Abstract
THE Penola, the vessel of Mr. J. RymilPs antarctic expedition, according to the Times of August 10, was commissioned at Southampton last week and carried out preliminary trials preparatory to sailing for London, where the stores and scientific instruments will be taken on board. The expedition's aeroplane, a three-seater De Havilland Fox Moth, about sixty tons of stores and some sixty Greenland dogs have already been sent out to the Falkland Islands by cargo-steamer. The Penola is due to leave London on September 2 for the Falkland Islands, calling on the way at Monte Video. The staff of the expedition will themselves constitute the crew under command of Lieut. R. E. D. Ryder, R.N. The Penola is a three-masted topsail schooner with two 50 H.P. Diesel engines. Most of the members of the expedition have already had arctic or antarctic experience. While the work will be primarily exploratory, attention will be paid to various scientific problems including plankton, the occurrence of ‘heavy water’, the sociology of penguins and meteorological work. It is hoped to trace the southern extensions of the Antarctic Andes which are known as the Graham Land islands. Although the expedition hopes to be away for more than two years, the total cost is not expected to exceed £15,000, which is considerably lower than that of any other previous expedition. There is also news of Admiral Byrd's antarctic expedition; Admiral Byrd himself has been living alone at an observation hut some 120 miles south of his base camp in the Bay of Whales in order to secure continuous meteorological records. He had recently asked to be relieved owing to illness, and a rescue party succeeded in reaching him on August 13.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Antarctic Exploration. Nature 134, 246 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134246b0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134246b0