This year, we can celebrate the 75th anniversary of the legendary SIRIUS Dog Sled Patrol. The patrol is a small Danish special military unit under the Arctic Command that patrols by dog sled in Northeast Greenland. To create the stamp, we have allied ourselves with Miki Jacobsen who, in his childhood, had dog sleds and sled dogs in Sisimiut, Greenland’s second largest town. But, first, a little bit about the history of the Sled Patrol.
Historical background During the Napoleonic Wars connections to and from Greenland were severely restricted. However, the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 allowed Greenland to remain in the Kingdom of Denmark, with Northeast Greenland officially declared a ‘no man’s land’. In connection with Denmark’s sale of the West Indies to the United States of America in 1917, Denmark’s claim to sovereignty over all of Greenland was recognised. Several other countries sanctioned the transition and conceded that Denmark in 1921 included all of Greenland under its rule. Norway was an exception due to the significant hunting interests of Norwegian sealers on the East coast of Greenland. The assertion of Danish sovereignty intensified, culminating in the Norwegian ‘occupation’ of territories in East Greenland in 1931. The legal dispute was eventually resolved in a trial at the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague in 1933, wherein the court ruled in favour of Denmark, confirming Danish sovereignty over East Greenland.
However, after winning its claim to the country, Denmark was obliged to assert its sovereignty throughout the whole of Greenland. Consequently, the sled dog patrols were established. However, it was first implemented as a temporary measure during The Second World War and then later made permanent by the establishment of the sled patrol RESOLUTE in 1950. Three years later it was renamed the SIRIUS Dog Sled Patrol.
Duties of the patrol
In 1974, the entire Northeast of Greenland was declared a national park with the aim of preserving the nature there in its original form. Covering an area of 972,000 km2, it is the largest national park in the world. Despite the harsh climate, there is an abundance of wildlife in the national park. Polar bears, Arctic wolves, Arctic foxes, musk oxen, walruses, seals, snow hares, lemmings, eiders, snowy owls and ravens have all adapted to life in the harsh Arctic climate. The SIRIUS Patrol’s tasks include registering the prevalence of both mammals and birds in the region. Other primary tasks of the patrol include: Enforcing Danish sovereignty by maintaining a physical presence in North and Northeast Greenland. Exercising law enforcement in the world’s largest national park, to include overseeing expeditions, conservation regulations, and wildlife. This is done by military surveillance of 160,000 km2, using dog sleds.
The sled dogs
It is no coincidence that the sled dog patrol is named after the brightest star in the constellation, the Great Dog. Without sled dogs, the SIRIUS Patrol would not exist. Through extensive crossbreeding, a unique dog breed has been bred called the ‘SIRIUS dog’. It is both larger, heavier and stronger than normal Greenlandic sled dogs. The ideal SIRIUS dog is human-friendly, short-haired, pointy-eared, long-legged and weighs between 40 and 50 kilograms. The dogs are usually worn out after about five years of service, having typically pulled their own body weight through more than 20,000 kilometres of patrols. The dogs must be able to pull the sled across all kinds of terrain. After five years of service with the SIRIUS Patrol, the fate of the dogs is decided. Perhaps to live out their retirement with the staff at the civilian weather stations. If they have become too worn out, they are put to sleep.
The patrols
The operational area of the SIRIUS Patrol is 3.5 times the size of Denmark. The surveillance area is patrolled for approximately two months in Autumn and four months in Spring. Each team consists of two men - one experienced and one new arrival. All new arrivals are thus trained by people who have at least one year’s experience. The teams build their own sleds, consisting of plywood and knot-free ash wood bound together with nylon rope. This ensures that the patrol can repair their sled by simple means, in total darkness, stiff gales and 40 degrees frost. The sled teams will have to endure extreme frost temperatures, hurricane-force storms, huge volumes of snow, polar bears, Arctic wolves and musk oxen for several months. Wind speeds of up to 62.5 metres per second have been measured, far above hurricane strength. Visibility in gusting snow or heavy snowfall can often be so poor that the patrol men have to rely solely on a compass for orientation.
Headquarters
The SIRIUS Patrol headquarters is located at Daneborg on the East coast of Greenland near the 74th parallel North. The headquarters is completely cut off from the outside world. Access to the station is only possible by small propeller plane from Iceland. The twelve men and 80 sled dogs quartered at the station constitute the only company for around 250 kilometres. Beyond work, there are not many diversions. Post from home is delivered six to seven times a year.
Station Nord
SIRIUS’s northernmost station is called Station Nord. Five men are stationed there all year round. Although the primary task is to keep a large runway from icing over, the station also performs numerous other tasks. On patrols, the menu is freeze-dried food, powdered milk, chocolate and rye bread. However, upon arriving at the station, there is plenty of food as well as video films, music and even a shower. The contrast between the harsh living conditions on patrol and the comforts at the station is quite striking. Consequently, Station Nord is a very popular stopover destination for the patrols.
The future
In a modern era, where surveillance of Northeast Greenland could easily be conducted using satellites or aircraft, the SIRIUS Patrol may seem redundant. The fact is, however, that sovereignty enforcement under international conventions necessitates a physical presence in the territories of the country. Consequently, the unique Danish military unit will probably continue operations in Greenland’s northernmost regions in the future.
