One hundred years after Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen sailed from Kristiania, now Oslo, Norway in wooden ship Maud with the hopes of reaching the North Pole, Roald Amundsen’s Maud has returned to Norway, its country of origin.
Maud was raised from the seabed in Cambridge Bay, Canada, over the summer of 2016 by the Maud Returns Home project. You can follow the Maud Return Home Project on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/maudreturnshome/
Queen Maud of Norway
Named for Queen Maud of Norway, she was built for Amundsen’s second expedition to the Arctic and launched in June 1916. In the summer of 1918, Amundsen departed Norway. Maud spent several years in the Arctic ice without reaching the North Pole. Running into financial troubles, he left the expedition and sold the vessel to the Hudson Bay Company in 1920, where it was used it as a floating warehouse and a wireless radio station before she sank on her mooring in 1931.
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Partially above water, Maud was a longtime local landmark and tourist attraction. A seven-foot high structure made of rocks called a cairn now takes its place on the shore.
Amundsen was the first expedition leader to sail the Northwest Passage and the first person to reach the South Pole.
Maud Returns Home Initiative
In 2016 the Maud was rescued from the shallow coastal waters of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, by a team of four Norwegians who launched the ‘Maud Returns Home’ initiative. They began their quest to recover the ship six years prior.
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Before leaving Cambridge Bay, the team was honored by a visit from The Mayor of Asker Municipality, Lene Conradi. She also met mayor of Cambridge Bay, Jeannie Ehaloak, and they were both taken on a tour on Maud before a memorable get together where they both praised the efforts with finally should bringing old Maud back home to Norway.
On the morning of 29th August 2017, Maud was pulled slowly out of the Maud Bay approximately 90 years after her arrival.
Preparing for a new departure from Greenland
3rd of May 2018, the crew prepared for a new departure from Greenland early June to return to Vollen near Asker in Norway where the ship was built in 1917 by Christian Jensen. Up to the time of departure the crew emptied Maud from materials and dirt to make her as light as possible. The result was four full containers on the shore that was sent by cargo ship to Norway.
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Roald Amundsen’s Maud has Returned to Norway
“It brings joy to our hearts to see Maud, still proud after all these years, see her old homeland once again.” said Jan Wangaard, who led the Maud Returns Home project. “We can hardly think of a better way of honoring Roald Amundsen and his great ship,” he added.
Maud arrived at Vollen in Asker on 18th August 2018.
Amundsen’s other polar vessels Gjoa and Fram are on display at the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo. Wangaard hopes Maud will be displayed in a new museum at Vollen, the port where she was built.
Roald Amundsen’s Maud Returns to Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg