Australian mining engineer and adventurer Ben Carlin completed a circumnavigation of the globe in an amphibious car on May 13, 1958. The journey took ten years, covering 17,000 km by sea and 62,000 km by land.
Background
Carlin conceived the idea during World War II after seeing a Ford GPA. He modified the vehicle, named Half-Safe, to include a bed. Ford declined to sponsor the trip, citing concerns about its feasibility.
The Journey
The Atlantic crossing, expected to take 10 days, took 32 due to a hurricane.
- Carlin and his wife Elinore departed from Halifax, Canada, attempting to cross the Atlantic to the Azores Islands. Both experienced hallucinations but were refueled by a passing cruiser and reached Madeira.
- The couple drove through Morocco at night to avoid heat, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, traveled through Europe, and crossed the English Channel.
- After three years in England, they drove across Europe, over the Bosporus Strait into Turkey, and through the Middle East.
- The car was shipped from Calcutta to Perth, Australia, where Elinore ended her participation due to seasickness.
- Carlin continued alone from Calcutta, picked up a companion in Burma, and traveled via Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.
- From Japan, he went to the USSR, Alaska, the United States, and finally Montreal, Canada.
Aftermath
Seven months after completion, Ben and Elinore divorced. The car is on display at Guildford Grammar School in Perth.