Scotland and the Antarctic

Section 1: Background - Arctic and Antarctic

The start of a memorable expedition

On Sunday 2 November 1902 the rebuilt whaling barque Scotia slipped quietly out of Troon. Smoke belched from her funnel as sails were set for a voyage to the Antarctic. The leader of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition was William Speirs Bruce. Today, 100 years later, Bruce has been forgotten by many of his countrymen but at the time he was well known - particularly with those involved in polar exploration.

The Scotia expedition was very successful, making many new scientific discoveries. A weather station was established on Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands which is still being run today by the Argentinian meteorological services. This was one of the most successful oceanographic expeditions since the Challenger expedition 30 years earlier.

The 'heroic age of polar exploration' (1895-1917) is dominated by Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton as they led the great overland expeditions towards the South Pole. Many other expeditions over the years, however, have contributed to our knowledge of the Antarctic. One of these great pioneers was William Speirs Bruce.

The Scotia on the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition 1902-04