Social Structure on the Fram

Amundsen was known for being an innovative thinker. His unique leadership skills are often credited for being the reason his journey to and from the South Pole was successful while the journey led to the antarctic by Robert Falcon Scott, a very traditionalist leader, was not. Amundsen was aware of the conflict that could arise in isolated situations between formal and informal leadership roles. For this reason he kept the backgrounds of all crew members homogenous; there were no scientists allowed on the crew in the hopes of reducing tension that could arise from conflict of backgrounds. In addition, all crew members had to provide an essential "service" to the expedition in hopes of bringing the least number of crew members as possible; more crew members meant more equipment and resources on board, something that Amundsen tried to decrease as much as possible. In order to assure his dominance on the ship before setting out on his journey, Amundsen tested all potential crew members' ability to listen to authority by giving them strange and irrelevant work assignments to see if there would be any potential competition to his authority. Screening all possible members of the crew before setting sail was meant to minimize the likelihood of conflict due to role collision once on the journey.

Roald Amundsen's Selection Process for the Fram

Formal Roles of the Crew Members

Roald Amundsen - Expedition Leader
Lieutenant Thorvald Nilsen - First Lieutenant, 2nd in command
Lieutenant Frekrick Gjertsen - First Mate
Lieutenant Kristian Prestrude - Second Officer, Expedition Navigator
Ajalmar Johansen-
Adolf Henrick Lindstrom - Cook, Carpenter
Olav Olavson Bjaaland -
Helmer Hanssen - Dog Driver, Navigator
Sverne Hassel - Dog Drive, Navigator
Oskar Wisting - Naval Gunner, Whaling Experience in Arctic
Ludvig Hansen - Seaman and Ice Pilot
Martin Ronne - Skilled Sail Maker
Jorgen Stubberud - Carpenter
Andreas Beck - Seaman and Ice Pilot
Knut Snudbeck - Engineer
Jacob Nodtvedt - 2nd Engineer
Alexander Kutchin - Cook, Carpenter
H. Kristensen - Deck Hand, 3rd Engineer

Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever is a severe form of depression that affects people during the winter months and causes inactivity, weight gain, social withdrawal and sleep disturbance. This type of depression is brought on by factors such as severe winter storms, confined spaces and boredom. Also, the lack of sunlight can contribute to the human psyche by causing a chemical imbalance in the brain. This is due to the fact that when serotonin is not released in a sufficient quantity it can lead to depression, which is what can occur in isolated communities such as the Amundsen's Fram and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

Therefore, the design of both of these structures becomes important to prevent this illness from occurring.

Amundsen’s Fram:

In the Amundsen's Fram, cabin fever was prevented by designing all the common areas to be open to all members for social interaction. Also, in this areas entertainment gatherings were held where a game of cards was played or music was played. Lastly, access to the deck allowed for sunlight to provide natural light to the ship.

A Whist-Party in the Saloon at the Fram

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station:

• 1956 Station

The 1956 station was built underground, which allowed no access to natural sunlight and the only light source was artificial lighting. Also, it was designed as a work station, without accommodating members' needs in such an isolated location. Therefore, only recreation had to be done in the dining area or outside. However, recreation was similar as in the Fram where simple games were played, along with music and reading.

1958 Thanksgiving Dinner

• Dome Station

The dome station was also built underground but it took some new approaches to solve the cabin fever effects. Even though the station was built underground, the dome was meant to be above ground, which allowed for limited sunlight to penetrate the building. However, throughout many winters the dome was covered in snow, which did not allow for light to come in during the summer. Lastly, there were limited areas for recreation but to pass the time the crew members would play music and cards, and created a pass time of dome sliding.

Dome Sliding

• New Station

The new station is the best facility that meets the needs to prevent cabin fever because the design integrated new innovative ways to withstand the harsh climate at the south pole. The fact that this station is elevated, allows for windows to be incorporated to allow sunlight access during the summer months. In addition, it offers new recreation rooms such as a Gym, exercise room, activity/band room, growing chamber, arts and crafts room, sauna, bar, t.v. lounge and game room, etc, to eliminate inactivity. Lastly, during the dark winter months when sunlight is not available, UV lighting has been included to simulate the sunlight.

T.V. Lounge at New Station

Midnight Sun and Polar Nights

The conditions of midnight sun (when the sun does not set for many days in mid-summer) and polar nights (when the sun does not rise for many days in mid-winter) can cause depression or hypomania. The reason for this disturbance of mood may be because of a delay in the sleep-wake cycle. This cycle is usually regulated by the 24-hour dark-light cycle, while seasonal rhythms are affected by the amount of daylight. These are not maintained during the midnight sun and polar nights, and this poses a problem in an arctic setting. The severity of the symptoms are different depending on an individual's vulnerability to extreme variations of light. Check out this time lapse of the midnight sun condition in Antarctica.

The solution for this problem is relatively simple: there must be a control of light. This was considered in the designs of both the Fram and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. In the midnight sun, curtains and other shading devices are used to simulate a dark environment to promote sleep at night. During polar nights, bright artificial lights are used to combat the loss of natural light in the daytime.

Below, the section of a wing of the South Pole Station demonstrates how the interior berths maintain a day-night cycle with artificial lighting and shading devices, despite the outside environment.

This section of the Fram also shows that it was also able to maintain the day-night cycle. Even when the engine was dismantled, a windmill was used to provide electricity.

Isolation

A key problem that had to be dealt with in the design of the Fram and the South Pole Station, was isolation. Because of the setting of both environments, and the limited contact with the outside world (even more so in the Fram) tension as well as symptoms such as depression are inevitable results.

Some general solutions for communities in isolated communities include; developing a strong sense of community, incorporating elements of a normal lifestyle, ensuring candidates are fit to be exposed to the situation, and other preventative measures.

It is evident that both structures and programs have incorporated such elements into their designs.

For the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, medical care is available 24/7 to help with any medical symptoms, including those resulting from isolation such as depression, impaired cognition, and sleep disturbance. There is also a green room for environmental stimulation, thus it is evident how the station incorporates elements of a normal lifestyle.

Experiential diagram of the green room

Additionally, prospective winter-overs must pass physical and psychological exams to ensure they are capable of handling the effects of isolation. The program establishes common goals to develop a stronger sense of community. Furthermore, personal spaces have been made smaller and less comfortable than communal spaces, encouraging the members to interact with others. Finally, because of today’s technology, the people at the station are still able to have some contact with the outside world. However, it should be noted that there are more rooms allotted to communication within the community than rooms allotted to communication to the outside world, thus encouraging the development of the community further.

The isolation in the Fram was more severe as they were unable to have any contact with the outside world. Measures taken to deal with the problem of isolation included a selection process (as with the South Pole Station) to ensure members would be capable of dealing with the situation (isolation being one of them). Additionally, like the South Pole Station, personal spaces were made smaller and less comfortable than communal spaces, to encourage the development of the community. Amundsen also included pictures and paintings, thus incorporating elements of daily life, in order to make the journey more bearable.

Personal spaces are made smaller and less comfortable than common spaces in both the Fram (bottom) and the South Pole Station (top)

Crew socializing in the saloon of the Fram. Note the painting in the background.

-Nashin Mahtani and Stephanie Fleming

Power Systems of The Fram

The Engines of the Fram
Although the the Fram was a sailing ship, each iteration had an engine. The first two versions used a 220 hp steam engine for propulsion, but during Sverdrup`s expedition the flues leading from from the boiler where burnt out and the whole engine was completely replaced by a 180 hp diesel engine, built by the Norwegian diesel Co.

The first engine required a large boiler and significant amounts of coal, more powerful then the second engine. The replacement allowed for more efficient fuel use, this was important since the trip to the antarctic was significantly farther. Space that was used by the coal bunkers was replaced by oil storage so no extra space was gained by the upgrade. The final version of the Fram had the capacity to hold 90 tons of oil.

Heat from the engines was likely very useful to maintaining livable temperatures during the trip, but while stationary it was useless. During the arctic expedition the engine was disassembled to make space for a work room.

The propeller was capable of being removed and stored to protect it from the ice during it`s time while stationary. The propeller for Amundsen`s Fram was 5 feet 9 inches in diameter, rather small for a propeller but necessary due to the high number of rotations per minute of the new engine.


Lighting Aboard the Fram


Nansen had planned to save resources by taking advantage of the only replenish able sources of energy available in the arctic; the wind. While stationary in the ice a windmill was assembled mid deck. A series of gears lead down to a dynamo,
an old and very large type of electric generator. The generator had a small room dedicated to it mid ship and weighed about 5,000 pounds. The electricity was used to power arclamps through out the ship. This clever innovation would have saved tons of room that would have been needed to store lamp oil. Since the Fram was not used this way in the journey to the Antarctic so the windmill was not useful and was not put on the south pole expedition.

Supplies

Getting supplies in to an isolated community is a huge problem. Since the community is not connected to the rest of the world, it must be able to survive on its own.

Both the Fram and the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station initially dealt with this problem by creating a sort of supply line. The Fram’s supply line began with the ship itself. Supplies were loaded up and taken all the way down to Antarctica. Upon reaching the Bay of Whales, the ship was frozen in to the ice, and they set up a base camp. From there, small crews headed along the path to the South Pole, but instead of going all the way, they created supply depots at key locations and returned to base camp. This allowed Amundsen to travel lightly, and replenish his stock of food as needed on the way to the South Pole and on the way back.

Diagram of the Fram’s Supply Line

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has taken the idea of the supply line and applied it on a much larger scale. Supplies originate in the USA, are shipped to New Zealand and then to the McMurdo station in Antarctica. As you can see, this station is relatively close to the spot where Amundsen himself landed.

From McMurdo, the supplies are flown in a gigantic ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, which has the capacity to carry some 40 000 pounds of gear. Food, fuel, and equipment are all transported to the station in this manner.

Diagram of ASSPS’ Supply Line

Picture of the LC-130 Hercules Cargo Plane

Both of these structures had one large problem with their supply lines: they were not continuous. This is obvious for the Fram, as there was no one following them, and they did not plan to stay in Antarctica forever. However, the ASSPS is meant to last forever. This means that people live there all year-round, and therefore need supplies all year-round. Since the cargo planes cannot land for approximately 8 months of the year, no supplies are delivered.

Storage was and still is the easiest answer to the problem of a non-continuous supply line. The diagrams and pictures below illustrate how and where supplies were stored in each of the structures.

Space Allotted for Storage Aboard the Fram

Storage Space Inside a Large Quonset Hut at the ASSPS

Although the crew aboard the Fram killed their dogs as well as native Antarctic animals, and the ASSPS has a room to grow fresh vegetables, neither were really that self-sufficient. In the future, the solution to the problem of supplies would be to simply use only what you could find onsite. This would not be immediately possible, as the initial set of people and supplies
would still have to be transported. However, once the base community was established, surviving with no external support would be the goal.

I’ll finish with a quote from Aristotle’s Politics, Book II.

“There is another line of thought from which it is evident that it is not good to attempt to make the city too much of a unity. A household is more self-sufficient than an individual, and a state more self-sufficient than a household. Indeed, a state comes into being only when an association of many different kinds of people turns out to be self-sufficient. The greater the self-sufficiency, the more desirable the institution; therefore, a lesser degree of unity is more desirable than a higher.”

Any community – isolated or not – must be diverse in order to be self-sufficient. Perhaps the ASSPS needs only to expand and add a slightly wider range of people in to the mix, along with some new facilities and technologies, in order to survive on its own.

Heat

Machinery stops working at a temperature of approximately -40 degrees Celsius. Aircraft stops working at a temperature of approximately -45 degrees Celsius. Symptoms of hypothermia begin to appear when a human's core body temperature drops one or two degrees Celsius. With the South Pole reaching temperatures downwards of -60 degrees Celsius during the winter, it comes as no surprise that any structure that is to survive within the Antarctic climate must be designed to accommodate such extreme cold.

The wall sections seen below show how each structure incorporates insulation in order to retain whatever heat exists inside. Although the Fram’s section is much wider, this has more to do with the fact that the hull of the ship had to be extremely strong, and therefore had to have many layers of wood. Amundsen actually worked to maximize the efficiency of the insulation while reducing the amount of space it took up. The layers of wood – especially the greenheart – also were used to make sure that ice and snow did not seep inwards and destroy the ship.

Fram Wall Section

ASSPS Wall Section

The diagram below illustrates how the insulation works in order to hold the heat inside across the whole structure. This is especially important for the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Typically, a building resting on ice will emit heat from all areas, thus forming a thermal bulb underneath the building. As explained later, this leads to differential settlement. The ASSPS combats this by heavily insulating the floor and the substructure, and only having columns break through to the substructure. This means that essentially no heat is released through the floor. Once again, this will be explained in depth elsewhere.





We now understand how heat is retained, but the next concern is how it is generated. Due to technological limitations, the Fram had to use petroleum to heat the ship, and the crew made use of extremely warm outerwear when above or below deck. In the laboratory, warm air is brought in from the galley.

Roald Amundsen and his Nifty Winter Gear

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station took this idea of piping in warm air to a whole new level. They used heat exchangers to capture waste heat from different areas, and then moved the heat to where it was needed. This mainly takes place in the power plant, as shown below, where the diesel engines are situated.

Diesel Engine and its Waste Heat

Distribution of Waste Heat from the Power Plant

Waste heat is also captured from other areas of the building, such as the kitchen, the green room, and various electronic rooms.

Other Areas Where Waste Heat is Captured

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.

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.

Biographies of Critical People in the Fram

Roald Amundsen

Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872 near Oslo, Norway. He remains to date one of the most successful polar explorers ever, being both the first person to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible in May 1926 and the first person to reach the South Pole in December 1911. His mother had originally wanted him to be a doctor, so Amundsen studied medicine until the age of 21 when his mother passed away; he then dropped out of school to become an explorer. Amundsen's first experience in the Antarctic was with Adrien de Gerlache's 1899 Belgica Expedition as Gerlache's first mate. In 1903 Amundsen led a crew up to the North Pole, attempting unsuccessfully to use Arctic currents to reach the Pole and unintentionally drifted through the Northwest Passage, becoming the second person in history to do so. Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole on the Fram launched in June 1910 and returned successful in March 1912. Amundsen died June 22, 1928 at the age of 52 while trying to rescue a friend who had been lost in a dirigible crash that was later found by rescuers.

Colin Archer

Archer was born July 22, 1832 and was from Larvik, Norway. He was a naval architect and shipbuilder. One of his most important ship designs was The Fram, the ship used in Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole. Prior to his career as a shipbuilder, he spent time in Queensland, Australia. Archer is known especially for building safe, sturdy ships. He did a lot of calculations on how to design an efficient hull, and his research is still consulted today by modern shipbuilders. Archer did February 3, 1921. Over his career he is credited with the design of over 200 vessels.

Location and Site of the Fram

The Fram

Today the Fram is located in Oslo, Norway in the Fram Museum. It's fame came from the expeditions that it made possible, of which there where three. Made for Fridtjof Nansen's expedition to the north pole the boat was specially made to freeze in the ice flows in order to travel slowly across the north pole protected in the ice that normally destroys exploration ships.

North Pole Expedition

During Nansen`s expedition the boat traveled along the north of Europe and Russia(Shown in red here) stopping for supplies
and to pickup dogs for crossing the ice. Once reaching a point in the Laptev Sea, on october 9th 1893, the propeller was dissembled and the Fram was frozen in ice at 78°49'N, 132°53'E .

Frozen in the ice the Fram moved with it fallowing the trans polar currents in an erratic path past the north pole (as indicated by the blue).

The typical thickness of arctic sea ice is about 2 to 3 meters due to its relative lack of movement to antarctic ice. No sustainable food or shelter can be made on the ice and frigid temperatures are contended with each day (-43 to -26 degrees Celsius in winter and around -34 in summer). The sea depth is on average 1038m.

This frozen ice sheet became home to the ship and provided room other then the hull of the ship it's self. The dogs where kept in kennels on the ice freeing precious room with in the ship but, fighting amongst them and the loss of dogs to polar bears made the crew bring them back on boar. The ship had become an arctic station for scientific observation rather then a transport. Measurement of sea depth and information from the drift of the ship was extremely valuable to the study of oceanography, especially in the nearly unreachable polar region. Meteorological and magnetic gauges and instruments were set up on the ice. Skiing was made mandatory for each crew member to practice for a few hours.The ice cut off all possible outside help but did provide a way of escape however risky it might be.

On October 25 the arctic night started, requiring the use of the lamps and generator that where brought to deal with the continuous darkness.

The spring brought on thawing of the ice sheet leaving the Fram frozen but making movement hazardous and calling for the use of the kayaks that where brought along.

On 14 March, 1895 Nansen left the ship to make his way to the pole by sled, leaving the ship with instructions to drift as far as they could till they ran out of supplies or the ice released them. On the 13th of June 1896 the ship left the ice and returned to Norway days after Nansen

Amundsen`s Antarctic expedition

The Fram left Norway in 1910, and on October he told the world of the change of plans they would go to the south pole.

January 14, 1911 the Fram reached The Bay of whales where Amundsen established his base camp Framheim, `The home of the Fram.`The station consisted of a small prefabricated cabin and a network of workshops and storage rooms, including a steam-bath room, carved out of the ice surrounding the main hut. An important factor to consider is the transportation and problems in the construction and how these problems are solved in the case of the Fram by the brute prefabrication of shelter. Unlike the northern expedition the Fram did not remain to be the shelter for the explorers. Depots for supplies where to provide storage.

Antarctic coastal temperatures range from −28°C (−18.4°F) in August to −3°C (26.6°F) in January. Snow fall of about 200mm per year is the average in the coastal part of the Ross ice shelf shelf.

The Fram returned home to Norway in 1912 and was left in storage damaging it till in the 1920s when efforts where made to preserve it and in 1935 was installed in the Fram museum