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Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery, a Belgian baron, studied at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the École Polytechnique of the Free University of Brussels. His father would have liked him to pursue a military career. However, he spent his first two university vacations at sea as a mus – a student sailor – on a transatlantic ship sailing between Antwerp and New York. Although difficult, all these experiences made Adrien understand that the sea was his future. His family accepted his passion for sailing, and young Adrien obtained his father's permission to enrol in the newly established School of Navigation in Belgium.
After more than seven years spent on the seas and oceans of the world, at the age of 28, Adrien de Gerlache obtained the certificate of long-distance captain. All these years on board of various transoceanic vessels were years of training, in which he cultivated his vocation for navigation and learned the secrets of the profession. His dream was to organise an expedition to the frozen south. The objectives of this expedition included hydrographic observations, reconnaissance and mapping of the coasts, sea and under-ice surveys, meteorological observations, and the study of the aurora australis. Additionally, the team planned to conduct dredging and research on the seabed, analyse pelagic and abyssal fauna and flora, and carry out magnetic and photographic observations.
He managed to convince the Belgian Geographical Society to support his idea, receiving an official response in November 1894. An extensive fundraising campaign followed, featuring balls, soirees, teas, conferences, and even balloon flights, which attracted support from both the elite and the public. Although financial obstacles were numerous, de Gerlache managed to mobilise the support of influential families and personalities, such as Madame Léonie Osterrieth. nicknamed "Mother Antarctica".