Carl Anton Larsen
Encyclopedia
Carl Anton Larsen was a Norwegian
Antarctic
Explorer, who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils, for which he received the Back Grant from the Royal Geographical Society
. In December 1893 he became the first person to ski
in Antarctica on the Larsen Ice Shelf
which was subsequently named after him. Larsen is considered the founder of the Antarctic whaling
industry and the settlement at Grytviken
on the British-administered island of South Georgia. In 1910, after some years' residence on South Georgia, he took British citizenship.
, the home of the Norwegian whaling industry, where, at the young age of 9 he went to sea in a small barque
with his father chasing seals and trading across the North Atlantic with Britain
, only returning to go to school during the fall and winter. He would continue this for a number of years, till his curiosity for the sea was so strong he enrolled himself in navigation school where he passed the exam for foreign-going mate at the age of 18. Having been to Britain a few times in the previous years he realized the importance of having a second language and soon taught himself English
and Spanish
.
Larsen was eager to get work as an officer on a ship, but due to economic difficulties in Norway at the time, he could not. This was a huge setback, but he decided to swallow his pride and went to work at sea as a cook, learning the importance food played in keeping men happy. A valuable lesson that would serve him well as a captain.
He finally got a position aboard the barque Hoppet out of Larvik, as second mate
, then first mate
and senior officer
below the captain. He was now 21 and knew he had to study again so he came ashore and soon became a Shipmaster, which means he could now sail any ship on any ocean in the world.
Having just become a shipmaster, what Larsen most wanted now was a ship of his own. This was more than he could afford so instead, he bought a share of an old barque called the Freden. Sadly, it was not to be smooth sailing for Larsen as the barque Freden was all but wrecked after his first voyage. Undeterred he soon got her fixed, only to be faced with another setback. Nobody had any freight he could carry. This would turn out to be a stroke of luck for the young Larsen as he soon decided to go on his first whaling experience, hunting bottlenose whale
s just off the coast of Norway. Fortunately Larsen was a born whaler and soon filled the Freden with whales and went on filling her till 1885 when he realized that he could not use the Svend Foyn
gun with little chaser-steamers like the modern whaler
s. It was time for a newer ship.
, from 1892 through 1894, discovering the Larsen Ice Shelf
, the Foyn Coast
in Graham Land
, as well as King Oscar Land
, and Robertson Island
. She was a ship Larsen was familiar with as he had been aboard it during the famous voyage that carried Fridtjof Nansen
to Greenland
during his east-west crossing in 1888.
Later he captained the ship Antarctic
, as part of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition
of 1901-04. During this mission some of his crew wintered for 10 months at Snow Hill Island
, and after his ship was crushed by ice and sank, he and his crew spent the winter of 1903 on Paulet Island
, surviving on penguins and seals before being rescued by the Argentine corvette Uruguay
.
In 1904 Larsen settled on the British
island of South Georgia in the Antarctic
, starting the new era of modern whaling. On Christmas Eve, 1904, he produced the first whale oil of the season in the newly built whaling station of Grytviken
. With Argentine, Norwegian and British capital he founded the first Antarctic
whaling corporation, the Compañía Argentina de Pesca
(Argentine Fishing Company). Within a few years the Antarctic was producing about 70% of the world's oil.
As the manager of Compañía Argentina de Pesca, Larsen organized the construction of Grytviken ― a remarkable undertaking accomplished by a team of 60 Norwegians. Larsen also established a meteorological observatory at Grytviken, which from 1905 was maintained in cooperation with the Argentine Meteorological Office under the British lease requirements of the whaling station until these changed in 1949. Larsen had chosen the whaling station's site during his 1902 visit while in command of the ship Antarctic of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition
(1901–03) led by Otto Nordenskjöld. Larsen was also instrumental, with his brother, in introducing Reindeer to South Georgia
in 1911, as a resource for recreational hunting for the people involved in the whaling industry.
A Norwegian Lutheran Church
was pre-built in Norway and erected in Grytviken by whalers led by Carl Anton Larsen. This typical Norwegian church, one of the most southern churches on earth, was consecrated on Christmas Day in 1913. In 1922, a funeral service for Sir Ernest Shackleton was conducted in this church before his burial in the church cemetery.
Similarly to other managers and senior officers of the South Georgia whaling stations, Larsen lived in Grytviken together with his family including his wife, three daughters and two sons. In 1910 they obtained British citizenship
, following an application filed with the British Magistrate
of South Georgia in which Larsen declared: "I have given up my Norwegian citizens rights and have resided here since I started whaling in this colony
on the 16 November 1904 and have no reason to be of any other citizenship than British, as I have had and intend to have my residence here still for a long time."
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...
Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
Explorer, who made important contributions to the exploration of Antarctica, the most significant being the first discovery of fossils, for which he received the Back Grant from the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. In December 1893 he became the first person to ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
in Antarctica on the Larsen Ice Shelf
Larsen Ice Shelf
The Larsen Ice Shelf is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to the area just southward of Hearst Island...
which was subsequently named after him. Larsen is considered the founder of the Antarctic whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
industry and the settlement at Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
on the British-administered island of South Georgia. In 1910, after some years' residence on South Georgia, he took British citizenship.
Early life
Carl Anton Larsen was born in Østre Halsen, Tjolling, the son of a Norwegian Sea Captain Ole Christian Larsen and his wife Ellen Andrea Larsen (née Thorsen). His family subsequently relocated to nearby SandefjordSandefjord
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
, the home of the Norwegian whaling industry, where, at the young age of 9 he went to sea in a small barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
with his father chasing seals and trading across the North Atlantic with Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, only returning to go to school during the fall and winter. He would continue this for a number of years, till his curiosity for the sea was so strong he enrolled himself in navigation school where he passed the exam for foreign-going mate at the age of 18. Having been to Britain a few times in the previous years he realized the importance of having a second language and soon taught himself English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Larsen was eager to get work as an officer on a ship, but due to economic difficulties in Norway at the time, he could not. This was a huge setback, but he decided to swallow his pride and went to work at sea as a cook, learning the importance food played in keeping men happy. A valuable lesson that would serve him well as a captain.
He finally got a position aboard the barque Hoppet out of Larvik, as second mate
Second Mate
A second mate or second officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command and a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining...
, then first mate
Chief Mate
A Chief Mate or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer , is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship...
and senior officer
Officer of the Deck
Officer of the deck is a position in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard that confers certain authority and responsibility. The officer of the deck on a ship is the direct representative of the captain, having responsibility for the ship.-Overview:In port, the OOD is stationed on...
below the captain. He was now 21 and knew he had to study again so he came ashore and soon became a Shipmaster, which means he could now sail any ship on any ocean in the world.
Having just become a shipmaster, what Larsen most wanted now was a ship of his own. This was more than he could afford so instead, he bought a share of an old barque called the Freden. Sadly, it was not to be smooth sailing for Larsen as the barque Freden was all but wrecked after his first voyage. Undeterred he soon got her fixed, only to be faced with another setback. Nobody had any freight he could carry. This would turn out to be a stroke of luck for the young Larsen as he soon decided to go on his first whaling experience, hunting bottlenose whale
Bottlenose whale
The Northern bottlenose whale is a species of the ziphiid family, one of two members of the Hyperoodon genus. The northern bottlenose was hunted heavily by Norway and Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
s just off the coast of Norway. Fortunately Larsen was a born whaler and soon filled the Freden with whales and went on filling her till 1885 when he realized that he could not use the Svend Foyn
Svend Foyn
Svend Foyn was a Norwegian whaling and shipping magnate who pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon gun and brought whaling into a modern age....
gun with little chaser-steamers like the modern whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
s. It was time for a newer ship.
First Norwegian expedition to Antarctica
Larsen led an expedition to Antarctica, in command of the JasonJason (Ship)
Jason was a Norwegian whaling vessel laid down in 1881 in Rødsverven, Norway, the same shipyard which later built Ernest Shackleton's ship the Endurance...
, from 1892 through 1894, discovering the Larsen Ice Shelf
Larsen Ice Shelf
The Larsen Ice Shelf is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to the area just southward of Hearst Island...
, the Foyn Coast
Svend Foyn
Svend Foyn was a Norwegian whaling and shipping magnate who pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon gun and brought whaling into a modern age....
in Graham Land
Graham Land
Graham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
, as well as King Oscar Land
Oscar II
Oscar II may refer to:*Oscar II of Sweden , who ruled Sweden and Norway.*Oscar class submarine, used by the Russian Navy.*Oscar II, Steamship used by Henry Ford for his peace expedition in 1915....
, and Robertson Island
Robertson Island
Robertson Island is an ice-covered island, long in a northwest-southeast direction and wide, lying at the east end of the Seal Nunataks off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Captain Carl Anton Larsen discovered Robertson Island from the Jason on December 9, 1893...
. She was a ship Larsen was familiar with as he had been aboard it during the famous voyage that carried Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
during his east-west crossing in 1888.
Later he captained the 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...
, as part of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition
Swedish Antarctic Expedition
The Swedish Antarctic Expedition was led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen.-Background:Otto Nordenskjöld, a Swedish geologist and geographer, organized and lead a scientific expedition of the Antarctic Peninsula...
of 1901-04. During this mission some of his crew wintered for 10 months at Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island
Snow Hill Island is an almost completely snowcapped island, long and wide, lying off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is separated from James Ross Island to the northeast by Admiralty Sound...
, and after his ship was crushed by ice and sank, he and his crew spent the winter of 1903 on Paulet Island
Paulet Island
Paulet Island is a circular island about in diameter, lying southeast of Dundee Island, off the northeastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is composed of lava flows capped by a cinder cone with a small summit crater. Geothermal heat keeps parts of the island ice-free, and the youthful...
, surviving on penguins and seals before being rescued by the Argentine corvette Uruguay
ARA Uruguay
The corbeta ARA Uruguay, built in England, is the largest ship afloat of its age in the Armada de la República Argentina , with more than 135 years passed since its official incorporation in September 1874...
.
Larsen and South Georgia
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
island of South Georgia in the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
, starting the new era of modern whaling. On Christmas Eve, 1904, he produced the first whale oil of the season in the newly built whaling station of Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
. With Argentine, Norwegian and British capital he founded the first Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
whaling corporation, the Compañía Argentina de Pesca
Compañía Argentina de Pesca
Compañía Argentina de Pesca was initiated by the British-Norwegian whaler and Antarctic explorer Carl A. Larsen, and established on 29 February 1904 by three foreign residents of Buenos Aires: the Norwegian consul P. Christophersen, H.H. Schlieper , and E. Tornquist...
(Argentine Fishing Company). Within a few years the Antarctic was producing about 70% of the world's oil.
As the manager of Compañía Argentina de Pesca, Larsen organized the construction of Grytviken ― a remarkable undertaking accomplished by a team of 60 Norwegians. Larsen also established a meteorological observatory at Grytviken, which from 1905 was maintained in cooperation with the Argentine Meteorological Office under the British lease requirements of the whaling station until these changed in 1949. Larsen had chosen the whaling station's site during his 1902 visit while in command of the ship Antarctic of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition
Swedish Antarctic Expedition
The Swedish Antarctic Expedition was led by Otto Nordenskjöld and Carl Anton Larsen.-Background:Otto Nordenskjöld, a Swedish geologist and geographer, organized and lead a scientific expedition of the Antarctic Peninsula...
(1901–03) led by Otto Nordenskjöld. Larsen was also instrumental, with his brother, in introducing Reindeer to South Georgia
Reindeer in South Georgia
Reindeer in South Georgia are an example of an animal which has been introduced outside its native range. The reindeer, a species of deer adapted to arctic and subarctic climates, was introduced to the subantarctic island of South Georgia by Norwegian whalers in the early 20th century...
in 1911, as a resource for recreational hunting for the people involved in the whaling industry.
A Norwegian Lutheran Church
Norwegian Lutheran Church (Grytviken, South Georgia)
Norwegian Lutheran Church in Grytviken, South Georgia, was built in 1913. It is of the Church of Norway.The church was pre-built in Norway and erected in Grytviken by whalers led by Carl Anton Larsen. This typical Norwegian church, one of the most southern churches on earth, was consecrated on...
was pre-built in Norway and erected in Grytviken by whalers led by Carl Anton Larsen. This typical Norwegian church, one of the most southern churches on earth, was consecrated on Christmas Day in 1913. In 1922, a funeral service for Sir Ernest Shackleton was conducted in this church before his burial in the church cemetery.
Similarly to other managers and senior officers of the South Georgia whaling stations, Larsen lived in Grytviken together with his family including his wife, three daughters and two sons. In 1910 they obtained British citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, following an application filed with the British Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
of South Georgia in which Larsen declared: "I have given up my Norwegian citizens rights and have resided here since I started whaling in this colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
on the 16 November 1904 and have no reason to be of any other citizenship than British, as I have had and intend to have my residence here still for a long time."
See also
- Larsen HarbourLarsen HarbourLarsen Harbour is a narrow long inlet of indenting volcanic rocks and sheeted dykes known as the Larsen Harbour Formation. It is a branch of Drygalski Fjord, entered west-northwest of Nattriss Head, at the southeast end of South Georgia...
- Viktor EsbensenViktor EsbensenViktor Esbensen was a Norwegian mariner known for exploring the Antarctic region together with his father-in-law Carl Anton Larsen, looking to make a living from whaling. He was killed when his ship was sunk in World War II....
- Carl Julius EvensenCarl Julius EvensenCarl Julius Evensen was a Norwegian shipmaster and explorer.He was born in Sandefjord. He explored the Antarctic together with Carl Anton Larsen among others, and in 1893 he reached the Antarctic Peninsula with a barque.-References:...
- Thule IslandThule IslandThule Island, also called Morrell Island, is one of the southernmost of the South Sandwich Islands, part of the grouping known as Southern Thule. It is named, on account of its remote location, after the mythical land of Thule, said by ancient geographers to lie at the extreme end of the earth...
- Montagu IslandMontagu IslandMontagu Island is the largest of the South Sandwich Islands, located in the Weddell Sea off the coast of Antarctica. It is a part of the British Overseas Territory, the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and has the only active volcano in the United Kingdom...
- Bristol IslandBristol IslandBristol Island is an long island lying midway between Montagu Island and Thule Island in the South Sandwich Islands.Bristol Island is composed of several active volcanoes with eruptions reported in 1823, 1935, 1936, 1950 and 1956.-History:...
- Seymour IslandSeymour IslandSeymour Island is an island in the chain of 16 major islands around the tip of the Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. Graham Land is closer to continental land mass than any other part of that Antarctica. It lies within the section of the island chain that resides off the west side of the...
- Robertson IslandRobertson IslandRobertson Island is an ice-covered island, long in a northwest-southeast direction and wide, lying at the east end of the Seal Nunataks off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Captain Carl Anton Larsen discovered Robertson Island from the Jason on December 9, 1893...
- History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsHistory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsThe history of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is relatively recent. When European explorers found the islands, they were uninhabited, and their hostile climate, mountainous terrain, and remoteness made subsequent settlement difficult...