Captain Bob Bartlett memorialThere are many great heroes of Arctic exploration. One of them is a Newfoundlander born in Brigus where we had a paddle on Saturday.
Captain Bob Bartlett was captain of the Roosevelt, the ship that carried Robert Perry and his expedition to the conquest of the North Pole. He was part of the last team to accompany Perry to within spitting distance of the pole. On April 1, 1909 he reached 87 degrees 47 minutes N before being turned back. He was reported to have been keenly disappointed he wasn't chosen to go the full distance.
Captain Bob Bartlett spent 50 years mapping in the far north.
When there's a plaque ... When there's a plaque in your honour you know you've done something significant.
In 1913 - 1914 he captained the ship Karluk to the Canadian western Arctic where it became stuck in ice. Bartlett managed to get the crew and supplies to Wrangel Island and then with one companion walked 700 miles over the ice of the Chukchi Sea and Siberia to the Bering Strait. There he arranged for the rescue of the remaining survivors 13 months later. Though 11 did not return Bartlett was singled out as a hero.
Three sheets to the wind Another perspective probably more apt for Captain Bob Bartlet - looking out to sea.
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