Voyage of the Scotia 1902-04

The Ship

Three shipyard workers alongside the hull of the Scotia

On the advice of the experienced Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen, William S Bruce, when preparing for his Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in the autumn of 1901, bought the Norwegian whaler Hekla for £2620. The vessel was brought across the North Sea the following spring.

The vessel had been recommended as eminently suitable but in fact required much refurbishment and alteration for its new purpose. This work was undertaken by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company in Troon, to the plans of the naval architect George L Watson - who gave his services free.

Here we see the enormous scale of the timbers, up to 63cm (25 inches) thick amidships. These were required to enable the ship to withstand the impact and pressure of pack ice.