List of Antarctic exploration ships from the Heroic Age, 1897–1922 facts for kids

Adrien de Gerlache, who led one of the first expeditions during the "Heroic Age" of Antarctic exploration.

This article is about the amazing ships that explored Antarctica between 1897 and 1922. This time is known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. These ships helped brave explorers reach the icy continent and discover new lands. We'll also look at some important support ships that helped these expeditions.

Not all ships that went to the Antarctic are on this list. For example, regular whaling ships are not included. Also, expeditions that didn't actually go into the Antarctic Circle (the imaginary line around Antarctica) are left out.

It's cool to know that three of these historic ships are still around today! You can visit the Discovery in Dundee, Scotland, the Fram in Oslo, Norway, and the Uruguay in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sadly, some ships like Antarctic and Endurance were lost during their journeys. Others were taken apart or sank years later. The story of the Japanese ship Kainan Maru is still a mystery!

Main Expedition Ships

These are the main ships that carried explorers on their daring journeys to Antarctica.

Ship Name (Country)	Size (GRT)	Image	Expedition	Leader	What Happened Next
Belgica (formerly Patria)  Belgium	263		Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897–1899	Adrien de Gerlache	After its Antarctic trip, Belgica was used for many different jobs. It became a research ship, then a coal carrier, and even a floating fish factory! During Second World War, it was used to store ammunition. Sadly, it was sunk by German planes in 1940. Its wreck was found again in 1990.
Southern Cross (formerly Pollux)  UK	521		British Antarctic Expedition (Southern Cross Expedition) 1898–1900	Carsten Borchgrevink	In 1901, Southern Cross was sold and became a ship for seal hunting. It worked this job until 1914. Then, it was lost in a terrible storm near Newfoundland, Canada. All 173 people on board were lost. One idea is that its heavy cargo of seal furs shifted and made the ship flip over. This was the biggest loss of life in Newfoundland's sealing history.
Discovery  UK	736		National Antarctic Expedition (Discovery Expedition) 1901–1904	Robert Falcon Scott	Discovery was bought by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1905 and used to carry goods. During First World War, it was a supply ship. In 1916, it briefly helped search for Ernest Shackleton. Later, it was used for ocean research. In 1929, it went back to Antarctica with Douglas Mawson. After that, it became a training center for Scouts in London. In 1979, it became a museum ship. In 1986, it moved to Dundee, Scotland, where it is now a permanent exhibition.
Gauss Germany	728		First German Antarctic Expedition (Gauss Expedition) 1901–1903	Erich von Drygalski	In 1905, the Canadian government bought Gauss and renamed it CGS Arctic. It had a long career exploring the Canadian Arctic. After a break during First World War, it continued its Arctic journeys until 1925. The ship was then sold and taken apart, with its hull left on a sandbank.
Antarctic (formerly Kap Nor)  Sweden	346		Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901–1903	Otto Nordenskiöld	Antarctic did not survive its expedition. In early 1903, it got stuck in thick pack ice near the Antarctic Peninsula. The ship was badly damaged and sank on February 12, 1903. Luckily, all the crew members were rescued safely.
Scotia (formerly Hekla)  UK  Scotland	375		Scottish National Antarctic Expedition 1902–1904	William Speirs Bruce	Scotia was sold and went back to hunting seals near Greenland. In 1913, it helped patrol for icebergs in the North Atlantic. During First World War, it was used by the French government to carry goods. On January 18, 1916, it caught fire and was destroyed near Sully Island in the Bristol Channel.
Français  France	250		Third French Antarctic Expedition 1903–1905	Jean-Baptiste Charcot	After the expedition, Français was sold to the Argentine government and renamed Austral. In December 1907, the ship was wrecked on a sandbank in the Río de la Plata (River Plate).
Nimrod  UK	458		British Antarctic Expedition 1907 (Nimrod Expedition) 1907–1909	Ernest Shackleton	When Shackleton returned to England in 1909, he used Nimrod as a "floating museum" to show off items from the expedition. He later sold it to help pay off the expedition's debts. For a few years, it carried coal. On January 31, 1919, Nimrod was wrecked and destroyed in the North Sea. Ten of its twelve crew members were lost.
Pourquoi-Pas? IV  France	445		Fourth French Expedition 1908–1910	Jean-Baptiste Charcot	The French Navy used Pourquoi-pas? as a training ship during First World War. After the war, Charcot took command again and led many science missions. In 1928, the ship helped search for Roald Amundsen, who disappeared in the Arctic. On September 16, 1936, while sailing near Iceland, Pourquoi-pas? was caught in a big storm and wrecked. Only one crew member survived, and Charcot was among those lost.
Kainan Maru (formerly Hoko Maru)  Japan	204		Japanese Antarctic Expedition 1910–1912	Nobu Shirase	After the expedition, Kainan Maru was sold back to its old owners and went back to fishing. The leader, Nobu Shirase, spent many years raising money to pay off the expedition's debts. He died in 1946. The ship might have been sunk in 1944 by a US air attack, but no one knows for sure.
Fram  Norway	402		Amundsen's South Pole expedition 1910–1912	Roald Amundsen	Amundsen had plans for Fram after his South Pole trip, but First World War stopped them. Fram was left to decay for many years. In 1925, people started working to save the ship. Restoration began in 1929. Finally, in 1935, the restored Fram was brought to Oslo, Norway, and placed in a special building. Today, it is a famous museum ship.
Terra Nova  UK	744		British Antarctic Expedition 1910 (Terra Nova Expedition) 1910–1913	Robert Falcon Scott	After returning from Antarctica in 1913, Terra Nova was bought back by its previous owners. It worked as a sealer from 1913 to 1942. During Second World War, it was a supply ship. On September 12, 1943, the ship was damaged and started leaking badly. Its crew and important items were moved to another ship. The next day, the damaged ship was set on fire and sunk by gunfire. In 2012, the wreck of Terra Nova was discovered!
Deutschland (formerly Bjørn) Germany	598		Second German Antarctic Expedition 1911–1914	Wilhelm Filchner	After Deutschland returned to Germany, it was sold and renamed Osterreich. An Austrian expedition was planned, but First World War broke out and it was cancelled. The ship was then used by the Austro-Hungarian Navy as a minesweeper. It was sunk by a torpedo in the Adriatic Sea in 1917.
Aurora  Australia  New Zealand	386		Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1911–1914	Douglas Mawson	At the end of this expedition, Aurora was sold to Sir Ernest Shackleton for £3,200. He wanted to use it for the Ross Sea party part of his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Endurance (formerly Polaris)  UK	350		Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–1917	Ernest Shackleton	Endurance got stuck in the ice of the Weddell Sea. It was crushed and had to be abandoned on October 27, 1915, and later sank. The crew bravely made their way across the ice and in small boats to Elephant Island. They were eventually rescued. The wreck of Endurance was discovered on March 5, 2022!
Aurora  UK			Ross Sea party 1914–1917 (supporting the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition)	Aeneas Mackintosh	After rescuing the Ross Sea party, Aurora was sold for £10,000. On June 17, 1917, it sailed with a cargo of coal and was never seen again. A lifebelt with Aurora's name was found later. No one knows for sure what happened to the ship, but bad weather or enemy action are possible reasons.
Quest (formerly Foca I)  UK	205		Shackleton–Rowett Expedition	Ernest Shackleton	After the expedition, Quest was sold and used as a sealer and Arctic research ship until 1940. In 1928, it helped search for Umberto Nobile, who was missing in the Arctic. In 1930, it explored possible air routes to Canada. During Second World War, Quest was used by the Allied navies. In 1946, it went back to sealing until May 5, 1962, when it got stuck in ice and sank off the coast of Labrador.

Important Support and Rescue Ships

These ships played vital roles in helping the main expeditions, often bringing supplies or rescuing stranded explorers.

Ship Name	Captain	Image	Expedition Supported	Its Story
Morning  UK	William Colbeck		National Antarctic Expedition (Discovery Expedition) 1901–1904	Morning was built in 1871 as an Arctic whaler. It made two trips to Antarctica to help the Discovery Expedition. In 1903, it brought fresh supplies but couldn't free Discovery from the ice. In 1904, with another ship called Terra Nova, Discovery was finally freed. After its Antarctic missions, Morning went back to whaling. It was lost during a storm in the North Atlantic on December 24, 1915.
Uruguay  Argentina	Julián Irízar		Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901–1903	Built in England in 1874, Uruguay served the Argentine Navy for many years before becoming an Antarctic rescue ship. Under Captain Julián Irízar, it successfully rescued Otto Nordenskiöld's expedition. Between 1903 and 1922, Uruguay made 13 more rescue trips to Antarctica. After it retired, it became a museum ship in Buenos Aires, where you can visit it today.
Koonya  New Zealand	Frederick Pryce Evans		Nimrod Expedition 1907–1909	Koonya was a steam cargo ship built in 1898. In 1908, it towed Nimrod from New Zealand to the Antarctic Circle. This saved Nimrod's coal. According to Shackleton, Koonya was the first steel ship to cross the Antarctic Circle. On June 3, 1919, Koonya ran aground in Tasmania and was wrecked. All its crew members were safe.
Yelcho  Chile	Luis Pardo		Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–1917	Shackleton tried three times to rescue the Endurance crew stuck on Elephant Island. For the fourth try, he used the Chilean naval tug Yelcho, led by Captain Luis Pardo. Yelcho sailed on August 25, 1916, and reached Elephant Island on August 30, thanks to calm seas. The rescue was a success! Yelcho then returned to its naval duties until 1945. It was finally taken apart in 1962. To honor its rescue, the front part of the ship is now part of a monument in Puerto Williams, Chile.

See also

• Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration