Drygalski had chosen his scientific staff with knowledge and care, and it is certain that he could not have obtained better assistants.

The expedition left Kiel on August 11, 1901, bound for Cape Town.  An extraordinarily complete oceanographical, meteorological, and magnetic survey was made during this part of the voyage.

After visiting the Crozet Islands, the Gauss anchored in Royal Sound, Kerguelen Land, on December 31.  The expedition stayed here a month, and then steered for the south to explore the regions between Kemp Land and Knox Land.  They had already encountered a number of bergs in lat. 60deg.  S.

On February 14 they made a sounding of 1,730 fathoms near the supposed position of Wilkes’s Termination Land.  Progress was very slow hereabout on account of the thick floes.

Suddenly, on February 19, they had a sounding of 132 fathoms, and on the morning of February 21 land was sighted, entirely covered with ice and snow.  A violent storm took the Gauss by surprise, collected a mass of icebergs around her, and filled up the intervening space with floes, so that there could be no question of making any way.  They had to swallow the bitter pill, and prepare to spend the winter where they were.

Observatories were built of ice, and sledge journeys were undertaken as soon as the surface permitted.  They reached land in three and a half days, and there discovered a bare mountain, about 1,000 feet high, fifty miles from the ship.  The land was named Kaiser Wilhelm II.  Land, and the mountain the Gaussberg.

They occupied the winter in observations of every possible kind.  The weather was extremely stormy and severe, but their winter harbour, under the lee of great stranded bergs, proved to be a good one.  They were never once exposed to unpleasant surprises.

On February 8, 1903, the Gauss was able to begin to move again.  From the time she reached the open sea until her arrival at Cape Town on June 9, scientific observations were continued.

High land had been seen to the eastward on the bearing of Wilkes’s Termination Land, and an amount of scientific work had been accomplished of which the German nation may well be proud.  Few Antarctic expeditions have had such a thoroughly scientific equipment as that of the Gauss, both as regards appliances and personnel.

The Swedish Antarctic expedition under Dr. Otto Nordenskjold left Gothenburg on October 16, 1901, in the Antarctic, commanded by Captain C. A. Larsen, already mentioned.  The scientific staff was composed of nine specialists.

After calling at the Falkland Islands and Staten Island, a course was made for the South Shetlands, which came in sight on January 10, 1902.

After exploring the coast of Louis Philippe Land, the ship visited Weddell Sea in the hope of getting southward along King Oscar II.  Land, but the ice conditions were difficult, and it was impossible to reach the coast.