| Helmer Hanssen |
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| 1870 births | |
| hanssen, helmer | |
| 1956 deaths | |
| norwegian explorers | |
| explorers of antarctica | |
| norwegian sailors | |
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Helmer Julius Hanssen ( 1870 - 1956 ) was a Norwegian polar explorer, and one of the first five to reach the South Pole on the expedition of Roald Amundsen . Hanssen was born in Risøyhavn, a small village in the northern part of Norway. He was an experienced ice pilot, a skill he had learned while hunting seals around Spitsbergen . From 1903 to 1905 Helmer Hanssen participated in Roald Amundsen 's successful search for the Northwest Passage , as second mate on board the ship Gjøa . On the expedition he learned from the Inuit s how to drive Sled Dog s. In 1910 he headed south with Amundsen to conquer the South Pole . This time as an expert dog driver. He was also in charge of Navigation , carrying the master Compass on his sledge. He was one of the first five people to reach the South Pole on December 14 , 1911 , along with Roald Amundsen, Olav Bjaaland , Oscar Wisting , and Sverre Hassel . During their stay at the South Pole, it is believed that Hanssen passed within 200 yards of the mathematical South Pole point. This was during one of his ski runs which Amundsen had ordered be performed to completely encircle or "box" the pole to insure that there was no doubt that the expedition had attained the pole. In 1919 he once again went north this time as captain on ''Maud'' in Roald Amundsen's Northeast Passage expedition. In . Helmer Julius Hanssen was awarded the Knight Class 2 Of St. Olav for exceptional seamanship on Roald Amundsen's expeditions in the northern and southern parts of the world. SEE ALSO |
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