Robert Falcon Scott

Shackleton, Scott, Wilson
(left to right)
          Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912), a British naval officer, led the first serious attempt on the South Pole and also headed the second expedition to reach the pole. Scott’s career of an Antarctica explorer began when he applied for the command of the British National Antarctic Expedition. Sponsored by the RGS and the Royal Society, the expedition had reached Cape Adare on the edge of the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Scott established a land base on Ross Island at McMurdo Sound. Scott, with his companions Ernest Shackleton and Dr Edward Wilson, trekked 320 km (200 mi) across the Ross Ice Shelf towards the South Pole, achieving a record latitude of 81° 17' south, 800 km (500 mi) from the Pole and further south than any previous attempt. Difficulties with the dog sledges and an outbreak of scurvy forced them to turn back.

          Shackleton returned to the Antarctic and in 1909 got to within 156 km (97 miles) of the South Pole. Scott then announced a private scientific expedition to Antarctica, though his main aim was still to complete his unfinished mission, the South Pole. Scott left England on the Terra Nova in June 1910. Upon reaching Melbourne, he received a telegram informing him that Norwegian Roald Amundsen was also attempting the South Pole and he was forced into a race. Scott arrived at McMurdo Sound and established a base on Ross Island. The expedition spent a year, laying depots of food and carrying out scientific investigations meanwhile.

          On November 1, 1911, Scott set out for the Pole. They used sledge dogs, Siberian ponies, and two motorized sledges. The vehicles soon failed, the ponies were hopeless and had to be destroyed. The support teams returned to base with the dogs. Scott and his four companions hauled their own sledges and reached the South Pole on January 16,1912, to find the tent and flag of Amundsen, who had arrived 33 days earlier. The return journey met with disastrous weather and the entire party perished. Evans died from a fall. Oates sacrificed his life by walking into a blizzard, hoping thus to save his comrades; Bowers, Wilson, and Scott died of starvation and exposure on March 29 within 18 km (11 miles) of One Ton Depot, a major supply depot. Their bodies, along with valuable documents and specimens in their tent, were found eight months later.

          When news reached Britain in February 1913 of the tragic death of Scott and his party, opinions were deeply divided. Some blamed Amundsen for forcing Scott into a race, which as a scientific expedition, resources were lacking. Scott was hailed as a national hero and their deaths somewhat overshadowed the success of Amundsen.

Roald Amundsen: Timeline

Robert Scott: Full story