1928 Manuscript Map of the Arctic: Hubert Wilkins' Flight to Spitsbergen

This is a 1928 manuscript map of Hubert Wilkins' trans-Arctic flight from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Spitsbergen - known as the Detroit Arctic Expedition of 1926. One-upping Lindberg, made famous by his trans-Atlantic flight a year earlier, Wilkins crossed the Arctic by plane, exploring the last unknown regions of that harsh land and proving the feasibility of Arctic aviation.

Wilkins Arctic Flights of 1926 and 1927

Officially known as the Detroit Arctic Expedition of 1926, the expedition's stated goal was to explore the last unknown regions of the Arctic to shed light on meteorological conditions and prove the possibility of aerial navigation in that harsh environment. All three flights took off from Point Barrow, Alaska. In 1926, Wilkins and his pilot, Carl Ben Eielson, made numerous flights between Point Barrow and Fairbanks, but weather and mechanical issues kept the team from attempting deeper Arctic penetration.

In 1927, Wilkins and his team set out to look for land in unexplored regions to the northwest and northeast of Barrow. Weather conditions forced the aerial explorers to land on the sea ice. Wilkins and team spent the subsequent 18 days trekking over the ice back to Barrow, by which time, a deep fog made future flights impossible.

The 1928 Expedition

The third attempt was successful. Wilkins and Eielson reached Barrow on March 19, 1928. After preparation, they took off for Spitzbergen from Point Barrow on April 15. During the flight, Wilkins recorded observations on sea ice, cloud cover, and snow. About 20 hours out, a storm forced a landing on the ominously named peninsula Dödmandsören (Dead Man's Cape), Svalbard. After five days, the storm cleared, and Wilkins and Eielson were able to take off, completing the last 20 miles of their voyage to land at Green Harbor, Spitsbergen.

Hubert Wilkins

Sir George Hubert Wilkins (October 31, 1888 - November 30, 1958) was an Australian polar explorer, adventurer, geographer, photographer, pilot, and soldier. Born in South Australia, Wilkins attended the Adelaide School of Mines before finding work as a cinematographer in Sydney. He then moved to England, working as an aerial photographer for Gaumont Studios, which sent him on several Arctic expeditions, including the 1913 Vilhjalmur Stefansson Canadian Arctic Expedition. During World War I (1914 - 1918), he returned to Australia and enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps before being transferred to the general list and, in 1918, appointed as an official war photographer. After the war, Wilkins served as an ornithologist on the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition (1921-22). Afterward, he completed a 2-year study for the British Museum on the birds of Northern Australia. Between 1926 and 1928, Wilkins undertook a series of aerial Arctic expeditions (see above) between Alaska and Spitzbergen. In 1930, Wilkins attempted a trans-Arctic voyage by submarine, the Nautulis Expedition, but the vessel (a decommissioned U.S. Navy sub) proved prone to breakdown and never reached the pole. Nonetheless, Wilkins did prove that submarines could operate beneath sea ice. During the 1930s, he made five expeditions to the Antarctic. Wilkins died in Framingham, Massachusetts, and his ashes were scattered at the North Pole by the crew of an American nuclear submarine.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by an unknown individual and bears a verso stamp dating it to April 23, 1928. It was likely intended to illustrate a newspaper article on Wilkins's 1928 achievement, but we have been unable to find a corresponding map in any contemporary news accounts. Unique.