In the
early morning of day two on the Fram we arrived at the small scientific
settlement of Ny-Ålesund at 78° 55´N. Ny-Ålesund has not always been a
scientific settlement. It started out as a Norwegian mining town, owned and
Kings Bay. The mining here was the tertiary coals which were produced some
50-55 million years ago, when Svalbard was on a more southerly and warmer
latitude.
Mining
commenced in 1917, disrupted by WW2. There were many difficulties with mining
the coals here, due to a lot of faults and folds in the bedrock and the fact
that methane gas could accumulate in the mines which resulted in numerous
explosions and casualities. Until mining was closed down in 1962, 76 souls had
perished. The high number of casualities as well as difficulties with mining
and bad working conditions led to the fall of the Norwegian Gerhardsen
government.
After being
a “dead” town for some years (1964), scientific work started up in Ny-Ålesund
and until present day has grown into a popular and important community. During
the summer month up to 200 scientists and logistical personell have their
daylie work here. In the winter months most people leave and left behind is a
small handful of around 20-30 logistical, technical staff and scientists which
most likely will enjoy the quietness and tranquillity of this magnificent
landscap. Because this is a truely magnificent place with a spectacular scenery
to the 3 kroner (the three crown) which are some pyramide shaped mountains
formed during the Carboniferous (290-360 mill yr). These mountains consist of
chalk and anhydrite and dolomites deposited from the drying up of salt-water
lagoons.
Large calving
glaciers are at the end of the fjord as the magnificent Kronebreen and
Kongsbreen.
The
settlement has the history of Amundsen, Ellsworth and Nobile which flew to the
North Pole in Airships in 1926 (Norge) and in 1928 (Italia). The mast or
tie-point of the large airships is still visible just outside the settlement
More than
20 000 tourists visit Ny-Ålesund every year, most of them come on smaller and
larger cruis-ships, although there is a small air-port.
Magdalenefjorden
At 1600 hrs
we cast anchor at Trinity harbour at Graveneset in Magdalenefjorden on the NW
corner of Spitsbergen. This is the same are as Willem Barentz came to when he
discovered Svalbard in 1596. The name Spitsbergen means “Spitze berge” or
jagged peaks which we also recoqnize today when we visit this place. There are
approximately 130 whalers graves here, hence the name Gravneset, which means
the grave point. During many centuries from the 1600 and until the 1800 several
nations where hunting the whale in the waters of Svalbard. Mostly it was Dutch
and British whalers later on smaller nations as Denmark-Norway. In the early days hunting started in the bay
in small rowing boats, later on they had to move further out with their ships
and eventually they were hunting in the open sea and cocking the blubber and
skinning the whale on the ships. The whale stock almost perished in the waters
around Svalbard.
The weather
was quite good, only a cloud cover on some of the summits and with the top of
the jagged peaks covered in sugar snow.
Moffen
After
Magdalenafjorden we steamed NE through Smeerenburgfjorden and to the island of
Moffen. We arrived here at hrs 2323, in twilight so it was difficult to see the
walrus on the beach. A number of guest stood on the front deck in the
occasional snow showers to try to get a glimpse of this animal.
