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Thomas "Tom" Crean ((アイルランド語:Tomás Ó Croidheáin); 25 February 1877 – 27 July 1938), was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer from Annascaul in County Kerry. He was a member of three major expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, including Captain Scott's 1911–13 Terra Nova Expedition. This saw the race to reach the South Pole lost to Roald Amundsen and ended in the deaths of Scott and his polar party. During this expedition, Crean's solo walk across the Ross Ice Shelf to save the life of Edward Evans led to him receiving the Albert Medal for Lifesaving. Crean had left the family farm near Annascaul to enlist in the Royal Navy at the age of 15. In 1901, while serving on ''Ringarooma'' in New Zealand, he volunteered to join Scott's 1901–04 Discovery Expedition to Antarctica, thus beginning his exploring career. After his ''Terra Nova'' experience, Crean's third and final Antarctic venture was as second officer on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, on ''Endurance''. After ''Endurance'' became beset in the pack ice and sank, Crean and the ship's company spent months drifting on the ice before a journey in boats to Elephant Island. He was a member of the crew which made an open boat journey of from Elephant Island to South Georgia, to seek aid for the stranded party. Crean's contributions to these expeditions sealed his reputation as a polar explorer, and earned him a total of three Polar medals. After the ''Endurance'' expedition, he returned to the navy; when his naval career ended in 1920 he moved back to County Kerry. In his home town of Annascaul, Crean and his wife Ellen opened a pub called the "South Pole Inn", where he lived quietly and unobtrusively until his death in 1938. == Early life and career == Thomas Crean (generally known as Tom Crean) was on born 25 Feb 1877, in the farming area of Gurtuchrane near the town of Annascaul in County Kerry, Ireland, to Patrick Crean and Catherine, née Courtney. One of ten children, he attended the local Brackluin Catholic school, leaving at the age of 12 to help on the family farm.〔Smith, p. 16〕 At the age of 15, Crean enlisted in the Royal Navy at the naval station in nearby Minard Inlet, possibly after an argument with his father.〔Smith, p. 18〕 His enlistment as a boy second class is recorded in Royal Navy records on 10 July 1893, 10 days before his 16th birthday; lacking his parents' consent, he probably lied about his age.〔Smith, p. 19〕 Crean's initial naval apprenticeship was aboard the training ship ''Impregnable'' at Devonport. In November 1894, he was transferred to ''Devastation''. By his 18th birthday, in 1895, Crean was serving in ''Royal Arthur'', and rated ordinary seaman. Less than a year later, he was in ''Wild Swan'' as an able seaman, and later joined the Navy's torpedo school ship, ''Defiance''. By 1899, Crean had advanced to the rate of petty officer, second class and was serving in ''Vivid''.〔〔Smith, pp. 20–21〕 In February 1900, Crean was posted to the torpedo vessel ''Ringarooma'', which was part of the Royal Navy's New Zealand Squadron based in the South Island. On 18 December 1901, he was demoted from petty officer to able seaman for an unspecified misdemeanour.〔〔Smith, p. 29〕 In December 1901, the ''Ringarooma'' was ordered to assist Robert Falcon Scott's ship ''Discovery'' when it was docked at Lyttelton Harbour awaiting to departure to Antarctica. When an able seaman of Scott's ship deserted after striking a petty officer, a replacement was required; Crean volunteered, and was accepted.〔Smith, p. 31〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Crean (explorer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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