Galathea’s objective

Galathea 3, the largest Danish research expedition in more than 50 years, sets sail in autumn 2006 for the world’s oceans carrying Danish research projects.

Dato 4.4.2005

Danes will be able to follow Galathea 3’s progress using the internet and other media.  They will see research work as it unfolds; this perspective will be exploited to the full in schools and institutes of further education, especially within the teaching of natural sciences.

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation endorses the expedition.  HRH Crown Prince Frederik officially launched the project on 31 March 2005. He expressed a wish “that everyone will support the expedition and follow it on-line”.

The itinerary is still to be finalised and will take into consideration requests from researchers. The research committee has seen around 120 proposals received by the Danish Exploration Foundation, whose board will consider the route in the course of the next months, whilst applications are coming in.  Applicants may expect a decision before the end of the year.

“It is still possible to send in new ideas for projects,” emphasized Søren Haslund-Christensen, the Danish Expedition Foundation’s Chairman.

At the press meeting on 31 March Morten Meldgaard, the Foundation’s director revealed something of the content of the proposed projects.  He said, “The tsunami inspired many suggestions, both for direct investigation into the movements of the ocean floor which caused the catastrophe and for studies of its effects on communities”.

Judging by the number of applications, the expedition is likely to last a good six months.  Several researchers would like to visit Antarctica.  Australia, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, the west coast of North America and Greenland all feature on the list.

Some of the work will be land based, but connected to the expedition as a whole.  It is very likely that the tsunami-hit former Danish Nicobar Islands will be a port of call.

Science minister Helge Sander is optimistic about Galathea’s mission.

“I sincerely hope that we will make exciting new discoveries,” he said at the launching of the expedition at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland building in Copenhagen. Education minister Bertel Haarder, who was also present, was passionate about the possibility of communicating up-to-the-minute satellite programmes from the ship.  He remembers watching a short film about the Galathea 2 at the cinema: “Round the world in 80 minutes”.  Today it will be possible to follow the expedition in real time.

“It is our chance to show school children and students the research process in action,” says Haarder.

The voyage has historical precedents in Galathea 1, which was dispatched by King Christian VIII in 1845 and the better-known Galathea 2 in 1950.  Both brought scientific news from their round-the-world journeys.  One part of Galathea 3’s mission is to follow up on the first two expeditions, casting anchor in similar places, some of them Denmark’s former territories in the tropics.

The idea was formulated by the paper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten and has been five years in the making.  In the Finance Act of 2005 the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation made a provision for DKK 5 million to be used in planning the expedition.

The Danish Exploration Foundation will plan and support the exercise, which will be funded by both private enterprise and the State.