The Fram's Purpose

The Fram was a ship used in expeditions to both the North and South Poles. On the first voyage, Norwegian scientist Fridtjof Nansen wanted to test his theory of a transpolar current. He had naval architect Colin Archer design a polar vessel in 1892, and planned to let the current carry the ship to the North Pole. The Fram was initially designed for polar regions, unlike many ships at the time which were originally merchant ships. The basic design allowed the ship to be set into an ice pack to be carried by the current across the water. Most ships tried to avoid the ice, but the rounded hull of the ship allowed the pressure of the ice to push the ship up above the ice, instead of damage the ship.

Its strength was the first priority in design, as opposed to the aesthetic. For later polar expeditions, the Fram's design was altered. It was about the average size for polar ships at the time, and had enough space to store food and firewood for six years.

Nansen and his crew set sail for the Arctic on June 24th, 1893. The ship entered an ice pack on Sept. 25, at which point the engine was dismantled and a windmill was set up to provide electricity. The Fram became an arctic station, as it was used for recording data on sea temperature, depth, and salt content. Nansen also studied the Aurora Borealis.

Over the voyage, the ship proved its strength as it survived the ice and pressure waves. The trip did confirm the existence of the current, but the wind and tide played significant roles in altering the ship's path. It was used for later polar expeditions led by Otto Sverdup in 1898 and Roald Amundsen in 1910, and has been in the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway since 1935.