Timeline for the Fram

The Fram was used in expeditions between 1893 to 1912.

The Fram on Ice

It was initially designed for Fridtjof Nansen’s 1893 expedition by Colin Archer. Nansen wanted to explore the Arctic farther north than anyone before him had. To do this, he had to deal with a problem other ships were facing when venturing onto icy waters (a specific example is the Jeannette)– that the ice could crush the ship. Nansen’s idea was to build a ship that would be able to survive the pressure not solely by strength, but because it’s design would work with the ice. The idea was for the ice to push the ship up, causing it to “float” on top of the ice, unlike any other ship of the time. The Fram left on June 24th, 1893 and entered the ice pack on September 25th. The Fram stayed in the pack ice, where the ship became like a station, where the men did the analysis of the sea depth, salinity and other characteristics of the ocean. On October 13th, it survived a serious of pressure waves which had destroyed many other ships in the past. It finally emerged from the ice pack 3 years later.

Nansen's planned drift to the North Pole

Nansen's expedition

On June 24th, 1898, Otto Sverdup led a scientific expedition to the Canadian Arctic Islands. A number of alterations were carried out for this expedition. A significant change was the introduction of a new deck. Sverdrup wanted to sail through Greenland and Ellesmere island, but got stuck in the pack ice near Ellesmere island, where the ship acted as a base for exploration of the surrounding areas. They surveyed new islands, by exploring with sledges.This expedition lasted until 1902.

Sverdrup's Expedition

In 1905, a large portion of the ship’s exterior was lost in a fire in a naval storehouse.

In 1907, the ship was examined. Panelling, insulation, and parts attacked by fungus or decay were removed. Woodwork was coated with carbolineum or tar.

On June 1st, 1908, Roald Amundsen and Colin Archer inspected the ship. Amundsen wanted to be the first to reach the South Pole after he found out the North Pole had already been achieved. During the spring of 1909, the Fram was repaired and altered according to the conditions necessary for Amundsen’s expedition. A significant change was that the steam engine and the boiler were replaced by an oil-motor. Amundsen left for his expedition on August 9th, 1910. Once in Antarctica the ship settled for the winter to wait for spring to head over the ice to get to the South Pole. Amundsen was the first to reach the south pole. His expedition ended in 1912.

Amundsen's Expedition

Between 1912 and the late 1920s, the ship decayed in storage

In the late 1920s, Lars Christensen, Otto Sverdrup, and Oscar Wisting began efforts to preserve the ship.

In 1935, the ship was relocated to the Fram Museum where it now stands.

The Fram in the Fram Museum

Similar to the South Pole Station, the Fram also had to be modified as its purpose changed over time.