ANTARCTIC COMMAND BY: CAPTAIN FINN RONNE

Captain Finn Ronne was a Norwegian explorer and polar researcher who was born on August 11, 1879, in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He is best known for his participation in the first expedition to reach the South Pole by land, which he accomplished with Roald Amundsen in 1911.

Ronne began his career as a sailor and navigator, and he later joined the Norwegian Polar Institute, where he trained as an explorer. In 1910, he was selected to join Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole, which was the first to use dogs as transportation.

During the expedition, Ronne and his team faced many challenges, including harsh weather conditions, difficult terrain, and a lack of supplies. However, they persevered and eventually reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, beating the British expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott by over a month.

After the South Pole expedition, Ronne continued to explore the polar regions, and he led several more expeditions to Antarctica over the course of his career. He also made significant contributions to the field of polar research, and he was instrumental in the development of the first comprehensive maps of Antarctica.

Ronne passed away on May 5, 1962, at the age of 82. He is remembered as a dedicated explorer and researcher who made significant contributions to our understanding of the polar regions.