Alexander von Tunzelmann
Encyclopedia
Alexander Francis Henry von Tunzelmann (15 June 1877 - 19 September 1957), a New Zealand
crew member of on the Norwegian whaling ship Antarctic
was part of the first group to set foot on the mainland of Antarctica—at Cape Adare
on 24 January 1895.
or nobility. Two brothers and a sister from the family settled in New Zealand.
He was born in Nelson
, and died in Invercargill
.He had five children,Ronald, Isobel, John, Francis and Gilbert.
put a boat ashore on 24 January 1895 in the vicinity of Cape Adare
, at the northern extremity of the Victoria Land
. The boat held six men, including Bull
, Kristensen, Carsten Borchgrevink and the 17-year old New Zealand seaman von Tunzelmann. All three apparently set foot within moments of each other, so credit is sometimes given, or claimed for each.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
crew member of on the Norwegian whaling ship Antarctic
Antarctic (ship)
The Antarctic was a Swedish steamship built in Drammen, Norway in 1871. She was used on several research expeditions to the Arctic region and to Antarctica through 1898-1903. In 1895 the first confirmed landing on the mainland of Antarctica was made from this ship.-The ship:Antarctic was a barque...
was part of the first group to set foot on the mainland of Antarctica—at Cape Adare
Cape Adare
Cape Adare is the northeastern most peninsula in Victoria Land, East Antarctica. The cape separates the Ross Sea to the east from the Southern Ocean to the west, and is backed by the high Admiralty Mountains...
on 24 January 1895.
Family background
Alexander was a member of the von Tunzelmann family, who migrated from Prussia to Estonia where they were members of the Baltic German RitterschaftBaltic Noble Corporations
Baltic Noble Corporations of Courland, Livonia, Estonia, and Oesel were medieval fiefdoms formed by German nobles in the 13th century under vassalage to the Teutonic Knights and Denmark in modern Latvia and Estonia...
or nobility. Two brothers and a sister from the family settled in New Zealand.
He was born in Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
, and died in Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
.He had five children,Ronald, Isobel, John, Francis and Gilbert.
Circumstances of the landing
The voyage of the whaling ship "Antarctic" captained by Leonard Kristensen and financed by Henryk BullHenryk Bull
Henryk Bull was a Norwegian businessman and shipping magnate. Henry Bull was one of the pioneers in the exploration of Antarctica.-Biography:...
put a boat ashore on 24 January 1895 in the vicinity of Cape Adare
Cape Adare
Cape Adare is the northeastern most peninsula in Victoria Land, East Antarctica. The cape separates the Ross Sea to the east from the Southern Ocean to the west, and is backed by the high Admiralty Mountains...
, at the northern extremity of the Victoria Land
Victoria Land
Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...
. The boat held six men, including Bull
Henryk Bull
Henryk Bull was a Norwegian businessman and shipping magnate. Henry Bull was one of the pioneers in the exploration of Antarctica.-Biography:...
, Kristensen, Carsten Borchgrevink and the 17-year old New Zealand seaman von Tunzelmann. All three apparently set foot within moments of each other, so credit is sometimes given, or claimed for each.
Recognition
In 1998, the place von Tunzelmann landed was officially named Von Tunzelmann Point by the New Zealand government.http://www.linz.govt.nz/placenames/decisions-and-public-notices-of-place-names/24jun2004/index.aspx.See also
- Carsten Borchgrevink
- Henryk BullHenryk BullHenryk Bull was a Norwegian businessman and shipping magnate. Henry Bull was one of the pioneers in the exploration of Antarctica.-Biography:...
- John Davis (sealer)John Davis (sealer)Captain John Davis was a seal hunter from Connecticut, USA who captained men who may have been the first to have set foot on Antarctica on 7 February 1821 shortly after the first sightings of the new continent by Fabian von Bellingshausen, Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev, Edward Bransfield and Nathaniel...
- Victoria LandVictoria LandVictoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...