Gjøa

The Gjøa is a historic expedition yacht and the first ship to sail the entire Northwest Passage. Under the command of Roald Amundsen, the vessel completed this historic transit in 1906 after a journey of more than three years with a small crew. The ship is a so-called Hardangerjakt, a traditional Norwegian class of cargo sailing vessel that was used along the Norwegian coast in the 19th century to transport salted herring and grain. The Gjøa was originally built in 1873 at the shipyard in Rosendal on the Hardangerfjord and put into service as a cargo ship by its first owner. Later, it served for many years as a seal-hunting vessel in the Arctic Ocean before Amundsen bought it and converted it for his polar expedition.

Today the Gjøa is a prominent museum ship that you can visit on the Bygdøy museum peninsula in Oslo. After it returned from San Francisco, where it had been on display in Golden Gate Park for many years, Norway bought it back in 1972 and brought it to Oslo. It was first placed in front of the Norwegian Maritime Museum before moving to the neighboring Fram Museum in 2009. There the ship stands in a purpose-built hall that protects it from the elements and offers visitors a sheltered look at the history of polar exploration. The Gjøa is regarded as a national maritime monument of great historical importance.

You can experience the ship in a condition that, thanks to a comprehensive restoration in 2017, comes as close as possible to its original state during the Northwest Passage expedition. Inside, a companionway leads from the galley down into the hold, where original frames from 1873 are visible through Plexiglas windows in the floor. The historic 13-horsepower DAN hot-bulb engine, installed in 1902, is back in its original spot and can be seen behind a partition alongside tools and equipment. The crew bunks in the forecastle and the original anchor windlass are also part of the exhibit.

The exterior of the ship was reinforced with additional layers of planking to recreate the historic "ice skin" and given its characteristic green paint. The deck shows the typical fittings of a sailing ship of this era, including the head and the rigging. Although a few mast sections are missing due to the structural limitations of the museum building, the sails and blocks on display give the impression that the Gjøa could be launched again at any moment. The exhibition at the Fram Museum complements the ship with further artifacts such as North Pole maps and stuffed polar bears, vividly illustrating the context of the Arctic expeditions.