At the end of the 19th century there was intense international interest in exploring the North and South Poles. The search operations for the lost Franklin expedition were barely forgotten as Russia, Great Britain, Germany and Sweden set new scientific tasks for the Arctic Ocean. In 1868, the Swedish ship "Sofia" carried out temperature measurements and oceanographic observation in the sea area around Svalbard. During this year the "Greenland", built in Norway, operated in the same area under the German command of Carl Koldeway. In 1868 to 1869, the ship owner A. Rosenthal gave scientists the opportunity to come aboard on his whaling trips and by 1869, the ship "Germania", which was escorted by the "Hansa" and led the Second German North Polar Expedition, was built. The "Germania" returned safely from the expedition and was used later for further research. The "Hansa", in contrast, was crushed by the ice and sunk. In 1874, the Austrian-Hungarian "Tegetthoff" as well as the American schooner "Polaris" under the command of Captain Hull met the same fate.