Book Report: Disaster at the Pole
If somebody told me that they were going to fly a blimp filled with hydrogen gas to the North Pole and back, I’d question their sanity. But in the mid-1920s, before the Hindenberg explosion in 1937, dirigibles were all the rage. And although Italian airships captained by General Umberto Nobile made it to the top of the world twice, becoming the first and second airships to do so, the latter trip ended in a disaster that triggered one of the most extensive searches in polar history. In Disaster at the Pole, Wilbur Cross has the story of the flight of the airship Italia, the Italia‘s May 25, 1928, crash, and the crew’s epic struggle for survival in a small, red, tent on the Arctic sea ice as multiple international teams tried to rescue them.
Although Cross tells the narrative with some remove, Disaster at the Pole is a story of survival, perseverance, and hope that is well worth reading, especially since, at the time of this writing it is only $4 on Amazon. Without spoiling it, I had three main takeaways.
First, it’s impressive what these explorers were able to accomplish with such “primitive” technology. The crew had no radar, limited radio (with most folks not yet realizing how important it would be just a few years later), and very unreliable weather reports, all while the concept of powered flight was just taking off. More so, for the second trip, General Nobile and his colleagues were actively undermined by Italy’s Fascist leaders, who did everything in their power to prevent Italia from ever taking off and, as Cross recounts, had no interest in actually rescuing the stranded crew after the crash. This left them at the mercy of the haphazard international rescue efforts.
Second, it was sobering to see how few of the story’s diverse array of characters survived into the 1940s and 1950s. Some died in aviation accidents in the years immediately following the rescue effort. Others perished in the Second World War, which began several years after the crash. And key figures on the Russian rescue mission disappeared during the Communist purges of the era.
Finally, it’s fascinating to contemplate the intrigue that polar exploration still holds on our minds today. Everybody’s likely read at least one book (or seen a movie) about Roald Amundsen, Sir Robert Scott, or Ernest Shackleton. But all of these stories are 90 to 100 years old, begging the question: what’s the modern equivalent?
All of the reviews and recommendations on The Whites Room are testing-driven and objective. We only earn money when you click on our affiliate links and purchase products. If you click on a product link on our site and make a purchase, the retailer will contribute a percentage of the sale to help support the fantastic content we are creating on The Whites Room. We appreciate your support!
