Roald Amundsen at the wheel of
Maud in 1920, during his unsuccessful attempt to cross the
Northeast Passage and reach the
North Pole. Although Amundsen did indeed successfully journey eastward along the coast of
Siberia to
Nome, Alaska, his plan of freezing the ship in the
polar ice pack and letting it drift northward did not work as the currents were uncooperative. Amundsen finally did fly over the North Pole in 1926 in the airship
Norge, making him the first person to attain both North and South Poles.
Photo: Lomen Brothers; Restoration: Lise Broer