"It's a beautiful ship and she's very strong," says Jan Wanggaard, the project manager for the recovery team.
"We're very happy now that we
can see the Maud is in an extremely good state."
The Maud’s egg-like shape helped
preserve its structure under heavy ice pressure, says Wanggaard. (Submitted by
Jan Wanggaard)
The Maud was launched on
June 7, 1917, and captained by Amundsen during his 1918-20 expedition
into the Northeast Passage above Russia. It was sold in 1925, and sank in 1930
after getting trapped in the ice near Cambridge Bay.
And despite being submerged in
Arctic waters for more than 80 years, the ship has maintained much of its
integrity.
Wanggaard and his team have been
coming to the area to work on the wreck every summer for six years.
In June, the team
began inflating air bags and balloons around the ship. Their
experience with an unsuccessful lift last year helped them come
better prepared with additional flotation devices.
Finally in July,
the Maud floated for the first time since it sank.
After a month of cleaning the Maud
starts to reveal its beautiful details. (Submitted by Jan Wanggaard)
Throughout July and August, the team
worked on placing the ship on top of a barge. And for most of September their
work consisted of cleaning out the inside of the ship.
"She was quite covered with mud
and other debris," says Wanggaard.
The Maud now rests on a
barge near the coast. Over the winter it will freeze in place.
"That is actually good for the
Maud, because she needs to dry," says Wanggaard.
"It's worth taking her back to
protect her for the future, because sooner or later she would have been completely
destroyed by nature."
The Maud's excellent shape gives
Wanggaard and his team renewed hope that it can begin the journey back to
Norway next summer when the team returns to Cambridge Bay.
Their task next year will be to
stabilize the ship on the barge and make it seaworthy.
Thanks to Crystal Safadi and CBC for contributing to this post.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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