Schooner A.W. Greely
Encyclopedia
The A.W. Greely was a three masted wooden schooner
that became known for her role in the MacGregor Arctic Expedition
, a privately funded expedition to the North Pole between July 1, 1937 and October 3, 1938.
The Donald II was purchased in 1932 by Master Mariner Captain William Trenholm for use as a merchant ship. With only his daughter for crew, he plied the West Indies route taking down lath and returning to Newfoundland with salt for the cod fleet. Captain Trenholm died on his last voyage on the Donald II, leaving his daughter to skipper the ship home by herself.
Owned by Ann Trenholm of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
, by 1937 the Donald II was and was out of service and needed work to be made seaworthy as she hadn’t been under sail since her master's death.
in 1936 for what would become known as the MacGregor Arctic Expedition. Lieutenant Commander Isaac Schlossbach
was tasked with bringing the schooner from Nova Scotia to New Jersey
. With “Dusty” Dustin, a veteran of Byrd’s
Second Antarctic Expedition, Captain Frasier Wilcox and H.L. Fleet, they departed Louisbourg late in 1936, with a cargo destined for Boston.
By the spring of 1937 the Donald II was in Port Newark
, New Jersey
where new motors were installed and the vessel reinforced and reconditioned for the expedition. She was rechristened the General A. W. Greely on May 2, 1937, in honor of Adolphus Greely
, leader of the ill-fated Lady Franklin Bay Expedition
of 1881 and 1882.
The expedition set sail from Port Newark on July 1, 1937. They made two stops in Nova Scotia: Lunenburg
and Sydney
, and two stops in Greenland
, one at Fairhaven and another at Idglorssuit, Umank Fjord. After departing Idgorsuit the ship encountered ice in Baffin Bay
. At the lower end of Robertson Channel they were stopped completely by a wall of ice 15 feet (4.6 m) thick. Unable to proceed further they tried to seek shelter on Ellesmere Island only to find the entire coast blocked with ice. They then drifted south along the coast of Greenland urgently looking for winter quarters as new ice was already forming and there was a danger of being frozen in.
They arrived at Foulke Fiord, near Etah, Greenland
on August 31, 1937. Before the expedition could get settled on land they experienced a series of near disasters which almost settled the expedition at the bottom of the sound. The charts of the area showed 40 feet (12.2 m) of water (the ship drew 12 feet (3.7 m) but to their surprise they found themselves aground. By unloading some of the supplies they were able to re-float the ship at the next tide. On September 1, 1937 a severe gale blew the ship out to sea, the anchor being unable to hold on the rocky bottom. On the return to Etah, one of the engines backfired starting a fire aboard ship. There were anxious moments until the fire was extinguished as there was still gasoline, ammunition and dynamite aboard. After two days they were able to get back to Reindeer Point near Etah only to find that most of the supplies that they had unloaded earlier to re-float the ship were under water, as a 10 feet (3 m) tide ebbed and flowed there.
As was the practice with this type of wooden vessel, the Greely was intentionally allowed to freeze into the ice for the winter of 1937-38. This facilitated the unloading and loading of supplies and the aircraft. When the ice broke in July 1938, the explorers left Greenland. The winter had damaged the schooner more than had been expected and an ice jam in Baffin Bay held the ship for weeks, drifting with the ice. Several seams opened up and constant pumping was required for days before reaching St. John's
, where repairs were made. During the voyage from St. John's to Newark off the Grand Banks
, on September 21, 1938, they encountered one of the worst hurricanes that had ever moved up the Atlantic Coast, now remembered as the New England Hurricane of 1938
. The expedition finally returned to Port Newark on October 4, 1938 having been away fifteen months and four days.
Simon Lake purchased the Greely after the expedition. She ended up in South America where she was lost to the war (WWII)
Schooner
A 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....
that became known for her role in the MacGregor Arctic Expedition
MacGregor Arctic Expedition
The MacGregor Arctic Expedition was a privately funded expedition which set out to reoccupy Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island, Canada, a site within flying distance of the North Pole...
, a privately funded expedition to the North Pole between July 1, 1937 and October 3, 1938.
Donald II
She was built as the Donald II in 1925 for Hollett and Sons of Newfoundland and measured 200 tons, 109 feet (33.2 m) long, 27 feet (8.2 m) in beam. The vessel drew 11 feet (3.4 m) of water and was specially reinforced for ice conditions.The Donald II was purchased in 1932 by Master Mariner Captain William Trenholm for use as a merchant ship. With only his daughter for crew, he plied the West Indies route taking down lath and returning to Newfoundland with salt for the cod fleet. Captain Trenholm died on his last voyage on the Donald II, leaving his daughter to skipper the ship home by herself.
Owned by Ann Trenholm of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
Louisbourg is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.-History:The town's name was given by French military forces who founded the Fortress of Louisbourg and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, in honour of Louis XV...
, by 1937 the Donald II was and was out of service and needed work to be made seaworthy as she hadn’t been under sail since her master's death.
MacGregor Arctic Expedition
The Donald II was purchased by Clifford J. MacGregorClifford J. MacGregor
Clifford J. MacGregor was a meteorologist, Arctic explorer and naval aviator.-Military career:MacGregor was in the U.S. Navy until 1926 where he was trained to pilot Zeppelins at the Philadelphia Navy Yard....
in 1936 for what would become known as the MacGregor Arctic Expedition. Lieutenant Commander Isaac Schlossbach
Isaac Schlossbach
-Isaac "Ike" Schlossbach :Ike Schlossbach was a celebrated American polar explorer, submariner and aviation pioneer....
was tasked with bringing the schooner from Nova Scotia to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. With “Dusty” Dustin, a veteran of Byrd’s
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
Second Antarctic Expedition, Captain Frasier Wilcox and H.L. Fleet, they departed Louisbourg late in 1936, with a cargo destined for Boston.
By the spring of 1937 the Donald II was in Port Newark
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal is a major component of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Located on the Newark Bay it serves as the principal container ship facility for goods entering and leaving New York-Newark metropolitan area, and the northeastern quadrant of North America...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
where new motors were installed and the vessel reinforced and reconditioned for the expedition. She was rechristened the General A. W. Greely on May 2, 1937, in honor of Adolphus Greely
Adolphus Greely
Adolphus Washington Greely , was an American Polar explorer, a United States Army officer and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.-Early military career:...
, leader of the ill-fated Lady Franklin Bay Expedition
Lady Franklin Bay Expedition
The 1881-1884 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition into the Canadian Arctic was led by Lt. Adolphus Greely and was promoted by the United States Army Signal Corps. Its purpose was threefold: to establish a meteorological-observation station as part of the First International Polar Year, to collect...
of 1881 and 1882.
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Lunenburg , is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.The...
and Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, and two stops in 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...
, one at Fairhaven and another at Idglorssuit, Umank Fjord. After departing Idgorsuit the ship encountered ice in Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
. At the lower end of Robertson Channel they were stopped completely by a wall of ice 15 feet (4.6 m) thick. Unable to proceed further they tried to seek shelter on Ellesmere Island only to find the entire coast blocked with ice. They then drifted south along the coast of Greenland urgently looking for winter quarters as new ice was already forming and there was a danger of being frozen in.
They arrived at Foulke Fiord, near Etah, Greenland
Etah, Greenland
Etah is an abandoned settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It was a starting point of discovery expeditions to the North Pole, and the landing site of the last migration of the Inuit from the Canadian Arctic.- Geography :...
on August 31, 1937. Before the expedition could get settled on land they experienced a series of near disasters which almost settled the expedition at the bottom of the sound. The charts of the area showed 40 feet (12.2 m) of water (the ship drew 12 feet (3.7 m) but to their surprise they found themselves aground. By unloading some of the supplies they were able to re-float the ship at the next tide. On September 1, 1937 a severe gale blew the ship out to sea, the anchor being unable to hold on the rocky bottom. On the return to Etah, one of the engines backfired starting a fire aboard ship. There were anxious moments until the fire was extinguished as there was still gasoline, ammunition and dynamite aboard. After two days they were able to get back to Reindeer Point near Etah only to find that most of the supplies that they had unloaded earlier to re-float the ship were under water, as a 10 feet (3 m) tide ebbed and flowed there.
As was the practice with this type of wooden vessel, the Greely was intentionally allowed to freeze into the ice for the winter of 1937-38. This facilitated the unloading and loading of supplies and the aircraft. When the ice broke in July 1938, the explorers left Greenland. The winter had damaged the schooner more than had been expected and an ice jam in Baffin Bay held the ship for weeks, drifting with the ice. Several seams opened up and constant pumping was required for days before reaching St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, where repairs were made. During the voyage from St. John's to Newark off the Grand Banks
Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from in depth. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream here.The mixing of these waters...
, on September 21, 1938, they encountered one of the worst hurricanes that had ever moved up the Atlantic Coast, now remembered as the New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
. The expedition finally returned to Port Newark on October 4, 1938 having been away fifteen months and four days.
Simon Lake purchased the Greely after the expedition. She ended up in South America where she was lost to the war (WWII)