In 1893, legendary Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen was embarking on an expedition north to explore previously unknown territory. He undertook this trip aboard the world’s first icebreaker the Fram, which still holds the world record from his trip for northernmost passage by a wooden surface vessel in history. She also holds it for the south after a bait and switch departure at the hand of Roald Amundsen who told the world he was headed north, but we digress. One might expect that Nansen encountered a great deal of phenomena that would have at the time been new to mankind and of course he did, but the one that we find the most fascinating is what he described as dead water. His log reflected the experience which happened in the Nordenskiöld Archipelago (approximately  76°34′37.65″N  96°41′41.33″E):

“When caught in dead water Fram appeared to be held back, as if by some mysterious force, and she did not always answer the helm. In calm weather, with a light cargo, Fram was capable of 6 to 7 knots. When in dead water she was unable to make 1.5 knots. We made loops in our course, turned sometimes right around, tried all sorts of antics to get clear of it, but to very little purpose.”

Dead water is a good example of a scenario that lacking an explanation, over the years might have lead many people to all sorts of speculation about it’s cause. Nansen however was not prone to such speculation.

“Never stop because you’re afraid – you are never so likely to be wrong.”  – Fridtjof Nansen

The researchers at Immortal Count feel that because it was Nansen who encountered this problem, this event passed relatively unnoticed by maritime mythologists into the annals of time. Nansen may have felt that even though there was no plausible explanation for it, one would eventually be discovered and therefore there was no need to speculate on its origin. In October of 2008 the University of Lyon revealed that it was able to recreate Dead Water in a lab and even shared proof of this on video.

“The human factor is three quarters of any expedition.” – Roald Amundsen

From the experience of research into legends and folkore, the Immortal Count researchers feel that had someone else been in Nansen’s place, this event may have easily unfolded into a fascinating story of maritime legend detailing how a mystical unseen force held their ship motionless in the sea even though her sails were full and a brisk wind was blowing. A vessel caught in such circumstances could lead a superstitious crew to panic, and since dead water may be perceived as a potentially indefinite event even if calmness prevails initially, the crew might eventually unravel. Once the propriety of their hierarchy devolves, a lot of things could go wrong. They might even abandon the ship, convinced that it is cursed and unable to ever move forward again, held back by Neptune himself. In so doing, they might find that since dead water acts differently depending on the draft of the vessel upon it, that they can easily escape it in a yawl or lifeboat that sits higher on the surface. If they abandoned that vessel, far out at sea with only the provisions they could carry, wouldn’t there be a reasonable chance that they might not survive nor ever be found? Perhaps. It could be that a set of circumstances like this befell the infamous ghost ship the Mary Celeste, but that is another tale, which we’ll be posting our analysis on in the coming weeks. It is an enthralling story.

It is difficult for people who’ve not been at sea for extended periods of time to understand the isolation or the magnification of the full spectrum of human emotions that inevitably becomes prevalent among the passengers and crew on a long trip through uninhabited realms. In the United States, NASA has spent millions over the years studying this phenomenon in an effort to guarantee the success of long-term deep space missions. There is a point at sea when even the most scrupulous man realizes that there is no law but the law in his head. There is that moment when he comes face to face with his dark side and begins to live with the idea that most likely there would be no consequences to his amoral actions other than living with his conscience. If you are at sea with that man when he has that thought, and he is fearful or distrustful of you…God help you – because no one else can.

* Note – Although sometimes we cite Wikipedia as a source, we encourage users to explore further as Wikipedia entries are wildly inaccurate more often than not. An perfect example of this would be the Fridtjof Nansen Wikipedia entry that as of this posting states he was a pioneer of Neuron Theory. This is patently false.