Gjoa - Amundsen's Arctic Vessel (1/45)

Type: Wooden construction kit
Scale: 1:45

Dimensions
Length: 725 mm
Height: 665 mm
Width: 295 mm

The History of the Gjøa and Amundsen's Expedition
The Gjøa was a modest fishing vessel built in 1872 — just 21 metres long and 47 tons. Where others sent reinforced warships, Roald Amundsen deliberately chose this small boat: its shallow draught of less than one metre let it navigate the shallow Arctic channels and shoals that had grounded every major expedition before it.
On 16 June 1903, Amundsen slipped out of Oslo at night to escape his creditors, with a crew of just six men. For 22 months, the Gjøa was locked in the ice off King William Island, at an anchorage now known as Gjoa Haven. Rather than give up, Amundsen used the time to learn survival techniques from the Inuit and to pinpoint the location of the Magnetic North Pole.
On 26 August 1905, they spotted a ship approaching from the west: the Northwest Passage had been completed for the first time in history. The voyage ended in San Francisco in 1906, and Roald Amundsen became the most celebrated explorer of his era. Today, the original Gjøa is preserved at the Fram Museum in Oslo, alongside the legendary Fram, the ship Amundsen would later take to the South Pole.