On May 12, 1926, the Italian aviation pioneer Umberto Nobile flew over the North Pole in the airship “Norge,” together with the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen and the American Lincoln Ellsworth. This is still regarded today as the first verified arrival at the North Pole.
When the “Norge” departed on May 11, 1926, from Ny-Ålesund in Spitsbergen for its journey over the North Pole to Alaska, the 16-member crew, including Nobile, Amundsen, and Ellsworth, had to assume that the American Richard Byrd had already succeeded in flying over the North Pole two days earlier. However, his claim that he had reached and circled the pole with his co-pilot Floyd Bennett before returning to Spitsbergen was never proven. Therefore, May 12, 1926, the day the “Norge” reached the North Pole after 16 hours and 40 minutes of travel, is considered the first unquestionably verified date.
The “Norge” successfully continued its journey and landed, nearly 70 hours after departing Spitsbergen, without ground support and despite poor weather, near Teller close to Nome, Alaska. Immediately after landing, the envelope was opened to release the gas. The airship was later dismantled there.
The airship “Norge,” measuring 106 meters in length and 19.5 meters in width, was enormous for its time. The gas envelope, made of four-layered cotton with a rubber lining on the inside and an aluminum coating on the outside, had a volume of 19,000 cubic meters and was filled with hydrogen. Propulsion was provided by three Maybach engines, each producing 180 kW (245 hp), allowing a top speed of 113 km/h.
After his return, Nobile was promoted to general in Italy in recognition of his extraordinary achievement.
Were Nobile, Amundsen, and Ellsworth the first?
At the time, it was still believed that Robert Peary had reached the pole first in 1909. However, doubts about his claims existed from the beginning, and today there is little belief that Peary actually achieved his goal. Likewise, the claims of Richard Byrd, who said he flew over the pole three days before Amundsen and Nobile, were questioned early on. Due to a lack of evidence and witness accounts, it is now assumed that Byrd may have missed the pole by several hundred kilometers.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal