Description:

Amundsen Roald

Roald Amundsen Signed Stunning Photo of the Norge!

 

Large glossy black and white first generation print of the Norge, boldly signed in green ink by Roald Amundsen, as "Roald Amundsen," 10" x 8." Verso stamped "This photo is supplied by International Newsreel, 226 William St, New York City, Syndicating prohibited … " Photo is slightly cockled, with two corner margin chips.

 

A phenomenal close up photo of the Norge while it was still tied and secured to the ground before liftoff, with the crowd below waiting in anticipation. A historic moment depicting the first aircraft which would be about to reach the North Pole, carrying Roald Amundsen and 15 other men (including the flags of three countries, (The United States, Norway and Italy).

 

In the 1920s, everybody saw the potential of the airship. It was a new flying invention that offered many possibilities for research, travel and even warfare. Amundsen was one of those who saw its potential, and in 1925 he came up with the idea to fly over the North Pole with one of these machines. Amundsen contacted Nobile and told him his idea for a polar expedition with an airship. Like any other expedition, Amundsen’s flight over the North Pole was expensive. Money was not only needed for the airship, but also for the infrastructure required to accommodate it and maintain it, and also for all of the necessary resources during the actual flight. Lincoln Ellsworth, a famous American polar explorer, heard about Amundsen’s plan and decided to step in with a generous donation of $100,000. This way, besides Nobile, who was the designated pilot of the airship, Riiser-Larsen, who was going to be the navigator, and Amundsen as the expedition leader, Ellsworth got his place on board the airship. The expedition was named “The Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile Transpolar Flight.” At that time, airships had many advantages over planes. Airplanes had to immediately land in case of an engine defect; the airship’s engines could be repaired in mid-air. Also, landing a plane during very foggy weather was much more dangerous in an airplane. Airships were also capable of carrying more weight than ordinary planes at the time.

 

They flew over the Atlantic Ocean and reached the North Pole, but they still needed to make a safe landing somewhere close to civilization. A fog that was surrounding it got stuck on the hull and ballooned in the form of ice. Soon, those ice pieces were thrown from the engine propellers as ice missiles towards the gentle balloon. The crew was constantly repairing the balloon, and they were running out of the material needed for the repairs. The Norge ultimately reached the North Pole. Since the crew couldn’t land, they lowered down the flags of their respective countries (Norwegian, American, and Italian). After 72 hours of flight, with the ship in disrepair, they and with a storm blowing the ship back and forth they finally landed near the village of Teller, 95 miles northwest of Nome, Alaska.

 

The two explorers ultimately met with a shared bizarre fate when later, in 1928, Nobile decided to repeat the success of the Norge and launched his own, purely Italian, North Pole expedition in an airship named Italia. This expedition ended tragically. The Italia crashed, and people died. A rescue mission was organized and Amundsen, as one of the most experienced polar explorers, was part of it. But Amundsen’s plane disappeared, and since then his destiny is unknown. The search for the missing plane was called off in September 1928 by the Norwegian government.

 

A stunning photo of this significant event with a lavish, large scarce signature by Amundsen.

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