Despite its end and the great hardships endured, the expedition would be considered a scientific success, with the parties having explored much of the eastern coast of
Graham Land, including
Cape Longing,
James Ross Island, the
Joinville Island group, and the
Palmer Archipelago. The expedition, which also recovered valuable geological samples and samples of marine animals, earned Nordenskjöld lasting fame at home, but its huge cost left him greatly in debt. Two key Antarctic islands are associated with the expedition:
Snow Hill Island, where Nordenskjöld and five of his colleagues spent two winters—one of them planned and the second forced by the sinking of the
Antarctic—and
Paulet Island, where the crew of the
Antarctic were stranded from February until November 1903. The expedition was rescued by the Argentinian naval vessel
Uruguay.
Snow Hill Island On the way to
Snow Hill Island in 1901, Nordenskjöld had passed through
Buenos Aires, where the
Argentine government gave him supplies and other assistance on the condition that he include in his wintering-over party a young Argentine naval officer, Lieutenant
José María Sobral. The American artist
Frank Wilbert Stokes also joined the expedition. In 1903, the Argentine government organized a rescue effort with the corvette , which successfully brought back all the surviving members of the Nordenskjöld party.
Paulet Island After their ship sank, crushed by the ice about away, the 20 men from the
Antarctic landed on
Paulet Island in their lifeboat and built a sturdy double-walled stone hut whose remains are clearly visible today. Apart from the limited supplies they brought from the
Antarctic, they survived on the thousand or so penguins they killed, as well as the birds' eggs. == See also ==