, after the s/s Maud was stuck in the Arctic sea ice. Hanssen led the dogs on a 1500 km journey in order to send telegrams for Amundsen. The return journey to s/s Maud took Hanssen approximately 6½ months' time, and 4000 km. Historians estimate that at the time, Hanssen's trip was a dog sledding record. From 1928 until his retirement in 1940, Hanssen worked as a ship surveyor in Tromsø. He published his autobiography The Voyages of a Modern Viking, in 1936. Very Good.

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