Top 10: Doomed Expeditions

Sometimes hindsight gives us the ability to look back on the failed expeditions of those who came before us and declare those endeavors to have been “doomed.” Normally, this judgment is saved for expeditions which, because of factors unknown to our ancestors, could not have succeeded regardless of their actions.

10. Sputnik 2/Laika the Soviet Space Dog

Laika, dubbed “muttnik” in the US, was the first living animal to orbit the earth. When first adopted by the Russian space agency, things were looking up for the stray dog. Unfortunately scientists were more interested in finding out if a trip to space on a rocket could be survived, and not so interested in seeing if that passenger could be brought back alive. The scientists determined she probably survived her 1957 launch by five to seven hours before the stress and heat claimed her.

9. Everest 1996 – The IMAX Expedition

In spring of 1996 a group of inexperienced adventure seekers and their well paid guides set out to conquer Mount Everest. Overcrowding and weather lead to the death of 12 climbers, including some of the very experienced guides. Some controversy was raised, following the expedition, about the responsibility of offering commercial tours to the top of the highest mountain on earth to amateurs.

8. Apollo 13

In April of 1970, Apollo 13 launched. What was to be the third manned mission to the moon, ended abortively when a short circuit caused an oxygen tank to explode. The ship managed to hold together as it passed the dark side of the moon and limped back to earth. That there was no loss of life is a testament to the bravery and skill of the astronauts and the ground support team.

7. John Franklin/Northwest Passage

John Franklin set out in 1845 looking for the legendary northwest passage, a navigable sea lane past North America. The problem for Franklin was that, despite actually existing, the Northwest Passage is choked off with ice almost year round. When in 1846 Franklin’s expedition became stuck in the ice, it was only a matter of time before the cold and starvation claimed the entire crew.

6. Charles Francis Hall North Pole Expedition

Charles Francis Hall was an experienced Arctic explorer after having been on two previous expeditions. In June 1871 he set out on an expedition to the North Pole. He died aboard ship in November in what is now called Hall Bay. Later investigation found he had ingested large amounts of arsenic, likely poisoned by his crew. His second in command, Sidney Budington took over the expedition, despite reaching a record latitude, failed to reach the Pole.

5. Percy Fawcett Expedition – The Lost Inca City of Z

Percy Fawcett may well have found his goal, the lost Inca city of Z, when he entered the Brazilian jungle in 1925. We’ll never know, as Fawcett never returned. Despite the rumors that have surrounded his fate, there has been no actual evidence of what became of Percy Fawcett, or the city of Z.

4. Amelia Earhart Expedition Around the World

Amelia Earhert and her navigator Fred Noonan were on the last leg of their trip around the world in 1937. While trying to land on Howland Island they fell out of communication with the Coast Guard vessel that was to guide them onto the tiny isle. A thorough search by the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy found no trace of either the plane or it’s passengers.

3. Robert Falcon Scott South Pole Expeditions

A British expedition to the South Pole in 1911 led by Robert Falcon Scott was lost after having successfully reached the South Pole in 1912. On the return trip Scott’s expedition succumbed to the weather, when the remains were found they located Scott’s journal which ended in March of 1912. Adding insult to injury, the Norwegians led by Roald Amundsen arrived at the South Pole a month before Scott and claimed the honor of being the first.

2. The Donner Party

George and Jacob Donner decided it was time to head out west to California from Illinois in April of 1846. With a group of several other families they were swayed by promises of a shorter and easier trail. In reality, it was a longer and harder trail than had been advertised, and the Donner party arrived at the Sierra Nevada mountain range after winter had set in and blocked the pass. Of the 90 original members of the Donner party, 48 survived to see California. Starvation during that winter caused the survivors to resort to cannibalism, a specter that haunted the survivors for the rest of their lives.

1. Shackleton and The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

Ernest Shackleton set out to cross the antarctic in 1914. When ice caught the ship and eventually sunk her, the crew had to resort to camping on the ice floes and Elephant Island. Shackleton decided to leave his men and gather a rescue party. An arduous journey followed, but Shackleton finally made contact with the outside world. Four attempts later, Shackleton finally reached Elephant Island with a rescue boat.