The Maud, named for Queen Maud of Norway, was a ship built for Roald Amundsen for his second expedition to the Arctic. Designed for his intended voyage through the Northeast Passage, the vessel was specially built at a shipyard in Asker, Norway on the Oslofjord. The Maud was launched in June 1916 and christened by Roald Amundsen by crushing a chunk of ice against her bow:It is not my intention to dishonour the glorious grape, but already now you shall get the taste of your real environment.