In the early summer, they had the good fortune to be visited by Mr. Leigh Smith, the veteran Arctic navigator and scientist, in his private yacht Diana, through whose generosity the expedition was liberally supplied with fresh provisions, which removed the pending anxiety for the future.
VOYAGE OF THE “PROVEN”
In 1875 Nordenskjöld turned his attention to the possibility of navigating the seas along the northern coast of Siberia. This route had already been opened by Captain Wiggins of Sunderland, who in 1874, 1875, and 1876, opened the way to trade between Europe and the mouth of the Yenisei River. Nordenskjöld sailed from Tromsoe, in the Proven, June, 1875, and successfully navigating the Kara Sea reached an excellent harbour on the eastern side of the mouth of the Yenisei, to which he gave the name of Port Dickson, in honour of Mr. Oscar Dickson, of Gothenburg, for many years the liberal supporter of the Swedish expeditions.
To demonstrate that the Kara Sea had not been more free of ice than usual in the summer of 1875 and that the route would be practicable another season, Nordenskjöld repeated his voyage in the Ymer the following year.
His long Arctic experience had by this time convinced him of the feasibility of the northeast passage. To demonstrate this conviction, he enlisted the patronage of the king of Sweden, Mr. Oscar Dickson, and Mr. Sibiriakoff, a Siberian proprietor of vast wealth, and the result was the purchase of the Vega, which was liberally equipped for a successful expedition.
The Vega had been used for whale-fishing in the north polar sea, her register was three hundred and fifty-seven tons gross, or two hundred and ninety-nine net. Her dimensions were as follows:—
| metres | |
|---|---|
| Length of keel | 37.6 |
| Length over deck | 43.4 |
| Beam extreme | 8.4 |
| Depth of hold | 4.6 |
She had a sixty horse-power engine, which required ten cubic feet of coal per hour, developing an average speed of six or seven knots per hour. The vessel was a full-rigged bark, with pitch pine masts, iron wire rigging and patent reefing top sails; under sail alone she was able to attain a speed of nine or ten knots. She carried the Swedish man-of-war flag with a crowned “O” in the middle, and bore this triumphantly throughout a voyage which stands in history as the first circumnavigation of Asia and Europe.
VOYAGE OF THE “VEGA”