More transportation

An FWD ice cargo carrier
Side view of the FWD.

A Tucker Sno-Cat
Another Tucker Sno-Cat
An M29 Weasel
A "Polecat"

You can't have too many penguin photos

© David Eldred

1963

Emperor Penguins on the ice, near McMurdo Station

Irony

1962

A group of adult and juvenile Adelie penguins investigate this C-47 (DC-3) at Hallett Station.

The airplane, as indicated by the bent propeller and missing windshield panels, is a derelect left in the station's equipment dump. It may have had a history of problems. The plane, Number 7 "Takahe," is shown buried in the snow in a number of photos taken in 1957 at Little America V, a temporary research station built during the first Operation Deep Freeze.

The photo captures a panoply of irony. Not only is the flightless aircraft the center of attention for a group of the worlds most celebrated flightless birds, the plane's name, "Takahe," refers to a flightless bird native to New Zealand. Whether the name was added to the fuselage in jest after the plane's final mission, or if it the original moniker was a portent of the plane's future, we may never know. Perhaps the plane's fate was sealed the day the name was painted on its nose.

The rare Takahe, of which less than 300 are now known to exist, was once thought extinct. Originally known from fossil remains, it was "rediscovered" in 1948 living in a remote region.

UPDATE!!

An eagle-eyed reader pointed me to: http://www.vaq34.com/vxe6/17163.htm. According to the site:

"R4D-5L (that's #7, Takahe) crashed Sept 15, 1959, while making a landing at Hallet Station. After the touchdown on the ice at Cape Hallet the starboard main landing gear collapsed. The plane was declared a strike because it was not economical to repair due to its age" (Air Development Squadron Six, Deep Freeze 60)

It appears name "Takahe" was the plane's original VX-6 (Air Development Squadron Six) name. -ed.

Remnant of Byrd's Camp?

© David Eldred

1962

The faceted, angular sides on this "tabular," or flat-topped iceberg were formed when it calved from the ice sheet. Ice sheets are made of layer upon layer of compressed snow that become more dense the older and further down in the 'berg they are. Like the rings of a tree, the horizontal striations in this iceberg are evidence of seasons past.

© David Eldred

1962
Little America III?

Antarctic ice shelves have a life cycle of their own, constantly growing and shrinking as sections break off, some forming huge icebergs - gigantic ice islands that have been known to float around the Antarctic waters for years. In 1962, a section of the Ross Ice Shelf broke up, splitting a portion of Admiral Richard E. Byrd's "Little America III" away from the shelf. What appears to be a structure and several objects on this iceberg may be the remains of that early exploratory outpost. It has been noted that a small iceberg with a portion of Little America III was sighted on the western edge of the Ross Sea in 1962. If so, this would be an important and historic photo.

Of course, this photo may simply show the remains of a contemporary, and temporary, scientific outpost.

Byrd's third Antarctic expedition (1939-1941) is notable, among other reasons, because of the unusual "Snow Cruiser" vehicle that accompanied the expedition. The Snow Cruiser was a low, wide, balloon-tired vehicle that was designed to drive on the Antarctic snow. Along with a crew and supplies it also carried an airplane, perched on top of the vehicle.
It was designed by a member of one of Byrd's earlier expeditions, and built by Pullman company. It was paraded through hundreds of towns on its way from the factory to the port from which it was to depart with Byrd.

Once in Antarctica, however the vehicle proved all but useless. Although it could attain forward motion on ice, the tires couldn't gain enough traction to control the speed and direction of the vehicle. In the snow, the heavy snow cruiser sank, and the tires spun helplessly. Although useless as transportation, the Snow Cruiser did serve as a first class crew headquarters. With a machine shop, galley, sleeping and working spaces that were comfortable, heated and well insulated, the cruiser may have been the first, and only, Antarctic mobile home.
When the camp was abandoned in 1941, the Snow Cruiser was left behind, stored in a special garage cut into the ice by the crew. The camp was found again in 1958 and the Snow Cruiser was reported to be safely ensconced in its ice cavern. Subsequent attempts to locate the Snow Cruiser have been unsuccessful. Some have speculated that the Russians removed the cruiser for their own investigations. More plausible theories are that it still remains in the ice, at a depths the preclude rediscovery, or that it was lost when Little America III broke up in early 1962.
But the Snow Cruiser may be awaiting rediscovery. According to an article in Polar Geography, by Ted Scambos of the National Snow and Ice Data Center,
"Analysis of a series of maps, sightings, satellite images, and aerial photos indicates that a 5 km2 section of the eastern side of the Bay of Whales containing the buried remains of several bases from the 'heroic era' of Antarctic exploration calved in early 1962. A small iceberg from this event (or closely-spaced events), with the remains of Little America III exposed in the ice face, was sighted in February 1963 near the western end of the Ross Ice Shelf front. More recent calving events, monitored by satellite images, confirm that most small icebergs generated in the eastern Ross drift westward and repeatedly impact the ice front, fragmenting as they move. This implies that a number of artifacts from the bases, such at the 1939-1940 Byrd Snow Cruiser, are likely strewn along the seabed near the 1962 ice front position. Major Ross Ice Shelf calving events of 2000 and 2002 have made much of the 1962 front area accessible to ships. Thus a search for the artifacts is technically more feasible for the next few years until shelf ice flow re-covers the area."

------------------------------

29 January, 2007, addendum:

I emailed a link to this post to several people knowledgeable in Antarctic history and geography. They took a look and replied with their thoughts on the identity of the remains on the iceberg. The executive summary? It isn't a piece of Byrd's camp.

Here's what they said:

-------------------------
Hi Mike,
While is possible that this is part of Little America III, I think it unlikely.
Most moving ice-located stations are subject to build-up over the years, and from 1941 to 1962, the Little America station would likely have been substantially buried, so when it fell off the edge of the ice-shelf, was more likely to have been part-way through the ice-berg rather than still riding on top of it.
I found this picture on the web: www.history.navy.mil/ac/exploration/deepfreeze/deepfreeze3.html a painting made in 1956 called the "ghost of little America III." This is very similar to other pictures I have seen of stations falling off the end of ice-shelves, old, abandoned and buried British Hally Bay
stations (they were replaced when too buried) and (I think) the German Filchner station. I am more familiar with conditions in the Peninsula and Weddell Sea region of Antarctica than the Ross Sea area.
I may be wrong, of course, and it is obviously an abandonded encampment of some sort, though my guess from the snow accumulation is that it is not old enough to be Little America III if it was taken in 1962.
Regards,
Paul Ward

www.coolantarctica.com

--------------------------

Mike,
I can absolutely answer your question. That photo was taken in McMurdo Sound. The hills behind the iceberg are part of Hut Point Peninsula. The high area to the right is Arrival Heights. To the far right, at the very tip, you can see Scott's 1901 hut. That's Hut Point.
The material on the iceberg is one of three things:
1) Possibly buildings and material left on the Erebus Glacier Tongue,
and part of the tongue has broken off.
2) Possibly buildings and material from Williams Field, the packed
snow skiway on the McMurdo Ice Shelf.
3) Most likely metal trash that was hauled out to the edge of the ice
shelf and left there, to wait for it to break off and float away.
(That's how garbage was disposed of in those days...)
The material is definitely NOT from Little America, as the site of that camp is thousands of miles away from where this photo was taken.
Hope this helps.
Jim Mastro

www.mastromedia.com

-------------------------------

Thanks to all who replied,

-Ed.

Glacier! USS Glacier, that is.

© David Eldred

1962

The USS Glacier plows though the ice next to the Eastwind

The USS Glacier (AGB-4) was no stranger to Antarctic waters. The Glacier participated in the first fifteen Operation Deep Freeze missions, and 1962 marked the Glacier's seventh Operation Deep Freeze. In 1966, the Glacier was turned over to the Coast Guard, becoming the USCGC Glacier. In all, the Glacier particpated in 29 Antarctic and 10 Arctic operations. It was commissioned in 1955, and decommissioned in 1987. It is currently the subject of a restoration effort by The Glacier Society www.glaciersociety.org

Landing craft

© David Eldred

1962

The Eastwind's LCVP negotiates the icy waters off Hallet Station.

LCVP means, in typical military jargon, "Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel." The LCVP was the military's ubiquitous landing vessel. From Normandy to, well, Antarctica, the amazing all-purpose vessel carried personnel, supplies, and even vehicles to and from the shore. Mostly constructed of wood, the "Higgins Boat," as it was also known, could carry up to 8,100 pounds of cargo, was propelled by a 225-hp diesel motor, and remained safe and manuverable even in moderately rough seas. By 2000, the Navy had discontinued use of all but a few LCVPs.

Antarctica's largest settlement

© David Eldred

1962

View across the sound, from McMurdo Base.

Seals

© David Eldred

1963
Seals peek through a hole in the ice near McMurdo.

Ice on deck

© David Eldred

1963

Ice sheaths the Eastwind.

Fire in the Sky

© David Eldred

1962

Somewhere between New Zealand and Antarctica.

Cruising the Sound

© David Eldred

1962
David Eldred, the photographer, on the Eastwind, McMurdo Sound

Beer on Ice

© David Eldred

1963

Like old-time sailors' daily ration of rum, beer is an essential part of crew morale.

© David Eldred

1963

A case of Waldorf Red Band Beer, brewed at Forest City Brewery in Cleveland, OH. "Beer at its best."

The Art of Ice

© David Eldred

1962
Icebergs come in a fascinating variety of shapes and sizes, depending on their age and origin. The hollow arches in this iceberg were sculpted by the relentless action of the sea pounding against the 'berg. Areas of lesser density are more easily washed away, leaving holes and hollows.

Transportation

© David Eldred

1962

Nodwell Track Truck At Mc Murdo

Vehicles in Antarctica generally rely on large balloon tires or a continuous-belt track for traction. Generally speaking, tracked vehicles can tackle a greater variety of terrain conditions. Vehicles with balloon tires provide more comfort for passengers.

Sunset on the rocks

© David Eldred

1962

The sun sets over the ice on McMurdo Sound.
The austral spring begins in September, when autumn begins in the northern hemisphere. As the austral summer nears, the south polar days get appreciably longer and nights get shorter. In late December, around Christmas, there are several days without a sunset.
Operation Deep Freeze, which runs from September to May, is timed to take advantage of the milder antarctic "summer."

Flight Operations

© David Eldred

1962

Landing on the deck of the Eastwind.

As the photo in the previous post clearly shows, the Eastwind carried two helicopters, which performed ice surveys and other functions.
This craft appears to be a Bell 47 variant.

© David Eldred

1962

A Sikorsky HO4

Eastwind

© David Eldred

1963

Another view of the Eastwind

Emperor Penguins

© David Eldred

1963

Emperor Penguins are the largest of penguin species. They have an average lifespan of about 20 years. A recent documentary, The March of the Penguins, highlighted about the birds' breeding cycle, which includes a inland march of up to 70 miles to reach their rookeries.

More McMurdo

© David Eldred

1962

McMurdo Base. Built in 1956, McMurdo was, and still is, the chief U.S. Antarctic research station. It is Antarctica's largest community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mcmurdo_station

McMurdo Base

© David Eldred

1962

The Chapel of the Snows was built in 1956 by volunteers using scrap bits and pieces from other buildings. It burned in 1978 and was replaced by a larger structure: http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/history/chapel.html