Description:

Amundsen Roald 1872 - 1928 Rare Amundsen signed photo of the prep for Maud, c. 1916

Glossy black and white silver gelatin press photo, c. 1916, 8" x 10", depicting the raising of the masts of the ship Maud, in preparation for the Arctic voyage. Boldly signed in vibrant green ink by Roald Amundsen as "Roald Amundsen". Additional scripted notes verso: "Showing masts of 'Maud' and crowds". Small intact tear to top right edge, with slight corner tip wear. Handling marks verso. Overall very good.

A most stunning scarce signed photo of Maud prior to her Arctic voyage. Maud, named for Queen Maud of Norway, was a ship built for Roald Amundsen for his second expedition to the Arctic. Designed for his intended voyage through the Northeast Passage, the vessel was built in Asker, a suburb of the capital, Oslo, Norway. Maud was launched in June 1916 or 17 June 1917 and ceremonially christened by Amundsen crushing a chunk of ice against her bow: "It is not my intention to dishonor the glorious grape, but already now you shall get the taste of your real environment. For the ice you have been built, and in the ice you shall stay most of your life, and in the ice you shall solve your tasks. With the permission of our Queen, I christen you Maud".

Maud lived up to her christening, as she remained in the ice until 2016. Whereas other vessels used in Amundsen's polar explorations have been preserved at the Norwegian Maritime Museum, Maud had a more rugged fate. After sailing through the Northeast Passage, which did not go as planned and took six years between 1918 and 1924, she ended up in Nome, Alaska and in August 1925 was sold on behalf of Amundsen's creditors. The buyer was the Hudson Bay Company, which renamed her Baymaud. She was to be used as a supply vessel for Company outposts. Prior to her final voyage, Baymaud was given a refit and in the winter of 1926 she was frozen into the ice at Cambridge Bay, where she sank in 1930.

Fast forward to 1990, and Maud (Baymaud) was sold by the Hudson Bay Company to Asker with the expectation that she would be returned to the town. Although a Cultural Properties Export permit was issued, the price tag to repair and move the ship was 230 million Kroner ($43,200,000) and the permit expired before completion of the project.

Another attempt was considered in 2011, when a Norwegian company named Tandberg Eiendom announced a plan to return Maud to Norway. Moving the ship would require another export permit from the federal government, which it declined to issue, on grounds of a lack of "a full archeological study". The decision was reversed on appeal in March 2012. The salvage operation was under way in the summer of 2015, with a plan to return the hull to Norway in the summer of 2016.

On 31 July 2016, it was reported that the hull of Maud had been raised to the surface in preparation for shipment to Norway, perhaps in 2017. It appears Maud is finally heading back home 100 years after its maiden voyage! Signed images of Amundsen related to this expedition are considered very rare.

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