Which polar explorer led no fewer than five expeditions to the Arctic, had his own naval vessel built especially for cold water exploration and even survived for 10 months after his ship was crushed between ice flows?
Answer: British explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith (1828-1913). He remains little known, however, for he shunned the publicity and fame which was sought by later explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott. On his expeditions he brought back specimens for the British Museum and Royal Botanic Gardens, as well as live polar bears for the London Zoo.
Source: Shipwreck at Cape Flora by P. J. Capelotti; General Historical Texts.
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