Carsten Borchgrevink - Death and Commemoration

Death and Commemoration

Carsten Borchgrevink died in Oslo on 21 April 1934. Despite his "somewhat obsessive desire to be first", and his limited formal scientific training, he has been acknowledged as a pioneer in Antarctic work and as a forerunner for later, more elaborate expeditions. A number of geographical features in Antarctica commemorate his name, including the Borchgrevink Coast of Victoria Land, between Cape Adare and Cape Washington, the Borchgrevink Glacier and Glacier Tongue in Victoria Land, and the Borchgrevinkisen glacier in Queen Maud Land. His name is also carried by the small Antarctic fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki. His expedition's accommodation hut still stands at Cape Adare, and is under the care of The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, which acts as guardian to this hut and to those of Scott and Shackleton elsewhere on the continent. The Borchgrevink hut was designated by the Trust as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No. 159 in 2002. In June 2005 the Trust adopted a management plan for its future maintenance and accessibility.