OPERATION DEEP FREEZE NEWSLETTER ------~----~-----~---~-~------Volume II, Issue No • 2 April 19, 1957 ------=------· ---~------.
BY~D 'lTAT I (N - - At this Ar~a:rcti.c station IGY scientiGts were astoniahed to find ic-3 i.::1. t:~:.-~;s:-:-e~. reacMng a d-2:I~fa cf 7 •.: 800 · to 9~ 750 feet,. The scL:mHsts believe · aE ;:hit°{f..ce r€sta onland but i": iD :-ir:,t an esti:J.blished fact ·as yet .. **** J:>!· *~:c * *** **~* *** * NAF W.C:~/iURDO - - D:.. Ldng one of !n~~ny r3com1aissance flights in the vicinity of this a ~:."'~.;a:,::;·.:.7 VInj:-.>~S; A"' A.ntos ~· USt-1lC ·of Buffalo 1 N. Y ., ·cliscove::-(!d whc.t may be an k: 1~::.~,~d ;:: );,!~.:.811.or.:1ef:<.m. Si.~~-:..--1. i~ed :;1.ea r i'.1adJle Pc int and the Wils6n ..Pi edmont Gi 2,r..:ier.he sc.Yv a hu.ge ice P.:·.:rr:.el :::n')1·e thr .n a 1nHe long.. He described it as, '~A hH:;:L-::kc tub~; t h [i.t looked as i£ a draw were frozen over the top pf a cavernous ·hollow formed by me lt e:l glader ice,." - **~***************** SOUTH PDLE .:.- Tlie lowest temp ,?:...·atQreobserve<,l thus far at t:hc S0~1th Pole is 89 df.g:rce::1h elow zero, r ecord~ -:'..on l'.. p: -::il 2 .. This temperatu:"."e exceede:l the lowest ,:j~!-c.r r f:'c
Ih g:1t 0:.1 his heels was Lt Q Sh:3ldon vV. Grinnell> N1C1 USNR, of Carbondale, Ill •. · \M;th a [f:'eat d20.l of zeal, Eo!lkala piled onto the net · and attempted to grasp one of the t ;r ippect ;.1irds; His face socm had a look of perplexity and he began to 7l ~Jnd3r ~t :his :J~rry of wir.iga and chws was going to evade his grasp., B; then hs i'.ne~Ji, that · tMs '\ivas n,fho:uing pi0eon he was dealing •with. Bnt with d1e same ty !1e cf dcte:rminatio ::.'1 that b:.n.mght him from his home in Salisbu~y, N. Ho, to the Ar;.tarctic, he ma:aaged to ca:i-)rnre the bird. The photographer on the job was Paul F. Noonan 1 photographer first class, of Boston, Mass. Vv'ithone continuous movement, :Noonan planted his camera tripod a_nd shot a scene of Sydney E ~ Green, construction driver 3/c, of Rt~ I, Colbert, Wash .., bringing a captured skua gull to l\t1r,1)Eklund so the tird could be ban~ed. - Mr. Eklund: who lives in Atlanta, Ga ., . is carrying on this operation in conjunc tion with his biological research work in-the Antarctic o The creatures of this land, like the land itself, are quite mysterious to the outside world. To study them and their habitat is part of the IGY program here. Lt. Grinnell, assisted by Garth H. Stonehocker, chief ionospheric physicist at this station, put the birds in a cardboard carton so that .they could be weighed. The gloves and heavy clothing worn by the -men in this climate serve a twofold purpose. They not -only protect them from the -c9ld but also from the flashing claws and beaks "ofthe birds • One of the last persons to reach the capture area was Richard Berkley of Winter Park, · Fla. · Berkley, a geomagnetism specialist, manned the detonator which fired the salvo • After all the birds were weighed and banded, Eklund released the birds. The bringing of the cannons and net from the U .s. had proven its merit. This shot, the first of fts kind ever made in Antarctica, had netted 13 birds. With the knowledge gained from this capture there will be more abun- dant catches in the future. · ********************** ELLSWORTH ST A TION - - A member of this . station's wintering-over party says Navy cook Edward H ~ Davis -. of Clinton, Iowa, does more for morale than all the other base personnel put together. Davis rises at 4 a.mo to prepare eqrly breakfast- and his W> rk isn't completed until 7 :30 p .m ., after the evening m_eal. He per- · forms his work six days a week with a half dny off on Sundays. Due to the ·heavy work loadg vigorous atmosphere and the tasty cooking Davis turns out, large amounts of food are being consumed at Ellsworth and the men are continually gain- ing weight • , _ Atles F. Lewis, aviation metalsmith 1/c, of Troy, N. C ., has gnined 25 pounds in five weeks , Davis estimates the men are eating one and a hiilf times their normal amount of food. They are eating mostly proteins of which their consumption is twice that of a Stateside naval base for the same number of person nel. In the way of meats, Davis is serving mostly veal and pork now because it loses its flavor fastest. He is saving the beef for last. There is enough veal, pork, chicken and liver for two more months • Then ._the fresh me~t rations will be supplemented with canned foods • Carbohydrates are being consumed one and a half times above normal • Due to the bitter cold there are a lot of coffee breaks and coffee consump tion has climbed to four times normal. Davis believes that with the · comfartable prefabricated buildings, recreation hall and nig J.tdy movies, this is a soft life compared with previous Antarctic expeditions. But he maiI3:tains he would never winter over again and in his own words, "Nothing will look better to me than home." ************************** WILKES ST A TION -- During March in the Vincennes Bay area, bay waters were still. free of packice. Scientists had begun their studies vvith comparatively little handicap due to the efficient work of Vv'ilkes wintering-over Seabees. Glacial geology and higher sea levels are being investigated on the ·windmill Island group of which Wilkes Station is a part. Heavy drifting and 10 feet of snow now cover the station. 2 LITTLE AMERICA - - Jack Frost is working overtime this year at Little America. The theme song here is "Baby lt9s Cold Outside." Average temperature during last month was 14 degrees colder than last year. Winter' is not yet here but it sure feels like it. }}.pril is. also off to ·a good start. Temperature for the first part of April reached 51 degrees below zero. •Personnel are carefully instructed on how to work in such cold weather. Weather is announced at reveille, enabling ·personnel f o dress accordingly. ·when Working together, ·they watch each othet for signs of frostbite nnd other cold weather injury. The men welcome coffee breaks which relive them from extepded exposure. An appendectomy was successfully performed last week byLt. Pat B. Unger, MC, USNR, of Miami, Fla., on Allen E. Pracht,-- builder 3/c, of Pittsburgh, Pa. Assisting Dr. Unger were Lt. (jg) Robert J ~ Adams, DC, USNR, of .Memphis, Tenn., Fred A. Milan, physiologist of Andover, Mass.,_ Korean combat veteran . Harold E. Butler, hospitalman 1/c, of East St. Louis.- Ill,. and Charles W. Jenkins, . hospitalman 3/c, of Gig Harbor, Wash ·. . Pracht is reported to be convalescing well after the operatioii~ · Flashing his usual smile, he said, 11 It's a relief to have the ·pain ·go~e. I hope to be
back on the J; ob so·on • " . . · ' . The first session of the Little America Senate ..convened recently e This
group, part of a special services organization 1 consists of nine senators dected by and fr.om station personnel. The purpose of the senate is to afford all hands an opportunity through elected representatives t9 express to the command aI1y ~omments or suggestions about various aspects of the community life. :The group also generates plausible ideas and plans with special attention toward recreation and education • Senn.tors· are: Hugh F. Bennett, seismologist of Chippewa Falls, Wis.; Richard L, Chappell, science aide (Eagle ·Scout) of Eggertsviiie, N. Y .; S. L11Coyn~~ construction driver 3/c, Piqua, Ohio; K. A. Elliott, construction driver 1/c, of Lancaster, Pa.; C. _W. Jenkins, hospitalrrian · 3/c, of Gig Harbor, \Vash..; W .--F. Kraµt, _ radioman 1/c, of Bridgeport, ·conn -.; A. E. · Pracht, builder 3/c, of Pitts burgh, Pa·.; G. H. Stewart, aviation machinist's mate 2/c~ of !\/linneapolis, Minn.; and Earl Tracy; aviation electrician's .mate 1/c, of Granada Hills, . Calif. Patterned after the federal government of big America, the Little . America. special services also includes a cabinet, supreme court and ·.president. The cabinet is c.omposed of five appointed persons headed by ·Special' ~ervices Officer LCDR R. E. Hancock:1 SC, USN, of-Alexandria, Va. Others are ·chaplnfn Zoller, Medical Officer Lt. Unger, and VX-6 member Lt. R~ G. Anderson of Alameda, Calif. The Supreme Court has three justices: Chief Justice is LCDR H. J. Orndorff, USNR, of Nutterfort, W. Va., Offlcer in Charge of Little America; bCDR J. E. Waldron, Ji;., USNR; of New Orleans, La., Officer in Charge of VX-6; and A'! P. Grary, Deputy Chief Scientist, of Oakford, · ·pa:.· Purpose of the supreme court is to provide counsel of command heads in matters pertaining to-general good and order and to approve or disapprove recommendations and initiate action corres pQnding that whi~h the commanding officer would make. The President is Capt. W. M; Dickey, USN, :of ·Rusk, Tex., Commander Naval Support Units, Antarctica. He reviews nll acts of tlie lo\ver b~clies •· · In a small - _ way, with certain modifications, special services operates asa miniature Amer ican government. It stimulates interest and provides good training in democracy. ~•********************** 3 ALL BASES -- Capt. Dickey reports from his t,"ittle America headqut1rters that radi.o reports -from all .U. S • Antarctic bas~s states health and morale excellent. In a request from the stations for items for ships to bring down on Deep Fr11eze III, ping pong balls and sun _lamps are big items • . **i***************** LITTLE AIVIBRICA-- The chapel-lforary at this station, to be ,.called the "Richard E. Byrd Memorial Chapel, ," has been erect~d and awaits only the arr~val of Easter to be officially dedicated. ******************** ELLSWORTH STATION - - The responsibility of maintenance and repair ofhea vy duty 0-4 and D-8 tractors here rests largely lti)ll one man, Walter L~ Davis, construction mechanic 1/c, of Benton City, Mo. He is the only Navy _mechanic here and has. six Cate;rpillar tractors and six "weasels" to keep in opera _tion. One of his major jobs on the vehicles so far has been getting them started ·in the 36 degree below zero weather • ' The 12-year veteran of Okinawa, Europe and Africa has served as a heavy equipment ~echanic and is especially suited for the vigorous Antarctic ext:i;emes, haying served in Greenland. A typical day for Davis consists of supplying three buildings with -snow which is melted fato water. He accomplishes this by scooping up the snow with a D-3 tractor and dumping it on the roofs of the buildings • Then if the vehicle is in need oftepair he tac~lre that. If_not he continues on construction and maintenance of the base. He also. maintains and repairs the
diesel electric generators that supply the base with electricity o Davis is looking forward to the end of the long An~arctic winter night and _the return to. the United States. He would like a tour of recruiting duty. In his own words, "one y2ar do·..vn here is long · enough." .· ************************ BYRD ST ATION - - Time goes fa~t in the .Antarctic and days are hard to keep up with. Sometimes t,O much that men even forget ·their ow_n birthdays, as in the case of "Unde_"-Jack R. Penrod, builder 3/c, of Wetunka, . Olda. He entered the ~ess hall for h nch April 4 .after doing some extra work that happened to come up and made h!·~-na few minut~s late. · Stati6n cook, Robert D. Marsh, commissarymari 1/c,\ of Nick ~c--Nni P2.., h&d known about h5.s bir ~h.day fo:- some time and had been making . arrang< • 1:-1ents v_:hlch Jacluded a large devn 's food cake with white icing and choco late le t·;:i::ring " One candle was set etop an empty medici-ne bottle in the center of the totl e anJ sing i:i,g by all hands t1elped create the proper atmosphere for
the occ nsi on o Go:;:-;l~n &~bay, r adioman 1/c, of Union Gap, \Vash ., W. E. Lowe, radioman 1/c, of Deca~:ur, UL , and W. Do Welchr- electronics technician 3/c, of Atlanta, Ga.~ - worked D.ost of the ,week in te mper Dtures a:, low 3.S 68 degrees below zer ·o to c-0n- struct V/8 lch 's pet p:t0Je.ct, a-rhomtI:: ante nna fm:· our -amateur radio ~ The an - ten.na W? B cott pleted &nd is !DW receiving some very good signal reports from StatesidG ama!curs. The Byrd Station Choir, compos8d of C. E. Reynolds, construction electrician
1/c, of ·wnmin~~on, Del.; D, D. Bb haugh> construction mechanic 3/c 1 of Ursina, Pa.; J. R. Penrod, buflder 3/ .~~ of Vv'etum ::a:i Ok!a .; R. D. Marsh, commissaryman 1/c of N~r..ktown., Pa.; ar.d \Ves Mon-is, IGY met v ):.:-ologist, of Sault Ste .. Marie, Mich., 2.t the p:ano, made its first p:1blic a:;,peare.nce at Sunday religious ser- vices and pro ve d a great s~ cess. · Quite a few auroral displays have been seen here lately; but the{ most sig nificant one was sighted by Edward A. Alf, Meteorologist, of Apple Valley, Calif., while making late evening weather observations • Everyone was awed by its 4 ghos\tly beauty. It looked light green to very pa_le red, and ran roughly north and south, making _slqw ~aving m·otions. ********************* LirT~~ AMERI.CA -:~ ''Operation Incubator '•• t:lO'Y: belongs to the ages. Lt. (jg) Robert J. Adams, DC. USN~, bf Memphis, Tenn., has announced that all hope for the six New ZeaJand eggs selected for incubation has 'been abandoned. :F~_nal cnadling reveai'ed no growth sinc :e. last week. . The project provided fun during leisure time and an interesting diversion , fro 'm .duty. Dr. Ad~rns. commcnteq, "In e~ery man there remains a tr~ce . of the little J?oy• . ·Perpaps this helps ·expiam why husky Seabees, . after doing a hard days work, enjoyed trying to raise live chicks for Easter, We appreciate the interest ~nd g9od wishes from . OUJ; ,many .friends in the States, anct -regret the project was unsuccessful." .
************************- - - • • . t Ni\F: ;M~MURDO -- (April 16) ~~iApproach o~ the Antarcti~ night and shortened day light ~ave . restricted outdoor work, . and a recreation program is in effect for whaiev .er leisure time is available • . · · - }· . ' ·. . An enlisted recreation councH was formed and includes Louis R. Maher, chief electronics technician, o't Olathe, Kan.; Richard D. Harden, chief air controlman, Forth Worth, Tex.; Donald E. filackenship, builder 1/c, Highland, Calif.; _Marcus Riley, construction driver 1/c, of Danville, Ill.; John E. ~Custer, machinery · repa.JrI?~n 1/c, of Springfield, Ill.; Henry J. Deeks, constrtlction mechanic 1/c, _of Jslinmo~, Mass.; Joseph J. Malla, construc~ion electrician 2/c, Detroit, Mich.; Affred J. Swetokos, aviation machinist's mate 3/c, Flushing, N. Y .; and Richard C. Martjn, aviat,ion electronic technician 3/c, Mem_phis, Tenn. , The initiative of the .c.ouncil.and .th~ .willin~ess of the men result in a well-ro:unded program. Off duty volunteers have converted a building into a - :recreation hall, complete with .ping pong tables; pool •. shuffleboard, reading loung~ _and music. · , : ._1 : ~ empty quonset hut was made into a gym through the ingenuity of Robert L. Farnam, aviation electrician•~ mate 1/c, of Lewiston, Id~ho;Jamcs K. Kenn~dy, aviation electronics technician ,3ic, Cortland, N. Y .; Moses ,L. Vigil, Jr -,, aviation machinist's mate 2/c, Denver, Colo.; Kenneth L. Alkio, aviation elec tronics _technician 2/c, Eureka, Calif.; and Estile ,G. Miller, airman, of Besoco, Vf..Va. .The gym features weight lifting apparatus, ~ats. and . a steam bath box operated though a series of coils and an overhead drum. Marshall F. "RockyllJones, · photographer 1/c, of Van Nuys, ,Calif., _ ~onducts · a photography class twice weekly -after movies. About 20 men .sacrifice -sleeping time to becom~ be~ter shutter bugs • t Edward C .. Schenketh, parachute rigger 1/c, of Flushing, N. Y ., worked long /hours to convert an Atwell tent into a hobby shop, stocked with i>Qilding mater- ials, kits and .models. . Other activitjes include movies, weekly bingo, · and a one-hour Saturday even ing spcta~l- ·Each week's program is supplied by the· occupants of the respective Im~~,• Last Satupcay the officers performed courageously as the "Kool Kats-!-'and p~e.senied a unique program with self-made costumes and repetitive music--they only knew ~o songs. ************************ . ).t.'- SOUTH POLE -- (Delayed) -- In the ever lessening twilight, • two weeks after sunset and the beginning of the winter night, limited outside work $till continues 5 at this isolate station. The temperatures, which has been consistently decreasing, rose during the day from minus 87 in the early morning to an unseasonably warm. minus 59 at midnight. Winds increased from 13 knots to 26 knots, with gusts up to 31 knots • A further rise of both temperatures and winds is anticipated, also a greater amount of blowing snow. As the sun circles the Pole at approximately 6 degrees below the horizon, the earth's shadow is seen as a portion of black semicircle along the hori~on opposite the sun's azimuth, and the Antarctic at twilight remains uniform during - a 24 hour period. The first stars appeared March 31 and now are seen in increas ing numbers • At low temperatures exhaled breath emits a characteristic crackling raai like steam escaping from an open valve and creates light fog throughout the tunnels. Outside work of any type is increasingly difficult as temperatures drop. Altitude (approximately 9, 200 feet) c:\uses more rapi~ breathing than normal when he.:'.vy work is being done . Cold air buru ... the throat and _chest ne_cessitating a shorter pace with frequent breaks to \.:atch your breath and resume normal breath ing. The main tunnel at the South Pole station will be approximate! y 12 feet bene.ath the surface, six feet wide and eight feet high, with branch tunnels off the sides at regular intervals • Appron,mately 150 cubic feet of snow is requireq each day to. be melted for drinking wat~r aµd other uses. The snow will be man-hauled from now on due to the fact that cqld weather precludes ; the use of tractors or weasels for hauling it • ·' All vehicles are in hibernation for the winter. · · ·· . · . . i . . . . - . . . . . Despite the seemingly bleak aspect of our present environment, it is one of constant interest to all. Even in minus 80 degree weather, personnel have been able · to v./ork outside for up to three hours at a stretch without .undue discomfort. - Time .passes quickly arid morale continues to be high in anticipation of a success fu~ yea_r. \ **!...~******************************* ELLSV.'ORTH STATION -- The air support for IGY activities here isbeing ' accomplished \vith two DeHav~and Otter aircraft and one HO4S helicopter. · Here again in the great Antarctic continent~ responsibilitie~ must fall up<;ma few. · Such is the case of Atles F'. · Lewis, aviation machinist's mate 1/c, of .· Troy~ N. c. Lewis is one of only two flight mechanics for the Otter aircraft · stationed here. In Antarctica each flight requires _the flight mee-hanic to spend approximately three hours wo~~ing on the aircraft prior to take-off. The facil iti~s with ·which to wo_rJ( a.r~ few, ..c¥ld ._ each plane must have the snow brushed from it, th~: ice melted, th¢ engiri~ '..'·pr'e- .'1~~te.cl ~nd.' iii~.fuel for _the most part pumped . . by· ~artd, in addit~~n,to giving .·:a;egular · engine _checks ,. , .·.. Although many ifligh~s ,~av~ be'~n (!own aiieady~ .the .main support _program will -~egin in September, during tJle next flD.t_arctic spring. With the pla~~s ~afely put ·away from the winter months, Lewis will be bus-y setting up shop and helping sep~rate supplies stored iµ t~~ aviation building. . . . _ . , _: -·~: . _ In October Lewis' present enl_ist~nt will .expir~, and he wiHbe the · fii:st man _to reenlist here. He has alreadi decided on the next duty he desires • .._First he wants to go to flight engineers · school arid then to Hawaii for duty as a flight engineE:r on a Super Constellation • *********.*******
6 LITTLE A~/IERICA - - This Station intends to secure its helicopter for the winter due to the frigid weather. All aircraft have been put away for the winter except one Otter and one R4D. Construct icn of Kiel airfield antenna farm is underway. Health and morale at Little Ameri s2 is excellent. On~.y25 per cent of the cargo deposited on the ice barrier by DF l:; supply ships stiil remains there. The other 75 per cent has been safely tr r.nsported to the Station. ******~******************** ELLS WORTH STATION -- Items at!d amounts, food-wise, for the wintering-over party here hav e been satisfactory with few exceptions, It is recommended, though,. that in fLc future there be less rabbit, prunes, rhubarb, collard greens, and frankfurters, and more popcorn. · New items recommended for next year's wintering party include fresh frozen carrots, dill pickles, canned honey, chocolate chips, dehydrated cabbage, glazed citron peel, and vanilla extract tablets .- A few utensils and table-ware items that n i.git be useful are serving forks and spoons, one bolt of turkish toweling,, doughnut cutters, 96 boxes of tooth picks, three dozen ash trays, and 50 Christmas menus.
**** ****** **** **** Operation Deep Freeze Newsletter Commander, U .s. Naval Support Volume II, No. 2 -- April 19, 1957 Force, Antarctica Room 214, Bldg. D. 6th & Independence Ave., SW Phone Llberty 5-6700, Ext. 66675 v.'ashington 25, D. C.
Duplicated and distributed by: Commander Naval Construction Battalions, Atlantic Construction Battalion Center Davisville, Rhode Island