Gerlache, Adrien de

Gerlache, Adrien de (ädrē-ăN də gĕrläsh`), 1866–1934, Belgian naval officer and explorer. Sailing with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen who would later be the first to reach the South Pole, Gerlache led a scientific expedition to Antarctica in 1897–99. During the expedition his ship became trapped in ice for more than a year. Gerlache planned and executed many other scientific expeditions throughout the world, including the Persian Gulf and the Arctic.