Sverre Helge Hassel (30 July 1876 – 6 June 1928) was aNorwegian polar explorer and one of the first five people to reach theSouth Pole.[1][2]
Sverre Hassel was born inChristiania (now Oslo), Norway. As soon as he was old enough, he went to sea, earning his mate's certificate. Between 1898 and 1902, Hassel participated on board theFram inOtto Sverdrup's attempt tocircumnavigateGreenland.[3]
Along withHelmer Hanssen, Hassel was picked as an expert dog driver to take part inRoald Amundsen'sSouth Pole expedition 1910–1912. On 14 December 1911, Hassel together with Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen,Olav Bjaaland andOscar Wisting were the first to reach theSouth Pole. For his participation in the expedition, he was awarded theSouth Pole Medal (Sydpolsmedaljen), the Royal Norwegian award instituted by KingHaakon VII in 1912 to reward participants in Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition.[4]
Hassel was constable of the Maritime Military Corps in 1904 before he was hired as an assistant at the customs authorities inKristiansand. In 1922, Hassel became customs inspector and office manager inGrimstad. Sverre Hassel died in 1928 during a visit to Amundsen's home inSvartskog.[5]
Roald Amundsen wrote about the expedition inSydpolen published in two volumes in 1912–1913. The work was translated from the Norwegian into English by A. G. Chater, and published asThe South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the "Fram," 1910–1912[8]
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