Roald Amundsen - The First Person to Sail the North-West Passage

Roald Amundsen on board his ship.

In the summer of 1905 Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to sail the North-West Passage. On the 13 August he wrote in his diary:

The North-West Passage was done. My boyhood dream—at that moment it was accomplished. A strange feeling welled up in my throat; I was somewhat over-strained and worn—it was weakness in me—but I felt tears in my eyes.

Amundsen's ship Gjøa was tiny, measuring 70 by 20 ft (21 by 61 m). Due to shallow waters, a larger ship could never have sailed Amundsen's route. The Gjøa is since 1972 on display at the Fram Museum in Oslo.

Most sources say that Amundsen had a crew of six. However on this photograph from 1905, there are seven crew members in addition to Amundsen (second from the left).
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