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Early in 1899, Dr. Cook realised that another winter spent in the Antarctic ice could have catastrophic consequences. He urgently requested the drawing up of a plan for their release from the ice that had held them prisoner for a year, emphasising that it must be a joint effort, and during this time, all scientific activities should be suspended. The officers mobilised quickly, and as work began, the plans were refined. George Lecointe, the captain of the Belgica and the only one with training in pyrotechnics, began testing the explosive in the ship's hold, the tonite. Commander de Gerlache, although in a highly fragile state of health, became actively involved and developed a plan of attack on the ice, using the four preserved saws on board since the ship was a whaler in northern waters. With their help, he intended to open an artificial channel through the pack ice so that the ship could be freed. The route was to be approximately 700 meters long, with an opening of 100 meters in open water, narrowing to only 10 meters near the ship, where the ice layer was extremely thick — up to 8 meters.
Two teams worked almost non-stop, in two shifts, taking advantage of the nearly continuous light of the polar sun. The first team, led by the commander, worked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with breaks for lunch and coffee on the ship. This team included Melaerts, Racoviță, Van Mirlo, Johansen, Koren, Van Rysselberghe and Tollefsen. In contrast, the team of the second Lecointe, who had the night shift, from 7 to 11 p.m. and from midnight to 4 a.m., cut the ice: Dr. Cook, Amundsen, Arctowski, Dobrowolski, Somers and Dufour.
This physical effort proved highly beneficial for the morale of the crew, which, after so many months of isolation and exhaustion, seemed divided and weakened. The polar night had affected everyone! While they were working on the release channel, Knudsen was ill and under "baking treatment", Dobrowolski could barely stand on his feet, and Tollefsen seemed to have completely lost his mind...
The first ice floes were successfully removed to the open water, but one of the floes got stuck between the banks! They had to use dynamite to dislodge it. The team desperately sought solutions to prevent the floes from getting stuck, to reduce friction between them, and to use as little effort as possible when cutting. On the first day, they managed to cut 40 meters of ice, and then the process continued until it was close to the ship. There, the situation worsened. The saws became dull when they tried to cut through the old ice around the ship, which was a mixture of canned goods, animal remains, and other debris that made cutting impossible. By cutting and detonating, the ship was now stuck between two ice floes that could crush it at any moment. Amundsen proposed a backup plan — based on the ship's lifeboats. However, this plan was not realistic: a handful of weak, sick and demoralised people, after the ice had destroyed their initial strategy, would not have been able to carry a heavy lifeboat across hundreds of kilometres of pack ice and then safely cross the stormy waters of the Drake Passage to reach Cape Horn, where they could have called for help.
Commander de Gerlache faced a challenging decision: he could either accept Amundsen's plan, which had its shortcomings, including the lack of winter clothing destroyed by rats in the ship's hold, or he could remain on the ship. They had limited supplies, and the doctor had warned that another winter in captivity would have devastating consequences. Ultimately, he decided to order the crew to continue working on the ice window.
Miraculously, after what seemed like an impossible task, by 3 a.m. on 12 February, the ship was almost free after nearly 13 months of being trapped. Only one obstacle remained: a massive floe that was tying the ship to the pack ice. Although it could be cleared away with dynamite, it was positioned far too close to the vessel.
The ingenuity of the second officer, Georges Lecointe, played a crucial role in the ship's escape. He strategically placed explosives at the most vulnerable points of the ice floe, allowing the ship to break free without sustaining any damage. Meanwhile, Engineers Somers and Van Rysselberghe prepared the engine, and the Belgica set off through the newly created channel, breaking apart any pieces of ice that could potentially trap her again. On 28 March 1899, the Belgica arrived at the port of Punta Arenas, marking the conclusion of the Belgian Antarctic expedition. The ship now required an extended period of recovery.