Scotland and the Antarctic

Section 1: Background - Arctic and Antarctic ... Arctic exploration

The Northeast Passage

In 1878 Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskjold on the ship Vega became the first to pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific along the north coast of Russia. The 300-ton Vega was fitted with steam engines and sails. The ship almost passed through in one summer but became stuck in the ice just 160km (100 miles) from the Bering Straits.