Transglobe Expedition
Sponsor | Self-funded and sponsored |
---|---|
Country | Earth |
Leader | Ranulph Fiennes |
Start | Greenwich, United Kingdom September 2, 1979 |
End | Greenwich, United Kingdom August 29, 1982 |
Goal | Surface circumnavigation from south to north poles |
Crew | Ranulph Fiennes, Oliver Shepard, Charles R. Burton |
Achievements | First surface circumnavigation via both geographical poles |
The Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) was the first expedition to make a longitudinal (north–south)
Planning
The original idea for the expedition was conceived by Ginny Fiennes in February 1972.[5][6] The trip was entirely funded through sponsorships and the free labour of the expedition members, which took seven years to organize.[7][8]
Before the expedition, they had to limit the food that they ate. They brought a large amount of bread, cereal, and coffee. During their crossing of the Sahara, they brought no butter because of high temperatures. They also had to use repellent cream and anti-malarial tablets in order to keep insects away.[6]
Expedition
This section is missing information about the full itinerary of the expedition.(March 2020) |
South Pole
Ranulph Fiennes, Charles Burton, and Oliver Shepard left London on 2 September 1979, beginning with a relatively simple overland trip through France and Spain,[9] then across West Africa through the Sahara.[5] They boarded the ship the Benjamin Bowring in the Gulf of Guinea and travelled by sea to South Africa.[5] After preparations in South Africa, they sailed for Antarctica on 22 December 1979, and arrived on 4 January 1980.[5]
With help from Ginny Fiennes and Giles Kershaw, they built a base camp near the SANAE III base.[5] They named the base camp Ryvingen, after the nearby Ryvingen Peak. Burton, Shepard, Ranulph Fiennes, and Ginny Fiennes (and their dog Bothie) remained at this base all winter, in four cardboard huts which quickly became buried in the snow.[5]
On 29 August 1980, Ranulph Fiennes left with Burton and Shephard for the South Pole.[5] They travelled by snowmobiles, pulling sledges with supplies, while Kershaw flew ahead to leave fuel depots for them.[5] As they travelled, they took 2-meter snow samples,[5] one of many scientific undertakings that convinced sponsors to support the trip. They reached the South Pole on 15 December 1980.[5] They remained in a small camp next to the South Pole station dome, where they played the first game of cricket at the South Pole, and departed on 23 December 1980.[10] They descended the Scott Glacier (the third party to do so), crossed the Ross Ice Shelf, and arrived at Scott Base on 11 January 1981, completing their Antarctic crossing.[10]
North Pole
As part of the expedition, Fiennes and Burton completed the
Between Tuktoyaktuk and Tanquary Fiord, they traveled at an average speed of around 80 miles (70 nmi; 130 km) per day.
Once they reached Tanquary Fiord they had to trek 150 miles (130 nmi; 240 km) overland, via Lake Hazen, to Alert, before setting up their winter base camp.
Impact
The journey was recorded in a book by Fiennes, To the Ends of the Earth: The Transglobe Expedition, The First Pole-to-Pole Circumnavigation of the Globe (1983). It was also the subject of a 1983 film, also titled To the Ends of the Earth, made by director
Following the completion of the voyage Ranulph and Ginny Fiennes released a book about the adventures of their dog Bothie, a Jack Russell terrier, who became the only dog to ever visit both the North and South poles. Called Bothie The Polar Dog, the book was published in 1984 and was reported to be a best-seller.[15][16]
Transglobe Expedition Trust
Following the expedition, in 1993 a charitable trust was established to support other expeditions with humanitarian, scientific or educational goals.[17] The trust is a registered UK charity and has supported a number of projects including Ed Stafford's 2010 expedition to walk the length of the Amazon River, and survey of the endangered Bactrian camel.[18][19]
Further reading
- Fiennes, Sir Ranulph (1983). To the Ends of the Earth: the Transglobe Expedition, The First Pole-to-Pole Circumnavigation of the Globe. New York: Arbor House. OCLC 9812992.
- Fiennes, Sir Ranulph (October 1983). "Circling Earth From Pole to Pole". OCLC 643483454.
- Fiennes, Virginia; Fiennes, Ranulph (1984). Bothie the Polar Dog: The Dog Who Went to Both Poles with the Transglobe Expedition. ISBN 0-340-36319-3.
See also
- Explorer – 2022 documentary film on the explorer Ranulph Fiennes
- World portal
References
- ^ Dimery, Rob (18 August 2015). "1982: First Surface Circumnavigation via both Geographical Poles". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ "Sir Ranulph Fiennes | British adventurer and writer". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ a b Guinness Book of World Records 1997
- ^ "Biographies". Transglobe Expedition. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Transglobe Expedition". Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- ^ a b "Transglobe expedition: Ranulph Fiennes 'Vertical' Circumpolar Navigation of the World at the 0° Greenwich Meridian". Kickass Trips. 2014-05-22. Archived from the original on 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- ^ "Transglobe Expedition 1979-82". Freeze Frame. Archived from the original on 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- Daily Telegraph. Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-57607-422-0. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ a b "The Transglobe Expedition (continued)". www.southpolestation.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
- ISBN 978-0877956143. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ISBN 978-0877956143. Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "To the Ends of the Earth". IMDB. Archived from the original on 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
- BFI. Archivedfrom the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ISBN 0-340-36319-3.
- Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2004. Archivedfrom the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ "THE TRUST". Transglobe Expedition. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ Judd, Terri (2010). "From source to mouth of the Amazon; on foot". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "EXPEDITION SUPPORT". Transglobe Expedition Trust. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Rough map of the expedition (based on the official route graphic). Red shows the rough path; cyan shows the 0- and 180-degree meridians.