NOBILE, UMBERTO (1885- ), Italian explorer, was born at Avellino. He was educated at the Naples Polytechnic, and became an engineer. Later he obtained a post in the railway department of the ministry of public works in Rome. As a result of plans for airship construction made by him, he was given a post in the war ministry, and was entrusted with the construction of the airship "Roma," with the assistance of Uselli. His airship, the "Norge," was used for the flight with Amundsen to the Pole, in May 1926, when a landing was made at Teller, Alaska. Nobile was promoted to the rank of general, was made a marquis and appointed a professor at the Naples Technical College. A controversy subsequently arose both with Lincoln Ellsworth and Amundsen with reference to the credit for leader ship of the expedition. In May 1928 Nobile set out on a second expedition to the North Pole, in the airship "Italia," but shortly after passing over the Pole on May 24, 1928, the airship crashed on the ice (May 25). The gondola and main cabin were smashed,
and the 1 o men in them thrown out on the ice. Seven of the party were carried away with the balloon, and were never traced. On May 3o, three of the party, Malmgren, Mariano and Zappi, set out on foot, hoping to reach Cape North. After their departure on June 9, the remainder of the expedition managed to establish wireless communications with rescue parties, and on June 23 Nobile was rescued by an aeroplane belonging to the Swedish expedition. The six men remaining with the party were rescued. Mariano and Zappi were located on July 12, by the Russian airman Tchuknovsky. Malmgren (q.v.) died near Brock Island.
Nobile was found responsible for the loss of the "Italia" by an Italian Commission of Enquiry in 1929 and resigned his rank in consequence.