Pirates & Privateers: Buddy Levy's Books

When Vihjalmur Stefansson stepped off the boat in Seattle in September 1912, he already had a plan. He had spent the past four years exploring the Arctic coast of North America and already wanted to return. This time, he intended to take with him more scientists than had ever studied the Arctic before. They would explore new lands, perhaps even confirm the existence of the lost tribe of Blond Eskimos that was capturing the public’s imagination. He possessed the necessary charisma and persuasiveness to achieve his goal. When the unexpected happened, he could promptly adjust to fit the new circumstances. Traits essential for this new journey. But he also had less admirable qualities. He could deceive and manipulate to accomplish what he wanted, for his own gain, regardless of the impact doing so had on others.

With the sea in his blood, Robert Bartlett had a goal: to become a master mariner. His uncle was captain of Robert Peary’s flagship on his first expedition to the North Pole. Would Robert like to join them? The answer, of course, was yes, and this voyage was but the first of three that he made. By the time he departed with Peary on the third venture in 1908, he had achieved his goal of becoming a master mariner, captained Peary’s ship, navigated for the explorer on sea and ice, and was his trusted confidant. His experiences had taught him how to survive the harsh, unforgiving environment. When Steffanson’s telegram arrived in May 1913, asking him to captain the Karluk, Bartlett was up for the challenge.

His first sight of the Karluk did not instill Bartlett with confidence. She was a steam brigantine of 247 tons and 129 feet. She had made fourteen trips in Arctic waters during the twenty-eight years since her launch, and her condition showed each one of them. Stefansson had purchased her for $10,000; Bartlett insisted she be completely overhauled, which cost an additional $6,000. The bill would be paid by the government of Canada, which was backing the expedition. The problem was that time was not on his side, and by the time he could hire a crew, the best mariners had already departed and he had to settle for what he could find rather than handpicking the best.

Fourteen esteemed scientists from different parts of the world joined the expedition, but only two had ventured into the polar region before. What a couple lacked in age and experience, they made up for with determination and passion. Native hunters would provide food, guidance, and shelter while a Native seamstress joined to make suitable Arctic weather gear from the hides brought down by the hunters.

Stefansson wanted to sail as far north as possible. If the ice pack surrounded the Karluk, preventing her from going anywhere, she would become their base camp and they would venture afield on foot and with dog sleds. When they finally embarked, it didn’t take long for problems to surface. By August third, Karluk was surrounded by ice, drifting instead of going where the captain wanted. The mix of university graduates, crew members, and indigenous people created tension and division. And then Stefansson, his secretary, two hunters, a photographer, and an anthropologist left the ship on a badly planned hunting trip, leaving Bartlett in charge of twenty-two men, one woman, two small children, twenty-two sled dogs, and one kitten. Each day, the ice grew thicker and closer, and Bartlett knew it had the power to crush and sink Karluk. If that happened, no one back home knew where they were and they might never be found.

This riveting account is one of perseverance and hope, tragedy and loss. Levy vividly transports us back in time to a place few of us have ever or will every journey, yet the frigid cold permeates our body, the beauty awes our spirit, and the consternation disturbs our soul. The inclusion of snippets from logs and journals makes the journey that these people endured more personal and evokes an array of emotions in us. To further enhance the experience he includes maps, a list of who’s who, a time line of arctic exploration, expeditions, and disasters from 982 to 1913, a bibliography, and an index. Not only are we introduced to those who participated in this journey, but the inclusion of photographs from it allows us to meet each person and to glimpse what they saw. To round out the voyage, Levy also shares what became of the survivors. Their harrowing ordeal “three hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle,” as well as two members’ trek to Siberia to save their comrades, haunts us long after this journey ends. (184)

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