1911 3rd February
Amundsen Base Reconnaissance
Pennell's shipboard party gathers direct information about the Norwegian expedition at the Bay of Whales.
Antarctic exploration · permanent subject timeline
Bay of Whales: Amundsen and Fram
Terra Nova's unexpected encounter with the Norwegian South Pole expedition. This page combines historical context with 4 matching records drawn directly from the World History Database Terra Nova archive.
Historical context
Bay of Whales: Amundsen and Fram: overview and significance
What happened?
In February 1911 Terra Nova reached the Bay of Whales and unexpectedly found Roald Amundsen's ship Fram and the Norwegian expedition operating from the Ross Ice Shelf.
Why was it important?
The encounter confirmed that Scott faced direct Norwegian competition for the South Pole. Amundsen's base position and transport system would prove decisive in the race south.
World History Database records
Bay of Whales: Amundsen and Fram timeline
The records below are selected from the 89-record Terra Nova archive and rendered as static HTML in chronological order.
1911
1911 3rd February
Amundsen Expedition Encounter
Pennell's shipboard party meets members of the Norwegian expedition.
1911 3rd February
Fram Encounter at Bay of Whales
Campbell is aboard Terra Nova when the ship unexpectedly encounters Amundsen's Fram at the Bay of Whales.
1911 3rd February
Fram Found at Bay of Whales
Terra Nova reaches the Bay of Whales and finds Amundsen's Fram.
Editorial provenance
Sources and editorial review
Compiled and edited by World History Database.
Historical context is editorial material; the chronology is generated from World History Database Terra Nova records.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
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