Scandinavian American

Antarctic
Explorers
Set Sail

OSLO. -- Years of careful preparation culminated recently when the joint Norwegian, British, Swedish Antarctic Expedition set sail from Oslo aboard the former sealer "Norsel."

The expedition, following a stop in London, is bound for the Norwegian dependency of Queen Maud's Land in Antarctica, where two years will be spent in scientific exploration.

Under the command of veteran Norwegian explorer Captain John Giaver, the party will comprise the first joint undertaking of its kind, including specialists of three nations. They will be heading for an unknown area - hitherto unexplored except from the air. Photos taken by a German expedition in 1938-39 showed in the interior of Queen Maud's Land remarkable snow-free and ice-free mountains protruding above the Antarctic ice-cap. To what extent these indicate a continuing climatic change in the south-polar areas will be investigated by the group.

Writing shortly before the departure of the expedition, Dr. H. U. Sverdrup, Norwegian Polar Institute director, reaffirmed Norway's claims to the triangular sector bounded by the Antarctic coast between 20 degrees West and 45 degrees East and stretching inland to the South Pole.

Among the final items loaded aboard the "Norsel" before its departure from Oslo were two rowboats painted in brilliant red.

"Those are get-away insurance for 1952," confided expedition leader Giaver. "If ice conditions are such that the pickup vessel can't get into the coast, we'll have to leave Antarctica in rowboats. They're painted bright red so that they'll stand out against the ice."