Antarctica

625 Pages·2012·1.71 MB·English

by  David Day

ANTARCTICA
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ANTARCTICA
A B I O G R A P HY
D A V ID DAY
KNOPF
3
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Contents
Preface vii
Chapter 1 1770s 1
Chapter 2 1780–1820 17
Chapter 3 1821–1838 38
Chapter 4 1839–1843 61
Chapter 5 1843–1895 83
Chapter 6 1895–1906 98
Chapter 7 1907–1912 125
Chapter 8 1912–1918 151
Chapter 9 1919–1926 179
Chapter 10 1926–1928 203
Chapter 11 1929–1930 227
Chapter 12 1931–1933 253
Chapter 13 1934–1936 279
Chapter 14 1937–1938 310
Chapter 15 1939–1941 331
Chapter 16 1941–1945 357
Chapter 17 1945–1947 381
Chapter 18 1948–1951 408
Chapter 19 1952–1956 434
Chapter 20 1957–1960 464
Chapter 21 1961–2012 492
Epilogue 521
Endnotes 524
Select Bibliography 587
Index 594
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Preface
Like Captain James Cook, I have been slowly circling the Antarctic.
While labouring on other books, the ice-covered continent kept
looming into view like an alluring mirage, suggesting itself as a
subject worthy of closer exploration. The chance to do so came after
I completed Conquest: How societies overwhelm others (2008),
which examined how so-called ‘supplanting societies’ claim terri-
tories and make them their own over an extended period of time. It
was a new way of looking at the history of the world.
That book’s opening chapter began with the claiming of the
French Antarctic territory by Jules-Sébastien Dumont d’Urville.
Only the penguins were watching the French sailors as they clam-
bered onto an offshore islet and raised their nation’s fl ag to claim
the adjacent coastline. However, it is clear from their accounts
that the offi cers confi dently expected that the territory claimed by
such customary means henceforth belonged to France. The story
of d’Urville drew me to Antarctica. How was it that this simple
ceremony could lay claim to a large region of Antarctica without
any French citizen visiting the place during the subsequent century?
How did Britain and its dominions later claim about two-thirds
of the continent, only to have their claim go largely unrecognised?
How has Antarctica come to be a continent with many claimants
and no owners? One question led to another, and a book about the
claiming of Antarctica became much more than that.
The researching and writing of this book has been a long journey,
and one that could not have been completed without the assist-
ance of many individuals and institutions. My home institution, La
Trobe University in Melbourne, provided some research money that
helped fund travel to archives in Britain, the United States, Norway,
Australia and New Zealand. The University of Aberdeen was most
vii
generous in its assistance, providing me with a visiting position
and funding to visit archives elsewhere. I would particularly like to
acknowledge the support of the then Principal of the University of
Aberdeen, Professor Sir Duncan Rice, and Vice Principal, Professor
Bryan MacGregor. Some of the ideas in this book were discussed
at seminars in Aberdeen and Melbourne and I am grateful for the
feedback from participants.
I began and ended the research at the Scott Polar Research
Institute in Cambridge, where the library and archive staff were
unfailingly helpful and where I was able to discuss Antarctic history
with Bob Headland over a lunchtime pint or two. Many thanks are
due to Hilary Shibata of SPRI for kindly providing access to her
translated account of Shirase’s expedition prior to its publication.
Several wonderful weeks were spent in New York where Dorothea
Sartain helped access the fi les of the Explorers Club and Mary Lynne
Bird and Peter Lewis steered me towards many interesting records
held by the American Geographical Society. Paul Chaplin of the
Antarctic Heritage Trust was very generous with his time during
a visit to Oslo, as was historian Susan Barr at the Directorate for
Cultural Heritage. Jan Erik Ringstad provided valuable help at the
Whaling Museum in Sandefjord, where the language barrier might
otherwise have made research diffi cult.
In Hobart, Andie Smithies, librarian at the Australian Antarctic
Division, guided me around its valuable collection. Laura Kissel,
Polar Curator at the Byrd Polar Research Center in Columbus Ohio,
cheerfully fi elded many requests for fi les. In Washington, Claire
Christian of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, pointed
me towards much that was relevant in the ASOC offi ce, while Jim
Barnes refl ected on his years of advocacy on behalf of Antarctica.
Thanks are also due to the archivists and librarians at the
Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, Archives New Zealand in
Wellington and Christchurch, the National Archives of Australia in
Canberra and Hobart, the National Archives in London, the National
Archives and records Administration in Maryland, the Auckland War
Memorial Museum, the Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge,
the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, the National Library of
Australia, the Dartmouth College Library in New Hampshire, the
Library of Congress, the Royal Geographical Society in London, the
Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, the Smithsonian Institution Archives
in Washington and the State Library of South Australia.
viii PREFACE
Once again, my literary agent in London, Andrew Lownie,
found enthusiastic and supportive publishers when the book was
little more than an idea. At Random House, Meredith Curnow
and Elena Gomez guided the manuscript through the press with
patience and good humour, while my long distance editor, Julian
Welch, working from Uppsala in Sweden, now knows more than he
ever thought possible about the Antarctic.
Friends also helped lighten the load along the way – Håkon Lie
and Karen Mosman in Oslo, Claude and Irene Wischik in Aberdeen
and Richard and Danielle Weiner in Providence. My children,
Michael, Emily and Kelly, provided inspiration and stimulation in
equal measure, while my wife, Tsila, was a constant presence on the
journey and of immeasurable assistance with the research in count-
less archives. It is to Tsila that this book is lovingly dedicated.
David Day
La Trobe University
PREFACE ix