Bartlett simulations begin July 7 at MI's Centre for Marine Simulation

Public tours of Captain Bob Bartlett's historic 1909 Polar expedition in the Roosevelt begin July 7 at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MI)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Public tours of Captain Bob Bartlett’s historic 1909 Polar expedition in the Roosevelt begin July 7 at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MI). The tours, which are free of charge, take place three times daily on Tuesday and Thursday of each week at MI’s and are scheduled to continue until August 6.

A great deal of interest has already been shown in the simulation of Captain Bartlett’s expedition, with most tours having been booked in advance of official start date on July 7. “We are thrilled to see that so many people are interested in learning about Captain Bob Bartlett’s Polar expedition. Captain Bartlett was a great sailor and explorer and is an important historical figure in our province,” said Captain Christopher Hearn, director of the Marine Institute’s Centre for Marine Simulation. “The simulation of the 1909 voyage on the Roosevelt is the perfect platform for the Marine Institute to display the capabilities of the Centre for Marine Simulation. This type of technology is rare and we are pleased it is being used to help people experience a piece of Newfoundland and Labrador history.”

Captain Bartlett carried American explorer Robert Peary to within 150 miles of the North Pole during the 1909 voyage, sailing further north than anyone had ever sailed before. The simulation of this trip places visitors on the Roosevelt as it travels in icy northern waters off the coast of Greenland into Battle Harbour, Labrador, where Peary made the historic announcement he had reached the North Pole. The simulation includes travel through ice-filled waters, fog, a snowstorm and a rough, confused sea.

“The simulation of Captain Bartlett’s 1909 expedition will show the public what it was like to sail north in the Roosevelt. They will have the chance to see what it is like when a ship rubs up against and collides with Arctic ice,” said Captain Hearn. “This is as realistic a simulation as you will find anywhere in the world. It is a great opportunity to experience first-hand what Captain Bartlett faced when he took the Roosevelt so far north.”

The simulation of the 1909 voyage on the Roosevelt is part of Celebrating Bartlett 2009, a project that aims to make Captain Bartlett better known throughout Newfoundland and Labrador as well as across Canada. The tours at the Marine Institute’s Centre for Marine Simulation are performed in partnership with the Historic Sites Association, while the production of the simulation is facilitated by the Rabbittown Theatre Company.

Rabbittown’s Aiden Flynn portrays “Torrington” during the simulation, a fictional character that takes visitors through the ice-filled northern waters and provides insight and background into the life of Captain Bartlett and his famous 1909 run to the Arctic. Captain Bob Bartlett was born in Brigus, NL and went on to become an internationally acclaimed Arctic navigator and explorer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His career as captain of numerous Arctic voyages is unparalleled in the history of Arctic exploration, having completed more than 40 northern expeditions.

Historic Sites Association (709) 753-5515.