Visting, Oscar

Oscar Visting was born in 1871 . At the age of 16 he went to the seas and then began to serve in the Norwegian Navy. He worked as a naval rifleman at the main naval base in Norway, Karljohansvern, near Horten (now the Horten area) in 1909, when he asked Roal Amundsen to take him on an expedition to the North Pole ^[1] . However, Amundsen secretly changed his plan, going to the South . Oscar Wisting found out that the expedition was heading to the south pole on the ship.

South Pole

In Framheim, Visting was mainly involved in tents, equipment, and various sewing activities.

“There was no such thing in the tailoring craft that Visting could not cope with, ” Amundsen writes. In addition, Visting was engaged in painting the tents, and during the march to the pole, along with Amundsen, Hansen , Bjolanne and Hassel, he performed the duties of a veterinarian and often coca . Before leaving the barrier, Visting stuck his broken ski into the snow. After returning to the barrier, when the expedition could not navigate and find a warehouse, Hansen noticed Wishing's ski, which allowed participants to safely move to the barrier.

Mod

In 1918 - 1925, Visting took part in the navigation of the Northeast Passage on the ship " Mod ", where he performed the functions of a doctor and helped Amundsen to break his arm.

Further life

Visting was one of the best friends of Roald Amundsen and a tried-and-true comrade. He did not turn away from him even in difficult times for the last in 1924 , when everything seemed to be turned against Amundsen. In gratitude, Amundsen took Visting on a transatlantic flight with Lincoln Ellsworth to share the glory of the first man who had visited both poles. Amundsen describes it this way:

"Fifteen years later, when Ellsworth's generosity gave me the opportunity to fulfill another dream of my life, namely, to fly over the Arctic Ocean over the North Pole from Europe to America, I was given the greatest opportunity to ask one of those four brave Norwegians who accompanied me to South Pole, if he does not agree to accompany me now. This man was Oscar Wisting. If I were jealous of others in the honors rendered to them, if I were an egoist, then today I would have the indisputable honor to be the only person in the world who visited both poles. But for me, such a difference was much less valuable than the opportunity to arrange so that my brave comrade and faithful friend Wisting shared the honor of being the first to visit both poles. ”

On the airship "Norway" Visting stood at the helm.

Later, in 1930 , Visting published the book “16 years with Royal Amundsen” ( Norve. 16 aar med Roald Amundsen ).

In 1936, Wisting was invited to become the director of the Fram Museum. Visting agreed and stood aboard the Fram at its installation, directing the progress of the work. As Gennady Fisch writes:

“And when the ship, having forever said goodbye to the salty wave, stood on the reinforced concrete supports, the heart of the old polar explorer could not stand ... Oscar Wisting died of a heartbreak on the deck of the beloved ship ...”

• A mountain in Antarctica named in honor of Vistinga

• Framheim
• Pulheim

• Picture archive - 3rd Fram voyage Photos of the third expedition on the Fram.