Roald Amundsen’s successful navigation of the Northwest Passage (1903–1906) with his tiny ship Gjøa was the culmination of centuries of failed attempts. His success came down to careful planning, humility, and adaptation — qualities that set him apart from many earlier explorers.
Here are the main reasons:
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1. Use of a Small, Adaptable Ship
• Instead of a large naval vessel like Franklin’s Erebus and Terror, Amundsen chose the 47-ton sloop Gjøa — small, light, shallow-drafted, and maneuverable.
• This allowed him to navigate narrow, shallow Arctic channels where big ships would get trapped in ice.
• Smaller crew (6 men) meant fewer supplies were needed.
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2. Careful Planning and Provisioning
• Amundsen studied the failures of previous expeditions (especially Franklin and McClure) and concluded that overloading ships and large crews led to disaster.
• He brought three years of supplies and was mentally prepared to spend several winters icebound.
• He invested in modern scientific instruments, intending not just to sail the passage but to conduct meaningful research.
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3. Adopting Inuit Survival Knowledge
• Crucially, Amundsen lived with the Netsilik Inuit during his first winter.
• He and his crew learned:
• Dog sledging techniques.
• Clothing made from animal skins (warmer than European wool).
• Hunting and food preservation methods.
• This cultural exchange gave him the practical survival skills that earlier European explorers had often ignored.
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4. Patience and Realism
• Rather than forcing through ice as quickly as possible, Amundsen accepted the need to overwinter and slowly work his way westward.
• It took three years, but by being patient, he avoided catastrophic losses.
• He proved that success in the Arctic required working with nature, not against it.
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5. Scientific Motivation
• His expedition wasn’t only about “glory.”
• At Gjøa Haven (King William Island), he established an observatory to measure magnetic variation, pinpointing the location of the North Magnetic Pole with unprecedented accuracy.
• This gave his expedition strong scientific credibility.
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6. Strong Leadership and Crew Morale
• With only six hand-picked men, Amundsen maintained discipline, cooperation, and high morale throughout the three winters.
• Unlike the mutinies that plagued earlier expeditions (Hudson, McClure), his crew trusted him fully.
• All members survived — a rarity in Arctic exploration history.
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✅ In summary:
Amundsen succeeded where others failed because he:
• Chose a small, flexible vessel.
• Planned supplies carefully and accepted long delays.
• Learned from the Inuit, adopting local survival skills.
• Maintained strong leadership with a small, disciplined crew.
• Pursued scientific goals, not just conquest.
By 1906, he had proven the Northwest Passage could be sailed — though not yet as a practical trade route.
How Amundsen used experience of navigating the Northwest Passage to reach the South Pole.
Key Similarities
• Preparedness: Amundsen never assumed luck would save him — he prepared for the worst.
• Practicality: He always chose what worked best (dog sleds, fur clothing, small teams) over tradition or national pride.
• Respect for Nature & People: By valuing Inuit knowledge, he avoided many of the mistakes Europeans repeated for centuries.
• Scientific Mindset: Exploration was about learning, not just “being first.”
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Differences
• Northwest Passage: Slow, methodical navigation through shallow, icy waters — success came from patience and survival skills.
• South Pole: A race against Scott — success came from efficiency, speed, and logistics mastery.
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✅ In short:
Amundsen’s triumphs in both the Arctic and Antarctic were not accidents of fortune but the result of a consistent philosophy: small scale, meticulous preparation, borrowing Indigenous knowledge, and leading with discipline and humility.
NORTHWEST
PASSAGEFirst European to Search for a Passage:
John Cabot
(1496-98)First to Prove Existence of Passage:
Robert McClure
(1854)First to Navigate by Ship:
Roald Amundsen
(1905)First Transit by Dogsled:
Knud Rasmussen
(1912)First West-East Transit:
RCMPV St. Roch
(1940-42)
1. TYPICAL NORTHWEST PASSAGE ROUTE (Black Line)
This route, often undertaken with the assistance of an icebreaker, stops at various Nunavut locations such as Pond Inlet, Resolute and Cambridge Bay.
2. ROALD AMUNDSEN: First Navigation by Ship (black line)
1905: In mid August, Amundsen sailed from Gjøahaven (today: Gjoa Haven, Nunavut) in the vessel Gjøa. On August 26 they encountered a ship bearing down on them from the west, and with that they were through the passage. From Amundsen's diary:
The North West Passage was done. My boyhood dream - at that moment it was accomplished. A strange feeling welled up in my throat; I was somewhat over-strained and worn - it was weakness in me - but I felt tears in my eyes. 'Vessel in sight' ... Vessel in sight.
3. ST. ROCH: First West-East Crossing (Green line)
1940-1942: The St. Roch was given the task of demonstrating Canadiansovereignty in the Arctic. It was ordered to sail from Vancouver to Halifax by way of the Northwest Passage.
The St. Roch left Vancouver in June 1940 and on October 11, 1942, it docked at Halifax - the first ship to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the Northwest Passage. The journey had taken almost 28 months.
4. ST. ROCH: Northern Deep-Water Route (East-West) (Yellow line)
1944: The St. Roch was the first ship to travel the Northwest Passage through the northern, deep-water route and the first to sail the Passage in both directions.
5. FRANKLIN EXPEDITION: Attempt (Red line)
1845-48: Although Sir John Franklin was on the right track, his ships, the "Terror" and the "Erebus", became frozen in the ice near King William Island. The ships disappeared and all 129 men were lost. MORE...
6. SIR WILLIAM EDWARD PARRY: Attempt (Purple line)
1819-20: Parry led a number of expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage, and he was almost successful. One of his expeditions qualified for the £5,000 prize offered by the Board of Longitude to the first vessel to cross the 110th meridian in high northern latitudes.
7. ROBERT McCLURE: Proved Route Existed (Orange line)
1850-54: While his ship was trapped in the ice, McClure set off by sledge and discovered a passage between Banks Island and Victoria Island. Coming west to east, this linked up with Parry's previous postion coming east to west. McClure and his crew were awarded the £10,000 prize for finding the Passage.