First crossing of the Arctic

The first crossing of the surface of the Arctic Ocean was achieved by the British Trans-Arctic Expedition under the aegis of the Royal Geographical Society. The four-man crossing party, each driving a sled hauled by a team of 10 West Greenland Inuit sled dogs, left Point Barrow, Alaska, USA, on 21 February 1968 and, 464 days later, on 29 May 1969, made landfall at the Sjuoyane (Seven Island) group of offshore islands marking the northernmost extremity of Norway's Svalbard archipelago. En route, on 6 April 1969, they passed through the Geographic North Pole. The trek steered an unavoidable zig-zag course (owing to fragmented sea-ice, countless pressure ridges and drifting ice floes separated by impassable leads) and was to cover a total of 3,720 miles. (5,987 km). This contrasts with a straight-line Great Circle distance of 1,444 nautical miles (2,674 km) from shore to shore. The four-man crossing party comprised Wally Herbert (leader), Allan Gill (navigator), Dr Roy "Fritz" Koerner (glaciologist, Ohio State University) and Major Ken Hedges (SAS Regimental Medical Officer) (all UK).

Their total duration on the ice was, in fact, 476 days as the group had to travel 12 more days to reach the extrication point by the British Royal Navy ship HMS Endurance. Along the way, supplies were air-dropped by an RCAF Hercules plane.

The journey was completed just seven weeks before the first Moon landing.

A BBC documentary entitled Across the Top of the World was made about the pioneering expedition.