OCCRE · NEW RELEASE
Gjøa
THE ROUTE · 1903–1906
The ship that defeated 300 years of failure.
In 1845, the British Royal Navy sent 129 men and two warships.
None returned. In 1903, Amundsen tried with six men and a fishing boat.
THE IMPOSSIBLE ROUTE
300 years. Hundreds of lives. No one made it across.
Since the 16th century, every great empire sent expedition after expedition into the Arctic. All of them failed. In 1845, the British Royal Navy sent 129 men and two reinforced warships. The ships vanished into the ice. None returned. For three centuries, the Northwest Passage had defeated kings, admirals and empires.
Roald Amundsen — THE MAN WHO CHOSE ANOTHER WAY
He left at night.
To escape his creditors.
On 16 June 1903, Roald Amundsen set sail from Christiania — today's Oslo — under cover of darkness, to escape a creditor threatening to seize his ship.
His crew: 6 men.
His vessel: a 21-metre fishing boat called the Gjøa.
Where the great powers sent warships, Amundsen chose a fishing boat. What looked like a weakness was the real advantage.
— Roald Amundsen arrives in Nome, Alaska.He set out owing money. He returned owing nothing — except the respect of the entire world.
Gjøa's length
Total crew
Voyage duration
Of failed attempts
22 MONTHS IN THE ICE
Trapped in the ice. He turned the wait into science.
For 22 months, the Gjøa was locked in the ice off King William Island. Amundsen learned survival techniques from the Inuit, studied the Earth's magnetic field and took measurements of the Magnetic North Pole, confirming that it had shifted since its discovery.
On 26 August 1905, they sighted a whaler approaching from the west. The Northwest Passage was complete.
months trapped in the ice
walked to reach the telegraph
Magnetic North Pole located
From Oslo to Nome. Through the Arctic.
For the first time in history.
Every detail tells a story.
From hull to sails, faithful to the ship that crossed the impossible.
THE MODEL · OCCRE · SCALE 1:45
It doesn't just follow the course. It reads it.
This OcCre kit reproduces every detail of the 1903–1906 expedition: the same hull, the same rigging, the same fishing boat that changed the map.
- Scale
- 1/45
- Length
- 725 mm
- Width
- 295 mm
- Height
- 665 mm
- Parts
- 1.991
- Level
- Medium
- Step-by-step video tutorials
120 YEARS LATER
In 1906, the Gjøa completed its historic crossing of the Northwest Passage. This year marks 120 years.
The route Amundsen took three winters to cross is now navigable by commercial ships in summer, because the Arctic ice is retreating. The journey that once seemed impossible is becoming a commercial route. History has never felt so present.
Learn step by step,
the easy way
With this model you're never on your own. It includes a series of step-by-step videos that guide you through the entire building process.
From the first assemblies to the finishing touches, every stage is explained clearly and visually, so you progress with confidence and enjoy every moment.
Build the ship that changed the map.
Scale 1:45 – 1,991 parts – Difficulty level: Intermediate
Buy the Gjøa — $273.00 USD