Wilhelm August Graah

Who was Wilhelm August Graah?

Wilhelm August Graah was a Danish naval officer and Arctic explorer. Graah had mapped areas of West Greenland when he, in 1828–30, was sent on an expedition to the uninhabited eastern coast with the purpose to search for the lost Eastern Norse Settlement. The expedition set out from Copenhagen in the brig Hvalfisken, but - once arrived in Greenland - used umiaks able to navigate in the shallow waters between the coast and the sea ice. The expedition reached Dannebrog Islands, but returned under great suffering and without having reached the inhabited areas in Tasiilaq. Two naturalists participated - the geologist Christian Pingel and the botanist Jens Vahl. Graah published an account of the exploration.