Disaster at the Pole: The Tragedy of the Airship Italia and the 1928 Nobile Expedition to the North Pole

by Wilbur Cross

The true story of the harrowing wreck of the dirigible Italia during a polar expedition and the heroic rescue attempts to save her and her crew.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Aviation, Survival

345 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Gheorghe Paslariu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is more incredible than the crew's fight for survival is the Fascist regime's effort to prevent the expedition members from being rescued. Unbelievable account of how political motives and personal vendettas come before any sense of duty or respect. One of the most touching stories from my Arctic exploration crazy obsession.

[John E. Norvell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough account by the author conducted from interviews and research providing the authoritative account of this interesting moment in exploration history. Umberto Nobile, the Italian engineer and explorer wasnt a politician, but was caught up in a sticky political mess in 1927 Italy controlled by the Facist regime of Mousoliini. At every turn he was accused of treason and was publicly humiliated for the disaster that occurred. Yet he was innocent of all charges. The Italian government refused to coordinate or provide any assistance in rescue and it was left up to the world to risk their own lives to help their fellow man.
Most moving the me personally is the story of Roald Amundsen who was credited to be the first person to travel his team to the South Pole. Amundsen was a hero of Norway and slightly in competition with Nobile for public recognition and fame, but immediately volunteered to assist in rescue efforts raising his own funds from friends to cover the costs. Amundsen acquired an experimental French see plane Latham 47 which was used to try and spot Nobile's stranded party on floating pack ice somewhere in the Arctic. During their flight something went wrong with the plane and they were never seen or heard from again. A heart wrenching account of selflessness and love for your "enemies"

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

So while you'd think that there would be absolutely nothing wrong with a true life tale of disaster and survival after a airship (like a zeppelin but better built) crash at the North Pole with an international cast of would be rescuers rogues and heroes all, you might be surprised by this book.
While parts are interesting enough-specifically all the parts I laid out above, this book manages to dry the subjects out enough to bring the "meh. That was okay I guess. "out.
While the details laid out in this late 1920's polar technological failure of human hubris have some attraction Wilbur Cross relies on a lot of third party information to try to pull it all together. Sure he interviewed the primary person involved -Umberto Nobile inventor, manufacturer and captain of the doomed ship nearly every other source is an interview by someone else of someone else on behalf of the author.
Perhaps that contributes to my overall feeling that this book is a good but not great read.

[Lucas Da · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para os amantes de sobrevivência em ambiente hostil, é um bom livro.

[Jayme Blaschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Disaster at the Pole, Wilbur Cross draws on decades of personal research and interviews to narrate the heart-stopping drama of a little-known an airborne expedition to the North Pole in 1926.

General Umberto Nobile, one of the great aeronautical engineers of the 20th century, saw airships as a way of accomplishing great feats of exploration while winning worldwide acclaim for Italy. To this end he designed the Italia, a groundbreaking, cutting edge semi-rigid ship, able to withstand twisting wind shear that proved so deadly to fully-rigid Zeppelin-type dirigibles. Little was understood about the Arctic environment and weather conditions at the time, and any new discoveries at all were certain to earn worldwide acclaim.

Early the morning of May 23, the Italia departed Kings Bay, Norway, for the pole, reaching its destination at 12:24 a.m. May 24. The weather proved too rough to lower the planned scientific expedition, so the airship turned back to base. In the face of the worsening storm, the Italia took a tremendous beating in sub-zero weather. The Italia hit the ice pack hard, tearing the gondola from the airbag. Half the crew was suddenly stranded on the ice, the other half carried away back into the storm, never to be seen again. And thus begins an unbelievable take of rescue and survival in the harshest environment on earth.

Cross paints in vivid detail the almost gleeful abandonment of Nobile to his fate by Rome even as the other nations of the world mobilize desperate rescue missions. With limited provisions, Nobile and his surviving crew set up camp with a single tent and limited provisions, hoping against hope that they will be rescued.

The story is made all the more immediate–and intimate–by Nobile’s own words, as Cross sought out the aging aviator and other survivors to chronicle the ordeal in their own words. For such a little-known episode in the history of flight, it packs a wallop. Cross doesn’t disappoint.

[Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi sono approcciato al libro senza alcuna aspettativa: biografia? Verità romanzata? Noiosa storia? Tutt'altro, un racconto avvincente e dettagliato, che fa vivere davvero al fianco di Nobile e dei suoi compagni le settimane sul ghiaccio e l'angoscia per l'inettitudine degli uomini del regime. Il destino sempre avverso si risolve comunque in un mezzo lieto fine, il che è raro nella storia reale. Linguaggio forse un po' troppo pomposo anche se non necessario, ma lettura interessante: la consiglio.

[Tim Petersik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I a bit of an exploration-disaster addict. This one is pretty horrifying. Imagine trying to fly over the north pole in a zeppelin/dirigible. Then something goes wrong, and you're carried away by the winds never to be seen again. It happened.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge: name three things cooler than exploration of unknown Arctic regions using a zeppelin.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it? Even tho I know the outcome from reading another book, I still couldn't put it down. I wont say anymore because of a 'spoiler' but I found it a true adventure tale.