Georg Carl Amdrup

In 1884, Amdrup, of the Royal Danish Navy, was sent to Amassalik. After wintering, he explored the coast to the north, including an examination of the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, known until then only from Inuit reports. He mapped a large length of coastline while collecting many geological and ethnological finds. By July 1885, he reached Aggas Island (67° 22' North), the furthest north of this survey.{{cite book|last=Markham (Sir.)|first=Clements Robert |title=The Lands of Silence a History of Arctic and Antarctic Exploration|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1NY8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA367|accessdate=29 December 2010|year=1998|publisher=CUP Archive|pages=367–|id=GGKEY:K7FDP496C5N}}

Lieutenant Amdrup was the leader of a major Danish expedition in 1898-1900, the Carlsberg Foundation Expedition to East Greenland (Carlsbergfondet Expedition til Ost-Gronland).{{cite book|last1=Higgins|first1=A. K. |last2=Gilotti|first2=Jane A. |last3=Smith|first3=M. Paul |title=The Greenland Caledonides: evolution of the northeast margin of Laurentia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YhkhnIuJwgC&pg=PA3|accessdate=31 December 2010|year=2008|publisher=Geological Society of America|isbn=978-0-8137-1202-4|pages=3–}} With him were botanist Christian Krause, ornithologist Knud Poulsen, and the sailors, A. Jakobsen and Soren P. Nielsen. They left Copenhagen on August 16, 1898, sailing from Copenhagen in the vessel Godthaab, and reaching Amassalik ("Angmagssalik") on 31 August. The purpose of the expedition was to identify and examine the then completely unexplored stretch of coast between the 66th parallel north and Scoresbysund at about 70th parallel north. The following year, they traveled the coast north to 67° 22' North, establishing several depots{{cite book|last=Apollonio|first=Spencer |title=Lands that hold one spellbound: a story of East Greenland|url=https://archive.org/details/landsthatholdone0000apol|url-access=registration|accessdate=28 December 2010|date=September 2008|publisher=University of Calgary Press|isbn=978-1-55238-240-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/landsthatholdone0000apol/page/87 87]–}} to use for future travel north.

During this expedition, Amdrup found the remains of a small, extinct Eskimo settlement.{{cite book|last=Reiley|first=Alan Campbell |title=History for ready reference: from the best historians, biographers, and specialists; their own words in a complete system of history ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRSOIHe7gyIC&pg=PA408|accessdate=28 December 2010|year=1901|publisher=The C.A. Nichols Co.|pages=408–}} From this find, he brought to Denmark in 1899 a significant ethnographic collection.

In 1899, Alfred Gabriel Nathorst sold the Antarctic to Amdrup. On June 15, 1900, Amdrup took an 11-man expedition to East Greenland. This expedition, which cartographer Johan Peter Koch joined, was also known as the 'Carlsberg Foundation Expedition'. The survey was to explore the coast between Cape Brewster and Aggas Island.{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1900/06/15/102599721.pdf|title=Greenland Expedition Sails|date=June 15, 1900|work=The New York Times|accessdate=29 December 2010}} They arrived at Little Pendulum Island, before continuing to Cape Dalton (69°25 N) in mid July where they divided into two parties.{{cite web|url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:vfjxdcazVOwJ:www.eastgreenland.com/filer/2005-01_Exploration_history_East_Greenland.pdf+Georg+Amdrup&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgt0tVq-xWZRcChZwkFmv5pgklwbkUBKzejjoTm2V5jo4jghWLiVp4hY7WO-a5vynVyKH-3trwEVnxQIHOpOqU-rAhqFbu4xFIhScGmP62GUsyEMSIjUbInBIw1i8T3XehJsBEr&sig=AHIEtbQGzxfzHSHrX2jb2KrAUM8Z87TNqw|title=Exploration history of East Greenland 69°–82°N|last=Higgins|first=A.K.|date=January 2005|work=eastgreenland.com|accessdate=28 December 2010}} While the expedition's second in command, Nikolaj Hartz, stayed with the Antarctic and examined the country up to Scoresbysund and fjords to the north, Amdrup endured great hardship and dangers further south in a small boat Aggas that navigated through the ice belt in the polar stream and mapped an uncharted route.

During the {{convert|730|km}} part of the expedition in Aggas, a {{convert|5.6|m}} long, {{convert|1.4|m}} wide open boat that carried Amdrup, three others including Ejnar Mikkelsen, plus {{convert|1659|kg}} of supplies,Apollonio, p. 94 Amdrup found a dwelling containing the remains of 38 bodies, from which he inferred that Inuit had been trying to colonize the area.{{cite book|last=Mills|first=William J. |title=Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PYdBH4dOOM4C&pg=PA11|accessdate=28 December 2010|year=2003|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-422-0|pages=11–12}} Amdrup and his men were even accused of killing the 38 people, but it was later ascertained that they had starved to death.{{cite book|last=Mikkelsen|first=Ejnar |title=Mirage in the Arctic: The Astounding 1907 Mikkelsen Expedition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uqj85NJVQeMC&pg=PA3|accessdate=29 December 2010|date=1 August 2005|publisher=Globe Pequot|isbn=978-1-59228-671-3|pages=3–4}} Having established the fact that there were no other Eskimos on the eastern side of the island other than are known to the Danish missionaries, Amdrup's skeleton find was unusual.

Amdrup and his men were picked up by the ship Antarctic at Amassalik in September and he returned to Denmark on October 4, with significant collections of botanical, geological, and zoological, specimens.Apollonio, p. 101 Part of the natural history collection that Amdrup brought back included a live musk ox and ten lemming. He published the expedition results in the "Notice of Grønland", XXVII-XXIX. Swedish and English expeditions that were ongoing at the time did not report the considerable progress that the Danish expedition under Amdrup was able to show.{{cite book|author=American Almanac Collection (Library of Congress)|title=Brooklyn daily eagle almanac|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bg0rAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA420|accessdate=28 December 2010|year=1901|publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|pages=420–}}

From 1905, Amdrup worked as an Adjutant to his friend, Prince Valdemar of Denmark.Mikkelsen (2005), p. 15 He was a member of the Committee for the Denmark expedition to Greenland's northeast coast 1906-1908, and, as the expedition historian,Apollonio, p. 103 Amdrup wrote the expedition history in the "Notice of Grønland", XLI.

In 1913, he was appointed to the Greenland Commission, (1931: Commission for scientific studies in Greenland) of which he was chairman from 1930 until 1931. In 1937, he took over the publication of Meddelelser om Grønland. He was a member of the editorial board of "Grønland in tohundredåret for Hans Egede's Land". Amdrup was promoted to the rank of commander in 1916. In 1925, he was promoted to counter admiral in 1925, and was the Commander of the Niels Iuel.{{cite web |url=http://www.navalhistory.dk/english/theships/n/nielsjuel%281923%29.htm |title=NIELS IUEL (1923-1943) |work=navalhistory.dk |publisher=Danish Naval History |accessdate=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015070612/http://www.navalhistory.dk/English/TheShips/N/NielsJuel(1923).htm |archivedate=15 October 2010 }} From 1927, he was Vice Admiral Sir Georg Amdrup.

At the winter 1900-01 meeting of the Royal Danish Geographical Society held in the Copenhagen Concert Hall, Amdrup was honored with a Medal of Merit in gold.{{cite book|author=Kongelige Danske geografiske selskab|title=Geografisk tidskrift|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NbUrAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA2|accessdate=29 December 2010|year=1900|publisher=Selskabet|pages=1–2|language=Danish}} He also received other medals from several foreign geographical societies, including the Royal Geographical Society in 1902,{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1902/03/15/118466019.pdf|title=Awards to Explorers|date=March 15, 1902|work=The New York Times|accessdate=29 December 2010}} and the Royal Geographical Society's Back grant.{{cite book|last=Lockyer (Sir)|first=Norman |title=Nature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjQVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA472|accessdate=29 December 2010|year=1902|publisher=Macmillan Journals ltd.|pages=472–}} In 1913, Mikkelsen dedicated his book, Being the story of the 'Alabama' expedition, 1909-1912 to Amdrup.

Amdrup Land ({{coord|80.916|-16.583|name=Amdrup Land|display=inline}}) in northeastern Greenland was named after him by the Denmark expedition. Another landform named in his honor is Amdrup Fjord {{coord|68.216|-32.333||name=Amdrup Fjord|display=inline}}.

The Shipbuilding & Engineering Company's ship G.C. Amdrup is also named for him.Higgins, p. 26 Also named on his behalf is Leptognathia amdrupii,{{cite book|last=Frederik Vilhelm August |first=Meinert|title=Pycnogonida: af Fr. Meinert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZ8NAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA2-PA82|accessdate=29 December 2010|year=1899|publisher=Bianco Luno|pages=2–}} which was considered for transfer to the genus Chauliopleona by 2000{{cite book|last1=Green|first1=Karen D |last2=Bakus|first2=Gerald J |last3=Lissner|first3=Andrew L |title=Taxonomic atlas of the benthic fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and Western Santa Barbara Channel: The Crustacea part 2,: the Isopoda, Cumacea and Tanaidacea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_s8UAQAAIAAJ&q=amdrupii|year=2000|publisher=Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History|isbn=0-936494-16-6|page=234}} and transferred to Chauliopleona amdrupii by 2005.{{cite book|last=Larsen|first=Kim |title=Deep-sea Tanaidacea (Peracarida) from the Gulf of Mexico|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0cWAQAAIAAJ&q=amdrupii|year=2005|publisher=Brill|isbn=90-04-14210-X|page=252}}{{cite web|url=http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Chauliopleona_amdrupii|title=Chauliopleona amdrupii|work=species.wikimedia.org|accessdate=29 December 2010}}

• Cartographic expeditions to Greenland

• (1902). The East-Greenland Coast Expedition in the year 1900. Kjobenhavn, Geogr. Tids. 16, (34-54, with 1 map). (in Danish){{cite book|author=Royal Society (Great Britain)|title=International catalogue of scientific literature, 1901-1914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NMkNAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA144|accessdate=29 December 2010|year=1906|pages=144–}}
• (1904) Observations astronomiques, météorologiques et magnétiques de Tasiusak dans le district d'Angmagsalik, 1898 Faites par l'expédition danoise sous la direction de G. C. Amdrup: Publ. par la Commission danoise des Explorations géographique et géologiques du Groenland
• (1904) Fungi Groenlandiæ orientalis in expeditionibus G. Amdrup 1898-1902
• (1921). Grønland i Tohundredaaret for Hans Egedes Landing. Under Redaktion of G. C. Amdrup, Louis Bobé, Ad. S. Jensen, H. P. Steensby. [With plates.]. København, 1921. (in Danish)
• (1928). Greenland. Copenhagen: C.A. Reitzel.

{{Reflist|30em}}

• "Georg Carl Amdrup", in Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon (2nd edition, 1915) (Danish language)
• "Georg Carl Amdrup", in Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon (2nd edition supplement, 1930) (Danish language)

• [http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FPOL%2FPOL5_35-36%2FS0032247400037943a.pdf&code=fdc36773e4812d141339879b90c07d0c Obituary] at Cambridge University Press

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amdrup, Georg Carl}}

Category:Royal Danish Navy counter admirals

Category:19th-century Royal Danish Navy officers

Category:20th-century Royal Danish Navy admirals

Category:Danish polar explorers

Category:19th-century explorers

Category:20th-century explorers

Category:1866 births

Category:1947 deaths

Category:Military personnel from Copenhagen

Category:Recipients of the Medal of Merit (Denmark)

Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Dannebrog