Jeannette
Quick Summary
The Jeannette was an American ship that embarked on a disastrous Arctic expedition in 1879, led by George Washington De Long. The ship's objective was to reach the North Pole by sailing through the Bering Strait and along the coast of Wrangel Island.1
However, the Jeannette became trapped in pack ice near Herald Island and drifted for 21 months. In June 1881, the ship was crushed by the ice and sank. De Long and his crew survived the sinking but faced extreme hardships while attempting to reach the Siberian coast by boat and sledge. Tragically, De Long and most of his men perished from exposure and starvation. Wreckage from the Jeannette later washed ashore in Greenland, providing evidence of a trans-Arctic ocean current.1
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- George Washington De Long
…July 1879, he took the Jeannette through the Bering Strait and headed for Wrangel Island, off the northeast coast of Siberia. At the time, many believed that Wrangel was a large landmass stretching far to the north, and De Long hoped to sail as far as possible along its coast…
Read More…July 1879, he took the Jeannette through the Bering Strait and headed for Wrangel Island, off the northeast coast of Siberia. At the time, many believed that Wrangel was a large landmass stretching far to the north, and De Long hoped to sail as far as possible along its coast…
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ArcticThe Fram expeditionexpedition in the Jeannette, led by George Washington De Long. In the belief that Wrangel Island was a large landmass stretching far to the north, De Long hoped to sail north as far as possible along its coast and then sledge to the pole, but his ship was…
Read Moreexpedition in the Jeannette, led by George Washington De Long. In the belief that Wrangel Island was a large landmass stretching far to the north, De Long hoped to sail north as far as possible along its coast and then sledge to the pole, but his ship was…
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