Denmark expedition

It achieved its main cartographic objectives and succeeded in exploring the vast region, drawing accurate charts of formerly unexplored coastlines and fjords, naming numerous geographic features, and gathering a wealth of scientific data.

The expedition travelled to Greenland aboard the Danmark, reaching a sheltered place in southern Germania Land in August 1906 and establishing its main base there, Danmarkshavn, which was named after the ship.

Expedition members included a very large staff of mostly Danish scientists, as well as West Greenlanders who came aboard in Iceland and the Faeroe Islands along with a hundred sled dogs.

In the autumn of 1906, northbound sled journeys began in order to lay depots along the route of the long northern explorations in the spring of the following year.

At Mallemuk Mountain in SE Holm Land the coastal ice of the Dijmphna Sound gave way to a polynya and, as the sleds tried to find a way around the open water, the first supporting party returned to Danmarkshavn.

[4] The eight dog sleds continued northwards and found remains of ancient Inuit dwellings at Eskimonaesset, in the northeastern end of Holm Land.

As the six northbound dog sleds sped along the eastern coast of the Crown Prince Christian Land peninsula, Mylius-Erichsen was feeling uneasy because the shore was leading them further to the northeast, which was not what he had expected.

Shortly thereafter, they split into two teams of three dog sleds each; Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, Niels Peter Høeg Hagen and Jørgen Brønlund, went westward hugging the coast, in the direction that they deemed would lead them to Gletscher Cape and Navy Cliff — at the head of Independence Fjord.

Meanwhile the other team — with Johan Peter Koch, Aage Bertelsen and Tobias Gabrielsen — sped northwestwards across the sea ice towards Cape Bridgman in order to map the uncharted coast sections of eastern Peary Land.

Sudden mild weather then impeded their progress, and when they reached the western side of Danmark Fjord on 12 June, they found their way across the ice blocked by open water.

The stony ground had worn their footwear and Brønlund summed up their desperate situation: "No food, no foot gear, and several hundred miles to the ship.

Although the original plan to move the ship to Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord in the second year was called off, Trolle carried on with the objectives of the expedition in the area during the remaining time.

Although no living Inuit were found, the expedition discovered abundant evidence of their former habitations, such as tent rings, winter dwellings, meat caches, and tools, all along the coast up to Danmark Fjord in the far north.