Abandoned in the Arctic

2007

In 1881 the US Army sent Lt. Adolphus Greely and 24 men to the northern tip of Ellesmere Island to conduct scientific research for two years. When they became stranded there, Greely and his men were forced to withdraw from the High Arctic by beating a passage southward along a rugged, ice-clogged coast. James Shedd, Greely's great-great-grandson, decides to retrace this perilous journey to see for himself what his ancestor went through and gets a lot more than he bargains for.

Synopsis:

In August 1881 Lt. Adolphus W. Greely and a team of 24 determined men set out as part of the First International Polar Year to build a research station on Ellesmere Island, 700km from the North Pole. The Lady Franklin Bay Expedition began as the most ambitious Arctic expedition in United States history, but was destined to descend into a three year journey through frozen hell - a voyage of forced retreat, starvation, brewing mutiny and cannibalism. Against all odds, six men survived.

Abandoned in the Arctic, a recent HD documentary from Cocked Hat Ventures LLC, is a story of survival and redemption in the face of staggering physical hardship and the underlying account of political scandal, cover-up and gross negligence by the U.S government. Abandoned attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding what really happened during the three years Greely and his men were marooned in the Arctic. Did the U.S. government abandon 25 men to certain death? Did Greely's arrogance and miss-calculation result in the death of 19 men? Or, was he a skilled leader whose courage, integrity and humanity made it possible for even some under his charge to survive?

Fast-forward to June 2004 when a team of five men and one woman, including the great-great-grandson of A.W. Greely, 25 year old James Shedd, embarked on a journey to retrace the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition's footsteps in search of answers to the Greely mystery. After landing on the treacherous coast of Canada's Ellesmere Island, the team set out in kayaks and on foot to retrace Greely's epic 500km retreat south to Cape Sabine. Their journey over rough terrain and treacherous, ice jammed waters was a constant challenge, and it was simple luck that one of the expeditioners narrowly escaped death in an unexpected and terrifying accident. Ultimately, the team experienced the Arctic as a voyage of discovery merging the past with the present, while James found affirmation in the pursuit of his own Greely legacy.

Category: Feature Documentary

Format: Hi-Definition

Duration: 90:00

Release Date: 2007

Executive Producer: Geoffrey E Clark, Cocked Hat Ventures LLC

Director: Gino del Guercio

Director of Operations: Steve Smith

Writers: James Shedd, Gino del Guercio