The Most Glorified Strip of Bunting In 1871, the United States
North Polar Expedition set sail in the Polaris, a converted
river tug. Under the command of Charles Francis Hall, whose
passionate goal was to plant the Stars and Stripes at the
northernmost point of the world, an assortment of scientists,
sailors and Inuit make up the ship’s company. From the outset,
Commander Hall’s enthusiasm is not universally shared, and when
the Polaris becomes embedded in ice, loyalty is stretched to the
limit. During a storm, nineteen of the crew together with the
Inuit families are marooned on an ice floe, and their six-month
ordeal highlights how thin the veneer of civilisation is when
put to the test. The lack of food and warmth, instead of uniting
them in the struggle to survive, drives each against the other.
Racial prejudice and thoughts of murder, rape and cannibalism
are ever-present as their conditions worsen and survival seems
impossible. Each chapter is interspersed with transcripts of the
United States Navy Boa