Alexander von Tunzelmann
Alexander Francis Henry von Tunzelmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 June 1877 |
| Died | |
| Occupation | Crew member of whaling ship |
| Children | 5 |
Alexander Francis Henry von Tunzelmann (15 June 1877 – 19 September 1957), a New Zealand crew member of the Norwegian whaling ship Antarctic was part of the first group known with certainty to have set foot on the mainland[1] of Antarctica—at Cape Adare on 24 January 1895. It is possible that the Anglo-American sealer John Davis achieved this feat 74 years earlier, on 7 February 1821, but his journal entry is open to interpretation.
Family background[edit]
Alexander's ancestors were the von Tunzelmann family who migrated from Prussia to Estonia where they were members of the Baltic German Ritterschaft or nobility. Two brothers and a sister from the family settled in New Zealand.
He was born in Nelson and died in Invercargill. He had five children: Ronald, Isobel, John, Francis, and Gilbert. His father was Johannes Emanuel von Tunzelmann, later commonly known as John (1839–1898), a younger brother to Nicholas von Tunzelmann (1828–1900).[2]
Circumstances of the landing[edit]
The voyage of the whaling ship Antarctic, captained by Leonard Kristensen and financed by Henrik Johan Bull, put a boat ashore on 24 January 1895 in the vicinity of Cape Adare, at the northern extremity of the Victoria Land. The boat held six men, including Kristensen, Bull, Carsten Borchgrevink , and the 17-year-old von Tunzelmann. All of them set foot on land within moments of each other, so credit is sometimes given, or claimed for each.[1][3][4][5]
Recognition[edit]
In 1984, the place von Tunzelmann landed was officially named Von Tunzelmann Point by the New Zealand Antarctic Place Names Committee.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "heritage-antarctica.org". Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
- ^ "Johannes Emanuel von Tunzelmann". Geni.com. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ www.antarctic-circle.org
- ^ "www.antarctica.org.nz". Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
- ^ books.google.com
- ^ "First landing on Antarctica". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.