Richard Vahsel (9 February 1868 – 8 August 1912) was a German naval officer who served as second officer on the Antarctic Gauss expedition, under command of Erich von Drygalski.[1][2] In 1911, Vahsel was controversially appointed as captain of the Deutschland, on Wilhelm Filchner's Second German Antarctic Expedition, 1911–1913.[2] Vahsel and Filchner proved incompatible, and the failure of their relationship fatally undermined the chances of the expedition's success.[3][1]

Richard Vahsel

Vahsel died during the expedition, of heart failure likely aggravated by the effects of syphilis, as Deutschland was drifting while trapped in the ice in the Weddell Sea.[4] He was buried in the ice on 10 August 1912, as the ship drifted across the Antarctic Circle.[5] Vahsel Bay, at the southern extreme of the Weddell Sea, is named after him,[6] as are the Vahsel Glacier on Heard Island, discovered during Drygalski's expedition, and Cape Vahsel on the south-eastern coast of South Georgia.

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b Turney 2012, p. 184.
  2. ^ a b Mills 2003, p. 228.
  3. ^ Bryan 2011, p. 260.
  4. ^ Turney 2012, p. 203.
  5. ^ Filchner1913, p. 429.
  6. ^ Alberts 1981, p. 889.

Sources

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  • Alberts, F. G., ed. (1981). Geographic Names of the Antarctic. Washington: United States Board on Geographic Names.
  • Bryan, R. (2011). Ordeal by Ice: Ships of the Antarctic. Dobbs Ferry: Sheridan House. ISBN 978-1-57409-312-4.
  • Filchner, W.; et al. (1913). "The German Antarctic Expedition". Bull. Am. Geogr. Soc. 45 (6): 423–430. doi:10.2307/200593. JSTOR 200593. S2CID 4033913.
  • Mills, W. J. (2003). Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-422-6.
  • Turney, C. (2012). 1912: The Year the World Discovered Antarctica. London: The Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1-84792-174-1.