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Nansen and Fram

As early as the autumn of 1907, Roald Amundsen went to Lysaker, outside Oslo, to the home of Fridtjof Nansen. 

This was the man Amundsen referred to as:

"the prophet, whom I always looked up to with awe."

Nansen was the nation's polar hero. He had led the first expedition across the Greenland ice sheet (1888) and the heroic Fram expedition across the Arctic Ocean (1893-1896). He was the scientist, the national hero, and the polar explorer, and he had plans for more expeditions. Among other things, he wanted to go to the South Pole, which would mean another long period away from his wife Eva.

when the day came and Amundsen was standing in the hall waiting for his answer, Eva could not disguise her anxiety. She was up in the bedroom and she heard Father’s slow tread above her head. She looked at him, eyebrows raised, as she came in, but all she said was: 'I know what it will be.' Father walked out again without a word and down the stairs to the hall, where he met another pair of anxious eyes. 'You shall have Fram,' he said.

So described Nansen’s daughter Liv the moment when her father decided to entrust Fram to Amundsen, which at the same time meant abandoning the opportunity to lead an expedition of his own to the South Pole. Quote taken from “Nansen : a family portrait” (Longmans, Green 1957: 168).

The Fram was designed with a rounded hull so that it could be pushed up by the ice in the Arctic Ocean rather than crushed.

It was constructed and built by Colin Archer for Fridtjof Nansen’s drift across the Arctic Ocean from 1893 to 1896 and later used on Otto Sverdrup’s expedition to Arctic Canada from 1898 to 1902.

Read more about the ship.

During spring 1910, the Fram lies at the Navy's main shipyard at Karljohansvern in Horten.

Here, it undergoes repairs and modernization. A new deckhouse and steering wheel are installed, and the old steam engine is replaced with a Swedish diesel engine of 180 horsepower from Dieselmotorer AB.

The ship is painted black on the outside and white on the inside. A telephone system is installed, running from the barrel at the mast's top to the engine room and other locations onboard. Linoleum is laid on the floors, and Amundsen’s piano is brought into the saloon. On the wall, a picture of Ole Engelstad, who died during the kite experiments, is hung.

In May 1910, Norwegian newspapers publish photos of the entire crew.

Still, few know where they are actually headed.

  • 1/1
    Members of the expedition before departure from Kristiania (Oslo). Standing from left: Oscar Wisting, Anders Sandvig (left the expedition in Madeira), Adolf Schröer (left the expedition in Bergen), Halvardus Kristensen, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Ludvig Hansen, Martin Rønne, Jørgen Stubberud, Andreas Beck. Seated middle row, from left: : Hjalmar Johansen, Thorvald Nilsen, Roald Amundsen, Kristian Prestrud. Seated in front, from left: : Karenius Olsen, Oscar Eliassen (left the expedition in Kristiansand), Hjalmar Fredrik Gjertsen, Alexander Kutchin. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse / The National Library

Framheim

In the summer of 1910, Amundsen acquired another important element in reaching the South Pole.  An overwintering hut.

But still, few people know where the hut will actually be used. Amundsen tells the journalists that the hut will be important on the journey across the Arctic Ocean.

"We bring with us a fully finished wooden house that can be set up on the ice and from where the investigations can take place."

Jørgen Stubberud and his brother Harald, born and raised in Svartskog, will be responsible for building the hut, together with several of the expedition members. Materials are purchased at Skedsmo Dampsag and Høvleri's outlet in Oslo.

The hut will be 8 metres long, 4 metres wide and 5 metres high under the apex.

Along the walls of the largest room, five bunk beds are built, with a long table in the middle that can be hoisted up to the ceiling. A window at the end lets in the light.

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    A photo taken from the sea shows Framheim along with the bathing house outside Roald Amundsen's home. All photo: National Library in Norway
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    Framheim was built with different sections. t
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    The expedition crew took part in the construction of Framheim, unaware of what it was actually going to be used for.
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    The only picture from inside the cabin when it was at Roald Amundsen's home. Andreas Beck on the left and Hjalmar Fredrik Gjertsen to the right.
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    Amundsen, in a white suit, inspects the construction work.

The plan is to erect it on the grass by the flagpole outside Uranienborg and then dismantle it and load it aboard the Fram. 

That way, they can quickly rebuild it when they arrive in Antarctica.

But not many know about that plan.

To the journalists, Amundsen continues to explain what he will use it for when they reach the ice in the north.

"The work becomes both easier and more reliable for those who conduct the investigations when they can be in a good house - and moreover, one has the great advantage that the ice holes through which the sounding takes place are in the house and thus do not freeze".
Museum24:Portal - 2025.03.06
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