On January 4, 1914, the Karluk was stuck in ice when the ominous sound of the ship’s stern being ripped open by pack ice was heard by all on board. It sounded like the firing of a cannon. Bartlett immediately ordered supplies be unloaded on the ice. The Karluk began to break up on January 10, and all on board were ordered to abandon ship. When everyone was safely on the ice, the captain himself went back to his cabin and, all alone, put Chopin’s Funeral March on his Victrola. As the water rose in the cabin, he whispered "Goodbye," left the sinking vessel to the mournful sound of Chopin’s music and hurried out on the ice. It was to be the beginning of one of the greatest feats of valour in world history. From the foreword by Paul O’Neill

Captain Robert Abram “Bob” Bartlett was born in Brigus, Newfoundland, on August 15, 1875. He was the son of William Bartlett and the grandson of Abram Bartlett, both prominent sea captains. He was educated at Bishop Feild College and eventually completed his Master certificate at Halifax’s Nautical Academy in 1904. In 1909, Bartlett commanded the Roosevelt on Robert E. Peary’s North Pole Expedition, and in 1913, he was approached by Vilhjamar Stefansson to master the Karluk on his Canadian Arctic Expedition. In 1925, Captain Bob acquired the schooner Ethie M. Morrissey. From 1926 until his death, apart from numerous fishing and hunting trips in his little schooner, Bartlett also made twenty voyages to the Arctic collecting specimens, aiding in archaeological surveys, correcting geographical charts, and collecting animals for zoos. After a life spent doing what he loved, Bartlett died of pneumonia in New York City on April 28, 1946, and was buried at his birthplace. His boyhood residence, Hawthorne Cottage, is a National Historic Site.

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