The contradictions between the original three master Belgica and present regulations

• Main Authors: Lataire, Evert, Vantorre, Marc, Heylbroeck, Bart, De Ketelaere, Bert
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) 2009
• Subjects: Technology and Engineering; Belgica; historic ships; replica; three master; Antarctic; Austral; De Gerlache; Gerlache; The Antarctic; Antarc*; polar night
• Online Access: https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1060331; http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1060331; https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/1060331/file/1060334

On 16 August 1897, the Belgian captain Adrien de Gerlache together with an international crew of 15 left Antwerp (Belgium) for the Antarctic on the three-master Belgica. This expedition was the first Antarctic expedition of a purely scientific nature and the first to spend a winter in the austral polar night. Trapped in ice in March 1898 she managed to escape in February the year after. She was initially built as a whaler with a length of 34.60m, beam of 7.28m and draught of 3.46m. In 2007 a project was initiated to build a replica (or look alike) of this vessel at the workshops of De Steenschuit (Boom, Belgium), specialized in traditional shipbuilding techniques and maritime restoration. After a short historic review and a description of the main goals of the present project, the paper will emphasize the contradictions between the attempt to reconstruct the original vessel on one hand, and the requirements imposed by present regulations that have to be fulfilled by a vessel capable of sailing against the polar ice on the other hand. Also the application of modern day techniques in combination with traditional materials will be discussed.