Richard Vahsel
Richard Vahsel (9 February 1868 – 8 August 1912) was a German naval officer who served as second officer on the Antarctic Gauss expedition, under command of Erich von Drygalski.[1][2] In 1911, Vahsel was controversially appointed as captain of the Deutschland, on Wilhelm Filchner's Second German Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1913.[2] Vahsel and Filchner proved incompatible, and the failure of their relationship fatally undermined the chances of the expedition's success.[3][1]
Vahsel died during the expedition, of heart failure likely aggravated by the effects of syphilis, as Deutschland was drifting while trapped in the ice in the Weddell Sea.[4] He was buried in the ice on 10 August 1912, as the ship drifted across the Antarctic Circle.[5] Vahsel Bay, at the southern extreme of the Weddell Sea, is named after him,[6] as are the Vahsel Glacier on Heard Island, discovered during Drygalski's expedition, and Cape Vahsel on the south-eastern coast of South Georgia.
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ a b Turney 2012, p. 184.
- ^ a b Mills 2003, p. 228.
- ^ Bryan 2011, p. 260.
- ^ Turney 2012, p. 203.
- ^ Filchner1913, p. 429.
- ^ Alberts 1981, p. 889.
Sources[edit]
- Alberts, F. G., ed. (1981). Geographic Names of the Antarctic. Washington: United States Board on Geographic Names.
- Bryan, R. (2011). Ordeal by Ice: Ships of the Antarctic. Dobbs Ferry: Sheridan House. ISBN 978-1-57409-312-4.
- Filchner, W.; et al. (1913). "The German Antarctic Expedition". Bull. Am. Geogr. Soc. 45 (6): 423–430. doi:10.2307/200593. JSTOR 200593. S2CID 4033913.
- Mills, W. J. (2003). Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-422-6.
- Turney, C. (2012). 1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica. London: The Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1-84792-174-1.
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