Forde among the many Cork Harbour links to the polar regions

THERE is a lot of maritime history in the Old Church Cemetery in Cobh.

There are many graves with headstones that give details about those whose final place of rest was to be laid in the soil above the harbour town, many after tragedies at sea.

On one grave, of a maritime man who did not die at sea, there is notable brevity in the headstone inscription which states: With Capt.Scott, B.A., Ex 1910/13.

It is the grave of a man after whom is named a 4,000-foot mountain in Antarctica.

There is some more detail about this man on a memorial at the harbourside in the town centre, where he was known as the man with the frostbitten hands.

Those hands were not frostbitten when he was appointed Petty Officer in the British Royal Navy and, in January of 1911, was one of 13 men selected to explore the Polar Cap.

The names of great Antarctic explorers are well-known: Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen, Tom Crean.

Robert Forde, from Harbour Row, Queenstown, is not as widely regarded. But he has Mount Forde in Antarctica named after him.

Born on August 29, 1875, by the age of 16 he had grown to 5 feet 8 inches height and joined the Royal Navy.

His first two years pleased him and, at the age of 18, he signed-up for a 12-year service.

1910 was a year when there was great interest in Polar exploration. Being chosen for it was regarded as a pinnacle of naval achievement.

There were 8,000 applicants for the British Antarctic Expedition, including many Irish seafarers in the RN.

Explorers had elite status, were highly regarded by the public and often described as ‘heroes.’

The expedition 

Forde was 35 and had risen to the rank of Petty Officer when he was amongst volunteers selected in May of that year for the exploration ship, Terra Nova.

This BAE Polar expedition was led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott. There was another Corkman on the expedition team — Patrick Keohane. Also on it was Tom Crean.

Cape Evans is a rocky cape on the west side of Ross Island, Antarctica, forming the north side of the entrance to Erebus Bay and was discovered by the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901–04, which was also led by Scott.

He had called it the ‘Skuary’ after a species of birds seen in the area.

On his second expedition, the BAE, to which Forde now PO 1st Class had been assigned, Scott built the exploration headquarters base there.

He renamed the area Cape Evans for Lieutenant Edward Evans, deputy in command of the expedition.

In January 1911, Forde was assigned to a group of 13 led by Lt. Evan to explore the Polar Cap.

Crean and Keohane were also in the group which was hit by blizzards as they marched across the ice.

It was tough and harsh.

They had ponies, that were unsuitable for hauling sledges.

The men had to do that themselves.

Some of the animals died.

There were difficulties for the men to keep in touch with each other when conditions worsened and the temperature dropped to minus 40C.

They got back to Cape Evans, which was then hit by severe snowstorms.

Forde suffered severely frostbitten hands.

He was moved to the Terra Nova offshore where medical treatment saved his hands.

Forde had been promoted to Chief Petty Officer for ‘courage and commitment to the expedition,’ but could no longer continue. He was invalided out.

Scott paid tribute to him, stating in the expedition log that his loss was a serious blow and that no one could replace Forde.

Recovering in England, he remained in the RN and served in it during World War One. On demobilisation he returned home to Queenstown (later named Cobh), living on his RN pension.

He was noted in the town for often keeping his frostbitten hands covered from public view.

He died on March 13, 1959.

On the 50th Anniversary of his death, in March 2009, a Committee unveiled The Robert Forde Memorial Committee on The Promenade in Cobh.

The granite stone faces the harbour and has a bronze plaque showing Forde with a sled.

A plaque was also unveiled at 52 Harbour Row, Cobh where he had lived.

State of the maritime sector

The annual report of the State’s research agency, the Marine Institute — the ‘2023 Ocean Economy Report’ concludes the maritime year, stating that the marine sector generates over €7 billion in turnover for the nation.

The Institute’s research vessel, Celtic Voyager, often seen in Cork Harbour, has a new base following its purchase by the Inuit development corporation in the Nunavut region of Canada.

It will be used for fisheries research and seabed mapping in Canada’s Northern Territories “for the benefit of the economy of the native Nunavut people,” of whom there are about 15,000.

The Marine Institute also has a new CEO, Dr Rick Officer, who I will be talking to about his vision for the future of the agency in the January edition of my new Podcast.

Email: tommacsweeneymarine@gmail.com

Podcast: maritimeirelandradioshow.ie