Airship Italia
Encyclopedia
Semi-rigid airship
Semi-rigid airships are airships with a partial framework. These often consist of a rigid, or occasionally, flexible, keel frame along the long axis under the aerodynamic hull envelope. The partial framework can also be located inside the hull...
used by Italian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
engineer Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
in his second series of flights around the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
.
Design and specifications
Italia was an N-class semi-rigid airship, designation N-4. In design it was almost identical to the N-1 Norge but larger in gas capacity. Little is known of airship N-2. Airship N-3 was sold to Japan and became "Naval Airship No. 6". Nobile and some of his staff traveled to Japan in 1926 or 1927 to deliver this airship. According to Italian sources, airship N-5 (which was larger and had three times the lifting capacity of N-1) was Nobile's preferred design for the Arctic expedition, but when funding was refused by the Italian government he built N-4 with the assistance of private backers and the City of MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. In May 1928 the Italia set off for the Arctic Circle, stopping at a German airship hangar at Stolp, Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
, and the airship mast at Vadsø
Vadsø
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality and the county of Finnmark....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
- First Flight: 1924
- Length: 105.4 metres/347.8 feet
- Diameter: 19.4 metres/63.9 feet
- Gas capacity: 18,500 cubic metres/654,000 cubic feet
- Performance: 112.3 km/h /70.2 mph
- Payload: 9405 kg/20,900 LB
- Power plant: 3 x MaybachMaybachMaybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
560 kW/750 hp total
Milan to Ny-Ålesund (Kings Bay) flight
Takeoff from Stolp was further delayed by bad weather, but at 03:28 on 3 May 1928, Italia set off for Norway. Eight hours later, escorted by Swedish naval planes, Italia passed over Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Crewmember Finn Malmgren spotted his house from the air and the ship descended to drop a letter to his mother. Bad weather forced the ship east over Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and they passed over Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and is between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its...
at 01:49 on 4 May. Italia reached the mooring mast at Vadsø
Vadsø
is a city and municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality and the county of Finnmark....
later that day.
While the ship was moored without difficulty, blizzard conditions followed by heavy rain kept the crew in a state of constant anxiety and caused minor structural damage. As soon as weather permitted, Italia took off for Kings Bay at 20:34 on 5 May, and by 05:30 had passed the meteorological station on Bear Island, but ran into high winds shortly after, also suffering an engine failure. By 12:00 on 6 May the airship reached Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund is one of the four permanent settlements on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on the Brøgger peninsula at Kongsfjorden...
(Kings Bay) and spotted their support ship. However, in a foretaste of events to come Captain Romagna of the Città di Milano refused to release 50 men requested by Nobile to form a landing crew. In contrast the Norwegian authorities summoned 150 miners at short notice to help haul the ship down and walk her to the shed.
Crew and expedition members
- Umberto NobileUmberto NobileUmberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
- Expedition leader. Survived. - Finn MalmgrenFinn MalmgrenFinn Adolf Erik Johan Malmgren was a Swedish meteorologist and Arctic explorer.Malmgren studied in Göteborg, Sundsvall and Stockholm. In 1912 he started to study at the Uppsala University where he received a bachelor's degree in 1916...
- SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
meteorologist and physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
. Died trekking for help. - František BěhounekFrantišek BehounekFrantišek Běhounek was a Czech scientist , explorer and writer.The asteroid 3278 Běhounek is named after him.- Biography :Běhounek studied physics and mathematics at Charles University, later radiology in France at Marie Curie-Skłodowska. In 1920s, he was one of the founders of State Radiological...
- CzechCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
physicist. Survived. - Aldo PontremoliAldo PontremoliAldo Pontremoli was an Italian physicist who held a chair of theoretical physics at the University of Milan from 1926 and who founded and directed the Institute of Advanced Physics at the University of Milan from 1924 until his disappearance and presumed death in May 1928...
- Italian physicist (University of MilanUniversity of MilanThe University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
). Lost with envelope, never found. - Ugo Lago - Journalist, Il Popolo d'ItaliaIl Popolo d'ItaliaIl Popolo d'Italia , was an Italian newspaper founded by Benito Mussolini on November 15, 1914, as a result of his split with the Italian Socialist Party. Il Popolo d'Italia ran until July 24, 1943 and became the foundation for the Fascist movement in Italy after World War I...
. Lost with envelope, never found. - Francesco Tomaselli - Journalist (Royal Italian ArmyRoyal Italian ArmyThe Regio Esercito was the army of the Kingdom of Italy from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946...
AlpiniAlpiniThe Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....
). Not on final flight. - Adalberto Mariano - Navigator (Royal Italian NavyRegia MarinaThe Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
). Survived. - Filippo Zappi - Navigator (Royal Italian Navy). Survived.
- Alfredo Viglieri - Navigator/hydrographer (Royal Italian Navy). Survived.
- Natale Cecioni - ElevatorElevator (aircraft)Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
operator / Chief technician. Survived. - Giuseppe Biagi - Radio operator. Survived.
- Ettore Pedretti - Radio operator. Not on final flight.
- Felice Trojani - Elevator operator/Aeronautical project engineer. Survived.
- Ettore Arduino - Chief engine mechanic. Lost with envelope, never found.
- Calisto Ciocca - Starboard engine mechanic. Lost with envelope, never found.
- Attilio Caratti - Port engine mechanic. Lost with envelope, never found.
- Vincenzo Pomella - Rear engine mechanic. Killed in the crash.
- Renato Alessandrini - Foreman RiggerRiggingRigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
. Lost with envelope, never found. - Titina - Fox terrierFox TerrierFox Terrier refers primarily to two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of British terriers, and are related to other modern...
belonging to Gen. Nobile, expedition mascotMascotThe term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
. Survived.
Polar flights
Nobile planned 5 flights for the expedition, each starting from and returning to Ny-ÅlesundNy-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund is one of the four permanent settlements on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. It is located on the Brøgger peninsula at Kongsfjorden...
(Kings Bay) and exploring different areas of the Arctic.
After the necessary engine and structural repairs were completed, the first flight departed from Kings Bay on 11 May 1928. Italia was forced to turn back after only eight hours flight because of thick ice forming on the envelope, as well as fraying of the control cables due to the extreme conditions.
The second flight left at 13:20 on 15 May and lasted 60 hours. In contrast, this time weather condition were excellent and visibility perfect. Valuable meteorological, magnetic and geographic data were gathered in a 2,500 mile (4,000 km) flight to the hitherto uncharted Nicholas II Land and back. Dr Malmgren gathered weather and ice observations, while Drs Pontremoli and Behounek made measurements of magnetic phenomena and radioactivity. The ship returned safely to base on the morning of 18 May.
The third flight started on 23 May 1928, and following a route along the Greenland coast, with the assistance of strong tailwinds, reached the North Pole 19 hours later at 00:24 on 24 May 1928. Nobile had prepared a winch, an inflatable raft, and survival packs (very providentially as it turned out) with the intention of lowering some of the scientists onto the ice, but the wind made this impossible. Instead they circled the pole making observations and at 01:20 dropped the Italian and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese colours, as well as a wooden cross presented by the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and a religious medal from the citizens of Forlì
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
onto the ice during a short ceremony. At 02:20 on 24 May, the Italia started back to base.
The same tail wind that had helped Italia to the Pole now impeded their progress. Nobile calculated the return journey would take 40 hours, and had discussed their options with Dr Malmgren in the hours before their arrival at the Pole. Nobile considered a trans-polar route to Mackenzie Bay
Mackenzie Bay, Canada
Mackenzie Bay is a natural inlet in northern Canada. It is an arm of the Beaufort Sea. To the west is Herschel Island and the Yukon mainland. To the east is Richards Island, Northwest Territories....
in Canada. According to Nobile, Malmgren advised a return to Kings Bay, predicting lessening winds on their return trip. On the other hand Malmgren predicted a head wind all the way if the Canadian route was attempted. No doubt the prospect of a forced landing in the Canadian wilderness was unpalatable to both men, as it would mean the end of the expedition.
Heading directly south on a heading for Kings Bay, after 24 hours of increasing head winds and thick mist the Italia was only half way back to base. The airship struggled to gain ground and break through to the zone of calmer winds which expedition meteorologist Finn Malmgren
Finn Malmgren
Finn Adolf Erik Johan Malmgren was a Swedish meteorologist and Arctic explorer.Malmgren studied in Göteborg, Sundsvall and Stockholm. In 1912 he started to study at the Uppsala University where he received a bachelor's degree in 1916...
predicted was just ahead. Ice formed on the propellers and shot off into the envelope, necessitating running repairs. Engine speed was increased but with little effect, except for a doubling of fuel consumption. Dr Behounek, in charge of the compass, started reporting variations in course of up to 30 degrees, and the elevator man Cecioni had similar problems maintaining control. By 07:30 on 25 May, Nobile, who had been awake for over 48 hours, knew that the situation was critical and Giuseppe Biagi, the wireless operator, sent out the message: "If I don't answer, I have good reason". By dead reckoning
Dead reckoning
In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position by using a previously determined position, or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time, and course...
, Nobile estimated his position as 250 miles (402.3 km) northeast from Moffin Island. This estimate was in fact 350 miles (563.3 km) off.
At 9.25am on 25 May the first critical incident occurred, when the elevator control jammed in the downward position while the ship was travelling at less than 1000 feet (304.8 metres) altitude. All engines were stopped and the airship began to rise again after it had dropped to within 300 feet (91.4 metres) of the jagged ice pack. Crucially, the airship was allowed to continue rising to 3000 feet (914.4 metres) and above the cloud layer into bright sunlight for 30 minutes. After two engines were re-started the ship descended to 1000 feet(304.8 metres) with no apparent ill effect, with the headwind appearing to decrease slightly allowing an airspeed of 30 mph. Malmgren took the helm with Zappi supervising him. Cecioni continued to operate the elevators.
At 10:25 the ship was noticed to be tail-heavy and falling at a rate of 2 feet per second (0.6 m/s). Nobile ordered full elevators and emergency power, but although the nose rose to an upward angle of 21 degrees, the descent continued. Nobile ordered foreman rigger Renato Alessandrini to the tail of the envelope to check the automatic gas valves. A short time later, seeing a crash was unavoidable, Nobile ordered full stop and the cutting of electrical power to prevent a fire on impact. However, the port engine engineer failed to notice the order and the ship began to bank. At the same time Nobile ordered Cecioni to dump the ballast chain; however, he was unable to carry out the order in time owing to the steep angle of the floor and the secure way the chain was lashed.
Seconds afterwards the airship's control cabin hit the jagged ice and smashed open. Suddenly relieved of the weight of the gondola, the envelope of the ship, with a gaping tear in the keel and part of one cabin wall still attached began to rise again.
Nine survivors and one fatality were left on the ice, and six more crew were trapped in the still drifting airship envelope. The envelope and the crew members aboard it have never been found. The position of the crash was close to 81°14′N 28°14′E, about 120 km (74.6 mi) northeast of Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet
Nordaustlandet is the second-largest island in the archipelago of Svalbard, Norway, with an area of . It lies north east of Spitsbergen, separated by Hinlopenstretet. Much of Nordaustlandet lies under large ice caps, mainly Austfonna and Vestfonna, the remaining parts of the north being tundra...
, Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
. The drifting sea ice later took the survivors towards Foyn
Foyn Island
Foyn Island is the second largest island in the Possession Islands, East Antarctica, lying 4 miles southwest of Possession Island. The island was explored by a Norwegian expedition of 1894-95 led by Henrik Johan Bull. The island was named for Svend Foyn, primary sponsor of the expedition. An...
and Broch
Broch
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
islands.
Causes of crash
The causes of the crash remain controversial even today. The severe Arctic climate and decision to head back to base in the teeth of a worsening gale, rather than continue across the Pole to attempt a landing in Canada, was the main cause. It is significant that this fact alone almost drove meteorologist Finn MalmgrenFinn Malmgren
Finn Adolf Erik Johan Malmgren was a Swedish meteorologist and Arctic explorer.Malmgren studied in Göteborg, Sundsvall and Stockholm. In 1912 he started to study at the Uppsala University where he received a bachelor's degree in 1916...
to attempt suicide twice soon after the crash.
Another factor is the decision to let the airship rise above the cloud layer, causing heating and then expansion of the hydrogen, which triggered automatic valving of the gas. Once the engines were restarted, the ship dived through the cloud into freezing air again and, either because the automatic valves were jammed open, or because the ship had already lost too much gas above the clouds, it could no longer stay aloft. Although Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
was the victim of a smear campaign after the crash, one criticism of him, from the master airship pilot Hugo Eckener
Hugo Eckener
Dr. Hugo Eckener was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history...
is perhaps justified — that Nobile should never have climbed above the cloud layer in the first place.
Another possibility is a rupture of one of the gas cells, although it is difficult to understand why this would not have been immediately noticed by any of the crew on duty. The most recent theory suggests that the outer shell of the airship was damaged during the pre-flight ice removal, when a group of men wearing ice cleats hacked at the airship with pickaxes.
In his book Dr. Eng. Felice Trojani, one of the airship engineers reported that in the years after crash, he examined 11 different possible causes in detail without coming to any real solution.
Aftermath of the crash
Cecioni was hurled out the ruptured cabin and into a mound of ice injuring both his legs. As he looked up he saw the envelope drifting above him, and Ciocca halfway out of the starboard engine car staring down in horror. Lago, Dr Pontremoli, and Alessandrini were also visible, in the torn opening where the companion way had been. Chief Engineer Ettore Arduino, with remarkable presence of mind, started throwing anything he could lay his hands on down to the men on the ice as he drifted slowly away with the envelope. These supplies, and the packs intended for the descent to the ice were to help keep the survivors alive for their long ordeal on the ice. Arduino himself perished with the drifting airship envelope.Troiani, at the engine control signals fared better, being hurled into soft snow and rolling before immediately jumping to his feet and cleaning the snow off his glasses, which had survived the crash unscathed. Viglieri and Mariano, standing next to the chart table, briefly saw the rear engine car about to strike the ice hard and then found themselves prostrate but unharmed in a mass of debris. Biagi, with no time to send out an SOS
SOS
SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
grabbed the portable emergency radio and wrapped his arms around it trying to save it from damage. The impact on the ice winded him but left him inside the wreck of the cabin. Nobile lay unconscious with a head wound, with Malmgren and Zappi nearby.
Mariano, Behounek, Trojani, and Vigleri were on their feet first and began to examine the others for injuries. Nobile gradually regained consciousness - he had a broken leg, right arm, and cracked rib in addition to the wound on his head. Cecioni had two badly broken legs. Malmgren had an injured shoulder (possibly broken or dislocated), and much later was suspected to have internal injuries to his kidney. Zappi had severe chest pains from suspected broken ribs.
Almost immediately the survivors were buoyed by the discovery of a waterproof bag containing chocolate, pemmican
Pemmican
Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. The word comes from the Cree word pimîhkân, which itself is derived from the word pimî, "fat, grease". It was invented by the native peoples of North America...
, a Colt revolver, ammunition and a flaregun. Biagi's radio was intact and he immediately began searching for material to construct a radio mast. Biagi soon discovered the rear engine car smashed on the ice, and the body of Pomella, who had apparently survived the impact and sat down on a block of ice, but died minutes afterwards from a massive head injury. Despite this shock Biagi erected an antenna and within a few hours began to send the first SOS from the stricken survivors. Nobile and Cecioni were placed together in a sleeping bag for warmth and spent the next few hours in semi-consciousness while the others gathered what they could from the wreck. According to Nobile, Malmgren, in pain, and suffering from guilt about his role in the crash announced he would drown himself and began walking away from the crash site, only stopping when sharply ordered to return by the General. Later the same day, Mariano had to disarm Malmgren after he started to walk away from the crash site with the loaded Colt revolver. Meanwhile the uninjured men surveyed the ice pack, collecting supplies and chose a stable patch of ice to erect a 2.4 x 2.4 metre silk tent they recovered which was to be their only shelter during the coming ordeal.
The day after the crash was spent looking for more supplies amongst the wreckage. Navigational instruments and charts were recovered allowing the position of the crash site to be calculated. The quantity of rations per man was also calculated. This was a scant 300 grams of food per day, mainly pemmican and chocolate, calculated for a 25 day stay on the ice. Eventually 129 kg (284 pounds) of food were recovered extending this supply to 45 days. Finally the crowded tent was dyed red for improved visibility from the air, with dye marker bombs that had been aboard the airship. Biagi continued to signal for help with his radio; however, the survivors quickly became exasperated at the stream of mundane personal messages pouring out of the Citta di Milano interspersed with occasional messages for the Italia. After several days cold began to take its toll. While the fliers had been equipped with many layers of woollen clothes and lambskin flight suits, but not all of them were fully dressed at the time of the crash and none had proper arctic survival clothing. On 28 May land was sighted in the distance, breaking the despondency of the survivors. Discussions began as to whether the survivors should attempt a trek towards land and eventually it was decided that Malmgren, Zappi and Mariano should be sent to try to summon help. On 29 May Malmgren shot a Polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
which approached the crash site, augmenting the food supply with about 189 kg (400 pounds) of fresh meat.
Rescue effort
An international rescue effort followed, but was bedeviled by official apathy and political interference on the part of the Italians. The bravery on the part of Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, and Finnish pilots searching for the lost men – as well as that of the survivors themselves – contrasted sharply with the woeful response of the Italian Fascist government.Romagna, the commander of the base ship, seemed to be paralysed with indecision when the Italia went missing. Lengthy telegrams asking for instructions were sent to Rome, but there was no effort to move the ship closer to the presumed crash site or otherwise begin a search. The Citta di Milano was admittedly old and unsuited to the Arctic, but considering the season could easily have taken up station further north and west of Kings Bay without any danger to itself. No attempt was made to keep a radio watch, and it is notable that Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
, who monitored the messages from the base ship later said:
- "No wonder that on the
Pedretti, the alternate radio operator left behind by the Italia; and Amedeo Nobile, Umberto's brother were the most concerned about the radio silence from the airship. Amedeo Nobile was the first to visit the Norwegian ship Hobby to try to get Norwegian help for a search. Word also reached Amundsen in Oslo, who immediately volunteered to start on a search mission. However when the Norwegian government officially approached the Italian government proposing Amundsen as expedition leader, they were rebuffed and Lieutenant Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen
Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen
Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen was a Norwegian aviation pioneer, polar explorer and businessman. Among his achievements, he is generally regarded as the founder of the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
was appointed instead. Almost every arctic explorer of note offered assistance or money for the search, including the American Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth
Lincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
.
In Italy, Arturo Mercanti, former air force chief and friend of Nobile requested that air force planes be sent to the Arctic to begin a search. Repeatedly frustrated by official inaction he attempted to hire private aircraft himself and threatened to publicise the government's inaction in the international press. As a result two sea planes were sent from Italy, a Dornier Wal piloted by Luigi Penzo and a state of the art Savoia-Marchetti S.55
Savoia-Marchetti S.55
|-References:NotesBibliography* Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes & Flying Boats: A Timeless Collection from Aviation's Golden Age. New York: BCL Press, 2003. ISBN 1-932302-03-4.-External links:* *...
piloted by Ten. Col. Umberto Maddalena who was the first rescuer to spot the "Red Tent" survivors on 20 June. Mercanti himself went to Kings Bay where his frustration continued.
Cpt. Gennaro Sora (of the Italian Army Alpini
Alpini
The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....
ski detachment) did run a heroic over-ice sled attempt from the Città di Milano support ship, while Matteoda and Albertini of the SUCAI (the University Section of the Italian Alpine Club) did the same from the Italian-hired ship Braganza. Both attempts were made in the face of opposition (some sources state direct orders) from the base-ship commander, Romagna.
The lack of co-ordination meant that it took more than 49 days before all the crash survivors (and stranded would-be rescuers) were retrieved. Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
was lost, presumed dead, flying to Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
in a French Latham sea plane piloted by (René Guilbaud
René Guilbaud
René Guilbaud was an early-20th-century French military aviator.-Long-distance flights:Guilbaud was celebrated mainly for long-range flights, by flying boat across Africa in 1926 and 1927, first in a Lioré et Olivier LeO H-190 and then in CAMS 37.-Disappearance:Guilbaud disappeared in the Barents...
) to take part in the operation. In contrast to the sometimes hostile response they had been shown in Norway and Germany, two hundred thousand cheering Italians met Nobile and his crew on arrival in Rome on 31 July. This show of popularity was unexpected by Nobile's detractors, who had allegedly been seeding the foreign and domestic press with sensational accusations against him.
Chronology of the rescue operations:
- 25 May 1928 - The Italia crashes on the ice. Radio operator Biagi salvages radio, constructs a radio mast and begins transmitting SOS.
- 31 May - Survivors unable to establish radio contact because of weather conditions and negligence by base ship Città di Milano who fail to maintain radio watch and instead continue to send routine traffic. Malmgren, with Commanders Mariano and Zappi, begin a trek toward land.
- 3 June - A Russian amateur radio operator Nikolai Schmidt in Vokhma village hears the Italia SOS signals.
- 5 June - A Norwegian pilot makes the first flight in search of the Italia. In the ensuing weeks, pilots from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Italy make search and rescue flights.
- 8 June - Radio contact established between the ice floe and the Città di Milano. Search operations continue.
- June 15/16 - Malmgren collapses from exposure on the ice and asks to be left behind. His body is never found.
- 18 June - Roald Amundsen and five others disappear on a flight to Spitsbergen to aid in rescue operations. Captain Sora of the Italian Alpine troopsAlpiniThe Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....
defies orders and sets off by sled with Arctic explorers Ludvig Varming and Sjef van Dongen to try to reach the crash zone. - 20 June - Italian pilot Maddalena spots the survivors and drops supplies, many of which are smashed or useless.
- 22 June - Italian and Swedish pilots drop more supplies, this time successfully.
- 23 June - Swedish pilot LundborgEinar LundborgEinar Lundborg was a Swedish aviator.Lundborg became famous in 1928 in connection with his rescue of Umberto Nobile after Nobile's airship crash on the ice north of Spitsbergen...
forcibly removes Nobile from the ice floe but crashes his plane on the return for more survivors and is trapped with the others. Rescue operations suspended pending arrival of suitable light aircraft capable of landing on the ice. - 6 July Lundborg is picked up from the ice floe by his Swedish co-pilot Birger Schyberg in a light Moth ski-biplane. Schyberg promises also to rescue the other five persons, but changes his mind after bringing Lundborg to safety.
- 12 July - The Russian icebreaker KrasinKrasin (1916 icebreaker)The first icebreaker Krasin was built for the Imperial Russian Navy as Svyatogor. She had a long, distinguished career in rescue operations, as well as a pathfinder and explorer of the Northern Sea Route...
rescues Mariano and Zappi, who were located from Krasins large aircraft the previous day. The five remaining Italia survivors are rescued by the ice-breaker later the same day.. Russian pilot Chuckhnovsky and his four crew also rescued by "Krasin" on its way back to Kings Bay. It had made an unsuccessful safety landing after seeing Zappi and Mariano. - 14 July - Rescuers Sora and Van Dongen rescued from Foyn Island by Finnish and Swedish aircraft.
List of the participating rescue teams
Denmark:- State owned Arctic schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Gustav Holm from Kgl. Grønlandske Handel.
Finland:
- FloatplaneFloatplaneA floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
/ ski aircraft Junkers F 13 ”Turku” K-SALG (from Aero OY / Finnair) pilot: Lihr
France:
- Flying boatFlying boatA flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
biplane Latham 47Latham 47|-See also:...
”02” (from French Navy) pilot: René GuilbaudRené GuilbaudRené Guilbaud was an early-20th-century French military aviator.-Long-distance flights:Guilbaud was celebrated mainly for long-range flights, by flying boat across Africa in 1926 and 1927, first in a Lioré et Olivier LeO H-190 and then in CAMS 37.-Disappearance:Guilbaud disappeared in the Barents...
. - Two small flying boats, SchreckSchreck-People:*David Schreck, Canadian politician and political pundit*Gustav Schreck , German composer*Julius Schreck , early Nazi Party member*Johann Schreck , German Jesuit, missionary to China, and polymath...
type biplane (on board Strasbourg). - French cruiser Strasbourg, oil supply vessel Durance, fishery inspection vessel Quentin Roosevelt and private expedition vessel Pourquoi Pas?
Italy:
- Flying boat Savoia-Marchetti S.55Savoia-Marchetti S.55|-References:NotesBibliography* Yenne, Bill. Seaplanes & Flying Boats: A Timeless Collection from Aviation's Golden Age. New York: BCL Press, 2003. ISBN 1-932302-03-4.-External links:* *...
I-SAAT ”Santa Maria” (from Italian Air Force) pilot: Maddalena. - Flying boat Do15 Dornier Wal ”Marina II” I-PLIF (from Italian Air Force) pilot: Penzo.
- Flying boat Do15 Dornier Wal ”Marina I” I-XAAF (from Italian Air Force) pilot: Ravazzoni. (”Marina I” was stationed exclusively at Tromsø, Northern Norway searching for Amundsen).
- Two small flying boats, Macchi M.18Macchi M.18|-See also:-References:* Sapienza Fracchia, Antonio Luis: "La Contribución Italiana en la Aviación Paraguaya". Author's edition. Asunción, 2007. 300 pp....
type biplane stationed at Citta di Milanoand Braganza pilots: Penzo and Crosio. - Cableship Citta di Milano and seal fishery vessels Hobby and Braganza.
- Norwegian trapper Waldemar Kræmer and four Alpini soldiers with a small boat searched the coast of Vestspitsbergen.
- Dog sledge team led by the Italian Alpini captain Sora, the Dutchman van Dongen and the Dane Ludvig Varming searched the coast of Nordaustlandet. Varming was left behind, but Sora and van Dongen reached Foyn IslandFoyn IslandFoyn Island is the second largest island in the Possession Islands, East Antarctica, lying 4 miles southwest of Possession Island. The island was explored by a Norwegian expedition of 1894-95 led by Henrik Johan Bull. The island was named for Svend Foyn, primary sponsor of the expedition. An...
and BrochBrochA broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
island.
Norway:
- FloatplaneFloatplaneA floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
monoplane Hansa-Brandenburg W.33Hansa-Brandenburg W.33-See also:-References:* Keskinen, Kalevi; Niska, Klaus; Stenman, Kari; Geust, Carl-Fredrik: Suomen museolentokoneet, Forssan kirjapaino, 1981, ISBN 951-9035-60-5....
”F.36” pilot: Lützow-Holm. - Floatplane monoplane Hansa-Brandenburg W.33Hansa-Brandenburg W.33-See also:-References:* Keskinen, Kalevi; Niska, Klaus; Stenman, Kari; Geust, Carl-Fredrik: Suomen museolentokoneet, Forssan kirjapaino, 1981, ISBN 951-9035-60-5....
”F.38” pilot: Riiser-Larsen. - Floatplane biplane Sopwith BabySopwith Baby-See also:...
”F-100” pilot: Lambrecht (on board Tordenskjold). - Floatplane biplane Sopwith BabySopwith Baby-See also:...
”F-102” pilot: Ingebrigtsen (on board Tordenskjold). - Coastal defense ship HNoMS TordenskjoldHNoMS TordenskjoldHNoMS Tordenskjold, known locally as Panserskipet Tordenskjold, was a Norwegian coastal defence ship. She, her sister-ship , and the slightly newer were built as a part as the general rearmament in the time leading up to the events in 1905...
, and seal fishery vessels Hobby (used thrice, see Italy and USA), Braganza (used twice, see Italy). Veslekari (Tryggve Gran), Heimland,fishery inspection vessel Michael Sars, Svalbard governor’s Svalbard and miner’s boat (name unknown). - Dog sledge team led by the trapper Hilmar Nøis and Rolf S. Tandberg supported partly by two Italian alpine students Albertini and Matteoda.
Soviet Russia:
- Floatplane/ ski monoplane Junkers G 23 “Red Bear“ (on board Krasin) pilot: Tschuchnowski.
- Floatplane/ski monoplane Junkers F 13 RR-DAS pilot: Babuschkin (on board Malygin).
- Ski monoplane Junkers F 13 RR-??? (on board Sedov, but never used).
- Icebreakers Krasin, Malygin, Sedov and brig Persej.
Sweden:
- Floatplane monoplane Hansa Brandenburg (Heinkel HE 5Heinkel HE 5|-References:...
) ”255” pilot: Tornberg. - Floatplane monoplane Hansa Brandenburg (Heinkel HE 5Heinkel HE 5|-References:...
) ”257” pilot: Jacobsson. - Ski biplane Fokker C.V.M.Fokker C.VFokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.-Development:...
“31“ pilot: Einar Lundborg. - Ski biplane Fokker C.V.M. “32” (never used, in the hold of Tanja).
- Floatplane / ski biplane de Havilland 60 Moth S-AABN pilot: Schyberg.
- Ski monoplane Klemm-Daimler L.20KlemmThe Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH was a German aircraft manufacturer noteworthy for sports and touring planes of the 1930s.The company was founded in Böblingen in 1926 by Dr...
D-1357 (from Germany) pilot: Ekman. - Floatplane monoplane Junkers G 24Junkers G 24The Junkers G 24 was a German three-engine, all-metal low-wing monoplane passenger aircraft manufactured by Junkers from 1925. Junkers F 24 was the designation for single-engine versions of the same aircraft.-Design and development:...
”Uppland” S-AABG (from national airline ABA) pilot: Viktor Nilsson. - Seal fishery vessel Quest and freighter S/S Tanja.
USA:
- Seal fishery vessel Hobby with ”F.36” and ”F.38” pilots: Lützow-Holm and Riiser-Larsen (Louise Boyd charter).
Dramatisation
The Soviet 1928 documentary film Heroic Deed Among the IceHeroic Deed Among the Ice
Heroic Deed Among the Ice is a 1928 Soviet silent documentary film. It is also known as Exploit on the Ice and Ice-Breaker Krassin...
by Georgi Vasilyev
Georgi Vasilyev
Georgi Nikolaevich Vasilyev was a Soviet film director, editor, and screenwriter. From 1928 to 1943 together with Sergei Vasilyev he co-directed several films, including an influential and critically acclaimed Chapaev...
and Sergei Vasilyev
Sergei Vasilyev
Sergei Dmitrievich Vasilyev was a Soviet film director, editor, and screenwriter. From 1928 to 1943 together with Georgi Vasilyev he co-directed several films, including an influential and critically acclaimed Chapaev...
describes the rescue mission of Krasin. The tale was made into a 1969 joint Soviet/Italian movieThe Red Tent
The Red Tent (film)
The Red Tent is a joint Soviet/Italian 1969 film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov.The film is based on the story of the mission to rescue Umberto Nobile and the other survivors of the crash of the Airship Italia. It features Sean Connery as Roald Amundsen and Peter Finch as Nobile. The script was...
.
See also
- AirshipAirshipAn airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
- Airship Norge
- Roald AmundsenRoald AmundsenRoald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
- Umberto NobileUmberto NobileUmberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
- North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
- List of airship accidents
External links
- The search for Italia
- Spitsbergen Airship Museum - artifacts related to AmericaAmerica (airship)The America was a non-rigid airship built by Mutin Godard in France in 1906 for Walter Wellman's attempt to reach the North Pole by air. Wellman had been inspired to fly to the pole during a failed overland attempt in 1893. When he saw a French dirigible at the Portsmouth Peace Conference in 1905,...
, NorgeNorge (airship)The Norge was a semi-rigid Italian-built airship that carried out what many consider the first verified overflight of the North Pole on May 12, 1926. It was also the first aircraft to fly over the polar ice cap between Europe and America...
and Italia. - IMDB Entry for "The Red Tent"
- THE 1928 CRASH OF THE AIRSHIP ITALIA
- The Red Tent: 70th anniversary of the Italia expedition (in Italian)