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Home , Byrd Station, Ellsworth Station, Flat Top (Coats Land), Operation Deep Freeze, Time in Antarctica, Wilkes Station

December 25, 2005

Scientists seek to label whale species By Steven Profaizer Sun staff Patches of pure white splashed on an inky black body. Two-meter-tall dorsal fin slicing through the water’s surface. An attraction at SeaWorld. A pack hunter with cunning intelligence and stunning power. The killer whale, or orca, is one of the most universally known animals in the world. They are also one of the most wide- spread mammals, second only to humans, and inhabit all of the world’s oceans. Yet scientists are still working to deter- mine how many species of killer whales exist. Only one species is currently rec- ognized, but many people, including researcher Robert Pitman, believe there may be two additional species among the estimated 20,000 to 80,000 killer whales that inhabit waters. Pitman is far from the first to believe this: Soviet 5 Union whalers in the early 1980s first Deep Freeze turns 0 observed the killer whales’ differences in diet, preferred habitat and coloring. He By Emily Stone does, however, hope to be part of the team Sun staff that finally solves the mystery. Al Hisey spent one of his first nights at McMurdo Station by accident. Pitman, of the National Oceanic and It was 1955, and he was ferrying supplies by tractor from Navy ships across the Atmospheric Administration, led a team sea ice of McMurdo Sound to the spot on Ross Island where the station was being to last year on a two-week mis- built. During one of the first trips, there was a major break in the ice between the sion that used sophisticated technology to fledgling station and the ships. The 10 or so men on shore had to hunker down for hopefully gather enough information to a few days while the ship repositioned itself, Hisey said. finally solve the killer whale controver- They needed extra food. So the men walked into Robert F. Scott’s hut nearby to sy. They used several methods, including look for supplies. Hisey, then 22, remembers that the Cadbury chocolate was still See DNA page 17 good. “When we went up to the hut, we knew we were the first ones to be there in a long time,” he said. Quote of the Week It has been a similarly long time since Hisey and his fellow Navy men were here. In fact, Scott’s trip to the was a less distant “Don’t laugh. It’s McMurdo memory to those men than their trip to McMurdo is to us today. Christmas shopping.” This month marks the 50th anniversary of Operation Deep — Man at the store with a basketful of soda Freeze’s arrival in Antarctica. Deep Freeze I, which is how the and snacks chosen as gifts for local friends. See NAVY on page 8

INSIDE See related stories inside: Monitoring mountains Little America V is constructed, then abandoned, page 9 Page 3 The IGY spurs modern Antarctic program, page 11 Polie couture Time line of events since Deep Freeze, page 8 Page 7 AntarcticSun.usap.gov 2 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 Performing with a purpose

Cold, hard facts USAP ships Lawrence M. Nathaniel B. Jena Ferrarese Gould (LMG) Palmer (NBP) plays the bas- soon at the Type : Research Research 10th annual & supply & Women’s Soiree at McMurdo Builder: North American Station. This Shipbuilding year, the event raised more than $3,200 for Breast Made: 1997 1992 Cancer Support Services of the Length: 70 m 94 m Caterbury/West Coast Division Breadth: 14 m 18 m of the Cancer Society of . LMG installed power: 4,575 horse- power from two Caterpillar 3606 diesels

NBP installed power: 12,720 horse- power from four Caterpillar diesels

The NBP circulates a water-anti- freeze mixture under working decks to prevent freezing and ice build-up. Source: Raytheon Polar Services Co. Rachel Murray / Special to The Antarctic Sun

The Antarctic Sun is funded by the Level 1 Comix Matt Davidson National Science Foundation as part of the Antarctic Program (OPP-000373). Its primary audience is U.S. Antarctic Program participants, their families, and their friends. NSF reviews and approves material before publication, but opinions and conclusions expressed in The Sun are not necessarily those of the Foundation. Use: Reproduction and distribution are encouraged with acknowledgment of source and author. Senior Editor: Emily Stone Editors: Steven Profaizer, Peter Rejcek Copy Editors: Rob Ford, Bill Jirsa, Rob Jones, Traci Macnamara, Melanie Miller, Hilary Oliver, Erin Popelka Publisher: Valerie Carroll, Communications manager, RPSC Contributions are welcome. Contact The Sun at [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit our office in Building 155 or dial 2407. Web address: AntarcticSun.usap.gov December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 3 TAMDEF data may redefine ice models By Peter Rejcek Sun staff In Mike Willis’ world, the earth below the Antarctic ice sheet Geoff Linnell is positively dynamic, pulling apart and rising up at tremendous repositions speed. a chock-ring Of course, Willis measures geological movement in milli- waveguide antennae on meters along a stretch of the . At four Deverall Island millimeters a year, the uplifting of the ground, mostly caused Nov. 15. A net- by the recession of the ice sheet, might not seem like a lot. But work of Global watching the earth literally bounce back into shape as the weight Positioning of the ice decreases could help researchers better predict how System receiv- future sea levels may rise. ers in the “Sea level is rising faster than we understand it should be,” Transantarctic Mountains explained Willis, a graduate student at Ohio State University’s is providing Byrd Polar Research Center. “Where is that water coming from? important data As yet, that’s a mystery.” to scientists To unlock that mystery, scientists in a project called studying the Transantarctic Mountain DEFormation, or TAMDEF, are using horizontal and a network of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to track vertical move- the vertical (uplifting) and horizontal (rifting) movement of the ment of the continent. continent. Over the last decade, they’ve installed high-quality geodetic rock pins into exposed bedrock across a quarter of a million Kathleen M. Heideman / Special to The Antarctic Sun square kilometers of the mountains and on several islands to the east, in the vicinity of McMurdo Sound and the . The “It is pulling itself apart,” Willis said. “It’s really, really obvi- pins mark the spots where the GPS antennae are placed each ous. … What’s surprising is that half of the rifting is on land and field season. The receivers are left on site for up to 90 days, con- half offshore.” tinually recording the points’ positions. The data is compared to A rift is a place where the Earth’s crust and lithosphere, which previous years to detect the amount and direction of movement. consists of the crust and upper mantle, are being pulled apart. About 10,000 years ago, there was a lot more ice on top of This horizontal movement is much easier for researchers to mea- Antarctica during what’s referred to as the last glacial maxim. sure compared to the vertical rebound, according to Willis. In , including the McMurdo Sound area, the ice The main reason why the vertical change is so difficult to surface was about 700 meters higher than at present, according measure is the orbit of the GPS satellites, Willis said. For hori- to Willis. Far more static, has lost less than 100 zontal movement, you get measurements from all directions (360 meters over the last 10 millennia, Willis said. degrees around the point you are measuring from). Scientists generally focus on “the problem child” of West “For vertical measurements, the Earth blocks half of that Antarctica, where are calving. But Willis said East circle, so you only get measurements from the hemisphere above Antarctica is also losing ice mass. Though the loss is smaller, the ground — an arc of 180 degrees,” Willis explained. “In it can’t be ignored due to the area’s sheer size, he explained. In Antarctica, you don’t even get that because the satellites skirt so fact, based on TAMDEF’s data, it’s likely that it was only 5,000 low across the sky, only achieving a maximum elevation of 65 years ago when ice started to disappear from the larger area east degrees from the horizon. of the Transantarctic Mountains. “Therefore it is harder to get a vertical solution as you’re only “It does look like there was a more recent ice withdrawal from getting about half the data to work with.” East Antarctica than most people suspected,” he said. Another challenge is that the horizontal movement has This is the last year of TAMDEF’s second field campaign. definite points to measure against, versus the vertical movement Between 1996 and 2000, researchers made their initial forays where the point of reference is not so obvious. into the mountains as well as onto islands like Beaufort and “Where is zero? Is it at the Earth’s core?” Willis said about Franklin in the Ross Sea. Over the last three years, they’ve gone trying to determine a baseline against which to measure how far much farther south and now have equipment occupying about the continent is rising. 35 sites. There are also several continuously running observa- While the vertical question of glacial rebound is harder to tion points, which they can monitor from the states throughout answer, it is more vital in terms of sea level rise. What the the year. TAMDEF group is finding is that traditional models of what The team spent the first part of this season making helicopter the Antarctic ice sheet looked like 10,000 years ago do not sync trips to their sites to set up equipment. Thanks to advances in with its data. For example, where the ice sheet was believed to technology since the first TAMDEF campaign, the GPS receiv- be thicker, the data supports a thinner slice of ice based on the ers can operate with less power but collect far more data. That amount of glacial rebound. means they can run unattended for much of the austral summer. “We’re actually testing these models as we go along,” he said. The TAMDEF team will return in January to recover their equip- The ice models are used to predict sea level change. If the ment. They will then spend the next 18 months crunching the models change, then those predictions will change as well, Willis data. noted. How changing the ice models will affect sea level rise Willis said he expects his group — led by Principal Investigator predictions is uncertain right now. But Willis said he’s not ready Terry Wilson, also of Ohio State University — will publish some to invest in oceanfront property in Florida any time soon. groundbreaking conclusions. Topping the list: TAMDEF scientists are certain that the NSF-funded research in this story: Terry Wilson, Ohio State University, Antarctic plate is rifting, contrary to other theories. http://www.geology.ohio-state.edu/TAMDEF/ 4 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005

Perspectives Perspectives Missing the scent of the season By Rich Jeong Special to the Sun I’ve been on the Ice for a little more than two months, and it’s time to stop and smell the roses. That can be pretty complicated here in Antarctica, as it has been a long time since any summer worker has smelled a rose. This is the first time in my life I’ve been so deprived of smell. I started thinking about smells after hearing Lonnie Clayton’s talk about his experiences at McMurdo 50 years ago with . He referenced a memory he had of sailing across the sea and being able to smell life as he got near the coast of New Zealand. The thought of being able to smell life has stuck with me as I keep catching whiffs of smells I miss from home, like lavender, sage, and espe- cially pine. If we were at home in the States during the Christmas season, we’d be walking in and out of stores or houses where wreaths and pine trees would abound. In McMurdo, we’ve got decorations going up, like fake Christmas trees with great ornaments and fake wreaths with garland and decorations. Photos by Steven Profaizer / The Antarctic Sun There’s definitely something missing Rich Jeong sniffs the fake Christmas tree in the galley, searching for the scent of pine. The when you don’t have a log burning in the holiday season has reminded him of all the many scents missing from Antarctica. fireplace, a Christmas tree aglow in lights and candles, and Christmas dinner in the But it is the holiday season, and we exist just get things like cleansers, sweat, deodor- oven. without smells like pine. No trees grow ant, dirty coats, stale offices and cigarettes. Of course the chefs here prepare a bril- here. We have no dogs; we have no grass. What Mactown misses is the basic scent liant meal for the holidays, and even day to There is nothing alive but humans, some of life. We have to resort to our memories day we are treated to the pleasant smells put plants in the greenhouse, a few skuas, and of things like the smell of a dog, a blade out by the hard- undoubtedly lots of grass, a blooming tree, a garden, or rich, working people of bacteria that warm soil. It’s a tough gig when you’ve in the kitchen. like the cold. missed it for so many weeks. This is prob- But it is the holiday Sure it’s the Antarctica is a desert of snow, ice, and ably our olfac- windiest, driest, lava rock — where the dry air saps every- tory savior. It is season, and we exist coldest and most thing of water, and the cold and six months always interest- lifeless continent of darkness inhibit most life. The smells that ing to walk next without smells like pine. on Earth, but it we bring with us in bottles, cans, food and to Building 155 never dawned on air fresheners, along with that of snow and and get a sense me when I signed wind, are what are possible here. of what the next on to come to Sure we might get smells of the sea when meal might contain. At night, you can get McMurdo that I wouldn’t smell much of the ice breaks up, but for now, when we the smell of freshly baked bread and some- anything pleasant for about 130 days. smell sage, red pepper, lavender, or even times you can tell when night shift workers We take smells for granted in the civi- someone who’s put a bit of cologne on, it’s are having fried chicken. The kitchen gives lized world, where on any given day your a shock to the system. It’s a bright spot in us life in food and triggers memories of the nose could try on a thousand different this smell-deprived bubble we live in on this world beyond this beautiful landscape. smells. McMurdoites, on the other hand, harsh island. December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 5

around the continent

bring the holiday cheer to a place far from SOUTH POLE home. There will be a traditional dinner on Christmas Eve split up over three seat- Summer brings changes ings to accommodate the entire population, and many departmental gatherings have By Mike Mulvihill happened all over station. On Christmas South Pole Correspondent morning, there is the much anticipated The end of the calendar year is fast Race Around The World, a three-kilome- approaching, and it’s hard to believe that ter long, three-lap race around the Pole the summer season has already past the that is sure to be the highlight of the halfway point. weekend. Participants will join in on foot, Seeing the transformation of the sta- skis, snowmobiles or any other mode of tion from the beginning of the season to transportation they can get their hands on. what it looks like now is quite remarkable, A nice weekend of festivities and fun will and it’s obvious that all the hard work that get Polies ready to head into the second happens around here is paying off. There half of their season rested and ready to fin- are some major changes happening to the ish the projects ahead. station’s landscape, and walking outside each day offers a different view than the night before. PALMER Enormous piles of snow get moved around from place to place by the heavy Tom Lohr / Special to The Antarctic Sun equipment operators as part of a plan to Jodi Dobson rolls out some cookie dough Greetings from space allow for buildings to be moved and con- Dec. 21 in the dining hall of the South Pole Station. Program participants at all three struction to continue. Where there once stations have filled their weeks with holiday By Kerry Kells was a pile of snow, now there is a smooth, activities. Palmer Correspondent raised pad and a great new home on higher The past week we contacted another ground for the Cryo facility, cargo offices outlet for Polie creativity. group working on science at an isolated and their do-not-freeze storage. The place With the warmer temperatures, outdoor station. where the buildings were is now filled in. recreation has picked up and Polies are get- Our satellite communications technician, Instead of a valley, there is a smooth tran- ting outside more often. McMurdo instruc- Chuck Kimball, contacted the International sition into the surrounding areas. tors have come to Pole for the past three Space Station via ham radio on Dec. 17. Looking out toward the dome is prob- weekends and given folks an opportunity Expedition 12, as the current U.S. Space ably where one of the most noticeable to get off station and learn how to camp Station crew is known, is run by American changes is occurring. Like a giant silver and survive in extreme environments. The Commander William McArthur, a retired submarine, the bio-med arch is slowly hearty souls who took the class learned army colonel, and Russian Flight Engineer making its way out of the frozen tomb that valuable skills that will surely be remem- and Sovuz commander Valery Tokarev, a has encased it for so long. Each day we bered, like erecting a Scott tent and build- Russian Air Force colonel. get to see a little more of its curved shape ing a snow shelter. Expedition 12 launched on Sept. 30. The emerge. The mountains of snow that get There is also a freshly groomed ski loop mission is set to run for six months, and the pulled away from it and moved around to venture out on, football games being NASA website mentions that Expedition 12 allow us to view the dome entrance and played — both American and Kiwi style will focus on preparations for space station the connecting arches as they were when — and a general desire to be outside and assembly, maintenance, education and sci- they were fully above ground. enjoying the polar sunshine. ence in microgravity, Earth observation and Continuing to pan around the land- The other obvious event that comes other scientific experiments. scape, we see quite a few large snow boul- at year’s end is Christmas. It is a pretty Chuck made an attempt at 3:34 p.m. ders hanging around summer camp. These big event at Pole, and it promises to be local time to contact them by VHF ham boulders are just waiting for an artist to an enjoyable weekend. People are baking radio. The first attempt was unsuccessful. come and sculpt new life into them, as an pies and exchanging gifts in an effort to See CONTINENT on page 6

the week in : McMurdo Station South Pole Station Max Temp: 37F / 3C High: 41F / 5C High: -1F / -18C Min Temp: 20F / -7C Low: 25F / -4C Low: -15F / -26C Min Wind Chill: -15F / -26C Max. sustained wind: 14 mph / 22 kph Peak wind: 19 mph / 31 kph Max Sustained Wind: 37 mph / 59 kph Precipitation: 0mm Max. Physio-altitude: 3,162m 6 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 Operations had to be suspended over- From page 5 night Dec. 14 due to repairs on the turbo Continent on one of the engines, which went down At 5:08 p.m., we made our second and final around 10 p.m. attempt for the day, and Palmer Station suc- The great news of the day came with the cessfully contacted the International Space reception of the most recent RADARSAT Station. We spoke with McArthur for about image of the area: it looks as if our first five minutes. He is a frequent user of the and biggest , A-52, is now free of space station’s ham radio equipment and Clarence Island, on which it seemed to be is attempting to gain a ham radio certifi- stranded early into the cruise. cate for working ham stations on all seven We decided to head back to A-52 the continents. next evening. He spoke about their supply ship (and Both engines were back up in the wee the oxygen supplies on board), the sci- hours of Dec. 15. ence under way and also acknowledged the The day started with deployment of the commonality of a “hostile environment” in CTD with the dreaded hose for deep trace both Antarctica and space. Due to the space metal sampling, followed by deployment station’s orbit, Palmer Station is the only of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) U.S. Antarctic station far enough north to late in the morning. “see” the station for ham radio contact. The ROV carried an improvised net Our Wednesday night science lecture mounted to the front of its frame to scrape was presented by John Dacey, with the underwater organisms off the iceberg, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in which was successful. Massachusetts. Dacey is at Palmer study- Courtesy of Jess Walker / Special to The Antarctic Sun Close to midnight on Dec. 17, we ing the volatile sulfur gas, dimethylsul- This map shows the progress and current deployed the Biosonics sonar to try to fide (DMS), which makes up about half of location of this year’s icebreaker, the Krasin, image the subsurface area of the iceberg as it rounds Ross Island. The ship should with mixed results. the total non-anthropogenic sulfur flux to make it here on or before Dec. 28. After the the atmosphere. DMS is also oxidized into We kept the Biosonics sonar deployed Krasin leaves, the tanker should arrive on overnight. After more CTD casts, a suc- compounds that tend to form aerosol par- Jan. 15 and will be followed by the arrival ticles. By doing so, they may reflect incom- of the freighter on Jan. 24. cessful deployment of the ROV was com- ing sunlight and cool the Earth. Ninety pleted in the morning, followed by another percent of the global DMS flux is emitted tow with the MOC-10 with the towfish in from the ocean. the water simultaneously. The day ended Dacey also spoke about his experience SHIPS with deep (1500 meter) CTD casts in the on the Polarstern in the western Weddell evening. Sea. The 11-week cruise last summer had three main research components centered LMG NBP on the melting and spring breakup of sea Compiled from reports Compiled from reports ice. by Stephanie Suhr by Harold ‘Skip’ Owen We have also seen the return of the sea Marine Projects coordinator Marine Projects coordinator ice around station. This has hindered sci- We recovered the 10-meter Multiple We departed Lyttelton, NZ, on Dec. ence in the field. Science in the labs contin- Opening/Closing Net and Environmental 18, one day behind schedule. The delay ued with available samples. Rounding out Sampling System (MOCNESS or MOC- was agreed upon with the chief scientist to our week were holiday preparations. Next 10) on Dec. 12, followed by two conduc- ensure all inbound cargo was received and week we will see the return and departure tivity, temperature and depth (CTD) casts all scientists were able to fully set up and of the Laurence M. Gould. and pumping for trace metal samples. check out systems prior to departure.

Who’s your favorite Antarctic hero or explorer and why?

“Amundsen, “Douglas “Zorac of Mars. because he rarely Mawson. It’s his UFO at gets the credit he Anybody who can the South Pole. deserves for hav- put his feet back He is the galaxy’s ing made it to the together and most underrated South Pole first.” keep on going — explorer.” that’s hardcore.”

Chuck Kimball, Josh Roney, Tom Lohr, Palmer satellite com- McMurdo firefighter South Pole HR/Finance munications technician from Espanola, N.M., specialist from from Glenwood Springs, first season Jane Lew, W. Va., Colo., seventh season first season December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 7 On Your Head Polies don’t put a cap on their self-expression

By Tom Lohr as a dining room attendant. Her job South Pole correspondent is to keep the polar population sup- Choices for personal expression plied in sparkling and hygienic din- are rather limited at the South Pole. nerware. Accessorizing is the key to Clothing, the venue for person- keeping Gryting in style: her white ality propagation in much of the gloves gracefully complement the United States, becomes problematic colorful kerchief that makes her the in the Antarctic climate. A pair of fashion envy of the kitchen crew. brightly colored Keds high-tops will It is a little known fact that scien- Adam Rein broadcast much about your inner tific brains must be kept at optimal being, but does little to keep the operating temperature to process the piggies warm. Your favorite team’s endless streams of data and formu- sport jacket won’t block the biting las that make the Pole a goldmine of sub-zero wind. Jeans that look like scientific information. they’ve been run over with a lawn IceCube researcher P.J. mower may be hip, but are too ven- Charpentier ensures that his gray Beaver Cohen tilated for our icy world. matter keeps humming along by In the brutal chill, one wears donning his infamous “mad bomb- either a red or green parka. An occa- er” cap. The cap gives Charpentier sional smattering of Carhartt brown a very Roald Admundsen-like look adds some flavor. that says, “I just stepped off of the Exacerbating the blandness is the dog sled.” In fact, Charpentier’s mad unchanging polar landscape — flat bomber cover may rival Amundsen and white for as far as the eye can for time on the Ice. Bought in 1999, see. In an environment that is 90 the hat has kept Charpentier’s noodle percent red, green, brown and white, warm for multiple winters. Scuffed how does one become distinguish- but tough, it’s been repaired with Brian Taylor able from your average Antarctic dental floss to keep it in operation. explorer? For many, the solution is Alaskan-turned-Antarctican, to exhibit a little cranium creativity. Adam Rein sports a homemade knit If you ask materials handler hat to stand out from the crowd. A Dehlia Sprague what she has sitting birthday present on a previous trip on her head, she’ll tell you without to the Pole, the carpenter’s knit cap hesitation: a “possum.” Using crit- also contains a strand of historical ter fur to keep warm and comfy is significance that he has been sworn a centuries-old technique, but never to secrecy not to share. Dehlia Sprague has such an ugly marsupial looked Some Polies do fancy issued so dashing as it does perched atop extreme cold weather (ECW) gear. Sprague. And it’s as close as one Technical Support Manager Martin will come to having a pet at the Lewis is never without his Yazoo Pole. cap, which looks like an Elmer Fudd Working in a construction area hunting cap. “It’s practical, versatile at the elevated station necessitates and keeps me warm,” he reasoned. head protection. Brian Taylor, one “Plus it has earflaps.” P.J. Charpentier of the Pole’s many carpenters, pre- Chef Boyardee would be envious fers to protect his noggin with a rock not only of Beaver Cohen’s skill in climbing helmet. “It’s a California the kitchen, but also of his trademark thing,” Taylor explained. chef’s hat. Not only does it keep the A self-described “ski beanie” heat from escaping Beaver’s smooth keeps Todd Nemnich’s top toasty. scalp, but he uses the as a Also a carpenter, Nemnich is an model when he forgets how to make Antarctic veteran and knows the pancakes. tradeoff between comfort and Besides serving as an outlet of warmth. The hat, strictly for indoor originality, personalized headgear use, is a signal that Nemnich is at the South Pole also is very useful near. for identification. From ten meters, Martin Lewis That’s no rag on Randi Gryting’s a Polie bundled up in traditional head. A vibrant bandana keeps her ECW gear might be Rein, Lewis or coiffeur in fine form while working Robert F. Scott. Randi Gryting 8 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 TIME LINE U.S. Antarctic Navy comes to build first bases moments from From page 1 operation’s first year is known, Deep Freeze brought 1,800 men here to start to the present building the modern era’s scien- tific stations on a continent that 1953 was still largely unexplored. The The oldest trac- mission was to have seven sta- still operat- tions ready for the International ing at McMurdo Geophysical Year, which began is built by in 1957. Caterpillar, Inc. The first wave of construction started in 1955 at McMurdo Station 1955 and Little America V. McMurdo The U.S. Navy’s was not originally intended to be Operation Deep a major scientific base in its own Freeze begins. right. It was primarily an airfield Its goal is to for the planes that would fly to the build seven U.S. South Pole to establish a base there scientific stations Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun the following year. Little America on the continent V would be the country’s primary in two years. scientific station, as well as the staging area for the crew building Dec. 18: farther inland. Deep Freeze It wasn’t until December 1959, ships arrive at when Little America was closed, McMurdo Sound. that McMurdo evolved into the main U.S. station. 1956 The Navy’s construction goals Feb. 19: and the scientists’ research plans McMurdo Air might have been lofty, but the Operating men who came here to work that Facility renamed first year saw the task primarily Williams Air as just another job. It might have Operating been an adventurous one that took Facility after them to a remote place, but they Richard Williams, didn’t see themselves as pioneers who died in a or explorers. tractor accident a “I’ve never looked at it as any- month before. U.S. Navy photo / Special to The Antarctic Sun thing heroic,” said Dave Grisez, who was at McMurdo as a 20- Oct. 25: First year-old machinery repairman. cargo air- “It was just part of being in the dropped at the Navy.” South Pole. That doesn’t mean the men didn’t enjoy the job. They worked Oct. 31: Gus hard, but they had their fun, Shinn lands first whether it was playing poker and plane at the pinochle, staging a reenactment of South Pole. the marriage of Grace Kelly, com- plete with gowns and bridesmaids, Nov. 20: First or enjoying perhaps a bit too much construction “whiteout punch.” crew arrives at Even 50 years later, many of the Pole. the men say they never worked with a closer group of people than 1957 the Deep Freeze crew and still First International consider them their best friends. Geophysical Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun “There was some cold weather, Year begins and Top, the established a base camp in 1955, known as “Tent City,” but we had a good time,” said runs 18 months. to live in while building McMurdo’s permanent structures. Middle, sled Grisez, who gets together regu- dogs were used during Operation Deep Freeze. Lieutenant Junior Grade Scientists from Jack Tuck drives a sled in 1956. Bottom, Seabees erect a Clement’s Hut at larly with Hisey in Indiana, where 67 countries con- McMurdo. The prefabricated huts snapped together quickly, enabling the both men live. “I got home safe. duct research at crew to build an entire town in a few weeks. Some of the seabees practiced I’ve got a lot of good memories.” 65 stations. erecting the huts at an Army cold weather room in Detroit. See SEABEES on page 13 December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 9 1957 cont. March 11: Adm. Little America to be primary station Richard Byrd dies at the age By Emily Stone of 66 Sun staff Traveling to Antarctica was an Oct. 15: First adventure in an unknown land for commercial most of the men in Operation Deep plane lands at Freeze. For Rear Adm. Richard McMurdo. The Byrd, it was a homecoming. Pan Am jet was Byrd had been to Antarctica chartered by the four times already. In 1929, he Navy for deploy- completed the first flight over ing Seabees and the South Pole. He returned three VIPs. Female more times to lead scientific flight attendants expeditions. During each visit, he onboard become established a base on the Ross first women to Ice Shelf, which he named Little visit McMurdo. America I through Little America IV. 1959 It followed, then, that in National Science December 1955 he would return Foundation to the same spot to establish Little takes over America V. About 725 kilometers the Antarctic away, another Deep Freeze con- program from tingent was building McMurdo the National Station. Jim Waldron / Special to The Antarctic Sun Academy of Despite the fact that McMurdo Men stand outside the operations building at Little America V in 1957, with Sciences. was on solid ground while Little the Air Traffic Control tower in the background. Little America was built America V sat on an ice shelf to be the main U.S. Antarctic science station during the IGY. Adm. Richard First permanent moving steadily toward the ocean, Byrd chose the site, which was near the four previous stations he had built laboratory, the Byrd decided that Little America on the continent, named Little America I through Little America IV. predecessor to V would be the primary U.S. what is now the scientific station for the upcoming International was a jumble of bright orange, prefabricated build- Crary Science Geophysical Year. Little America was also the stag- ings, on Jan. 4, 1956. The next major goal was to and Engineering ing area for the crew building Byrd Station, 1,000 establish a route to Byrd Station. Center, is built at kilometers inland. McMurdo. The station served its purpose. It was closed at the First attempt at Byrd end of 1959, and McMurdo became the main U.S. A seven-man reconnaissance party set out in mid- U.S. turns over Antarctic station. Today, Little America no longer January to find a safe route through crevasse fields, exists. It has fallen into the ocean, joining the previ- leaving bamboo poles every half a kilometer to to and ous Little that calved off the edge of the mark the trail. They trav- ice shelf. eled about two weeks, to . “We disappeared,” calling in for air support said Ed Ehrlich, the doc- each time they reached The 12 leading tor at Little America that “There’s no remnant to an impasse so they could member nations first year. “There’s no really maintain any kind of reconnoiter by plane. On of the IGY sign remnant to really main- Feb. 3, after blazing 600 the Antarctic tain any kind of memory memory of what we did.” kilometers of trail, they Treaty, which of what we did.” decided they’d gone as pledges that the — Ed Ehrlich, the doctor at Little far as they could at that continent “shall Building starts America V, on the station’s closing point. continue forever Byrd intended to build A small plane picked to be used exclu- Little America V next up part of the group. But sively for peace- door to his previous camps at the Bay of Whales, the it never returned to station. There was no backup ful purposes.” same spot where launched his trip plane, so an icebreaker came from McMurdo with a to the South Pole. plane and helicopter to help with the search. Dec. 31: Little But when the Deep Freeze ships arrived, they “We didn’t know whether we were going to be America V is found that iceberg calving had ruined the bay. The able to find them,” said Ehrlich, who went out in the closed. group traveled about another 50 kilometers to Kainan helicopter to search for the men. Bay, where they found a suitable spot. The mostly intact plane was found on the crest of a 1960 The men started transporting cargo several kilo- mountain and the helicopter crew followed footprints Twelve C-130s, meters from the ships to the station, which required until they found the men in remarkably good shape equipped with bridging two large crevasses. Some of the crews slept six days after the crash. They had decided to start both skis and in unheated buildings instead of returning to the ship walking back to Little America. wheels, start fly- at night to save time. “Of course, there was a great celebration,” said ing Antarctic mis- Byrd formally commissioned the station, which See WINTER on page 10 sions. 10 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 1961 Construction 73 begins on a new Winter crew of hunker down Byrd Station, 10 kilometers from From page 9 the old site. Ehrlich, now 77 and living in Wisconsin. First winter medi- The station wasn’t as lucky the cal evacuation following month. Another tractor completed when train set out to leave fuel caches a scientist is along the reconnaissance party’s flown out of Byrd route to prepare for the trip the Station with an following summer. On March 5, a undetermined tractor fell into a crevasse, crush- stomach ailment. ing and killing driver Max Kiel. “That was devastating,” said McMurdo bowl- Bill Stroup, chief construction ing alley opens. electrician at the base. Stroup said Kiel had taught him how to drive 1962 a tractor when the ship was being Nuclear power unloaded, and Stroup learned that plant built at Kiel’s father had been killed in an McMurdo. It is equipment accident. decommissioned 10 years later. Winter The 73 men who spent the Photos by Jim Waldron / Special to The Antarctic Sun The first dedi- winter at Little America contin- cated research ued with the station construction. vessel, Eltanin, They also organized the cargo for joins program. Byrd Station, and kept their win- Above, a group of tracked vehi- ter supplies within easy access. cles prepares Jan. 12: Williams Temperatures dipped down to to depart Little Air Operating negative 61 degrees Celsius. America V for Facility is offi- Ehrlich said he had few doctor- a trip on the cially renamed ing duties, though he did perform Ross Ice Shelf in McMurdo what he believes was the first 1957. Station. appendectomy in Antarctica. Left, an aerial view of Little “Basically, we were dealing America V in Feb. 13: The with a healthy group of people,” 1957. The sta- second Byrd he said. So he helped out with tion was built Station is dedi- whatever was needed. on the Ross cated. One of those jobs was handling Ice Shelf, and the liquor rations. Ehrlich was therefore had to supplied with about 20,000 tiny be abandoned 1963 after only a few New Zealand bottles of brandy and some other seasons because instructors hired “medicinal” alcohol. One officer the moving ice to teach the suggested that they refuse to give shelf was bury- outdoor survival the men the drinks. Ehrlich argued ing the station training program that the men should get them. under snow, and at McMurdo. “I said, ‘you better do it, or would eventu- we’re going to have a mutiny,’” ally send the station out to Anvers Island he said. The decision was against sea. selected as regulations, but there were no site for Palmer consequences. The men could also Station. buy beer. The cases — enough themselves busy until late October, Traverse to Byrd for about 50 per man — ran out when the first plane carrying pre- Dec: South Pole after six months, he said. cious mail arrived. With summer underway, a sec- residents find out Little America’s chaplain Stroup, who at 28 was one ond reconnaissance party set out to that President didn’t organize entertainment the of the older men on station that find a suitable route to the location Kennedy was same way McMurdo’s chaplain winter, said the average age of the for Byrd Station. killed 20 days did, so the men were left to find enlisted men was about 21. The They radioed back on Dec. 4 after the fact, their own fun. They played poker young crew did great. that they’d found a good path, and due to problems and ping-pong, watched mov- “They met the challenge,” he the 19-person tractor traverse team with communica- ies, talked and read during the said. “We had some [challeng- set out. The United States wanted tions equipment. long winter, and had parties with es] and we had some personality to build a station there because the doctor’s doled out supply of clashes. But nothing ever inter- scientists believed the spot was liquor. They managed to keep fered with the job.” See DANGEROUS on page 12 December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 11 1964 Original Palmer 57 Station opens in Nations build stations for ‘ -8 IGY the summer. By Emily Stone Sun staff March 6: Fire The modern age of Antarctic research was only destroys a sci- supposed to last 18 months. Fifty years later, we’re ence building still here. at The era began with the declaration of the first Station. This International Geophysical Year, slated to coincide marks the last with peak sunspot activities from July 1957 through winter use of the end of 1958. The IGY was an outgrowth of two station. Summer previous International Polar Years in 1882-83 and U.S. penguin 1932-33. While the IPYs focused exclusively on studies continue research at the poles (primarily in the ), the there. IGY included researchers across the globe. The United States built seven Antarctic stations Sept. 30: First between 1955 and 1957 in preparation for the IGY. winter airdrop, The most ambitious was at the South Pole. with mail and Organizers had wavered on whether a station at freshies, made the Pole was logistically desirable. Once they heard at Pole. that the was interested in establishing Jess Walker / Special to The Antarctic Sun a station there, the Americans decided they were up The United States built seven Antarctic stations for the 1965 International Geophysical Year. U.S. Navy Seabees to the task. The Soviets ended up at the magnetic built McMurdo and Little America V in 1955-56. The Nov. 17: First South Pole, where the Russian Station still commercial flight rest were constructed the following year. Of the original operates. stations, only McMurdo and South Pole are still used over Pole. In total, 67 nations conducted scientific research by the U.S. Antarctic Program. The other stations were in Antarctica during the IGY at 65 stations built by either closed or turned over to other countries. 1966 12 of the participating countries. Construction The U.S. Navy undertook Operation Deep Freeze of McMurdo’s to build the American stations. The first year it built the thickness of Antarctica’s ice and learned that largest building, Little America V on the Ross Ice Shelf, which was the weight of the ice pushed the bedrock in parts of Building 155, to be the main scientific center, and a station on Antarctica below sea level. Fossil tree trunks were begins. McMurdo Sound whose primary purpose was to pro- found in the Horlick Mountains about 500 kilometers vide a runway for planes that would fly to the Pole. from the Pole. U.S. Air Force President Eisenhower became alarmed at the Scientists had studied penguins and seals, as well begins C- ballooning cost associated with the increasingly as human’s reaction to the extreme cold and isolation. 141 flights to ambitious plans for Antarctic exploration. In 1956, During the 1955-56 summer season alone, pilots had McMurdo. he reminded the IGY organizers that they were only flown over more than 1.6 million square kilometers funded to stay for 18 months. of the continent that had never before been seen. Feb. 14: First Two years later, Congress was convinced to con- After an appeal by the National Science Foundation fatality at South tinue the program. The IGY scientists made major in 1958, Congress agreed to keep the stations open so Pole when breakthroughs in understanding the upper atmo- that scientific research could continue uninterrupted, Andrew Burl sphere and weather forecasting. They had measured as it does today. Moulder is crushed between a cargo sled and airplane. 1967 June 18: First winter flight to The reddish- McMurdo. orange struc- tures on the left are the first Sept. 2: First buildings that “winfly” flight went up in early to McMurdo. 1956 at what is A third, short now McMurdo season between Station. The rest winter and sum- of the objects mer, known as are construction winfly, is added supplies. to the calendar. Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun 1968 The Hero research vessel launches. 12 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 1969 Four women Dangerous tractor traverse a success from Ohio State University come to McMurdo From page 10 in the sum- crucial in understanding weather mer as the first patterns in Antarctica and much U.S. Antarctic of the Southern Hemisphere. Program women Chief Petty Officer Stroup was scientists on part of the traverse team. Now 78 the continent. and living in Mississippi, Stroup The four, plus remembers spending much of the a woman from ride helping the cook and keeping New Zealand snow melted for water. and a journalist, Ingenuity was key on the trip, visit the South he said, as it was at the stations. Pole, becoming Like the time when a push rod the first women on a tractor broke. Bad weather at that station. at Little America meant no plane could fly in with a replacement McMurdo, Byrd part for a few days. A mechanic and South Pole with the group noticed that the stations change stove, which was the type used on from U.S. time ships, had a rod on it to keep the to New Zealand pots from falling off. It looked an time. awful lot like a push rod. “It was a perfect fit,” Stroup Jim Waldron / Special to The Antarctic Sun On Dec. 4, 1956, a traverse party departed Little America V for Marie Byrd Extra fuel stor- said. The party continued on its way. Land. Their mission was to find a safe route through the crevasse area age tanks at where the Ross Ice Shelf meets the Rockefeller Plateau. The group arrived McMurdo make On Dec. 23, the traverse at the location where Byrd Station was soon built on Dec. 23. this the first year stopped, and the surveyor checked only one fuel his measurements. as a young doctor was a constant issue. He went on tanker needs to “He said, ‘it looks like this is about where we’re to become a specialist in endocrinology and is now come to station. going to be,’” Stroup remembers. professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin. The group started assembling the camp’s four The McMurdo doctor at that time, Isaac “Ike” Taylor, 1970 buildings. It only took a few weeks, helped in large went into academia as well, becoming the dean of the New Palmer part by the practice they’d had putting up buildings medical school at the University of North Carolina. Station opens. at Little America. (Taylor was also the father of singer .) “We didn’t reinvent the wheel,” Stroup said. Stroup returned home in February 1957 and met Blasting accident E h r l i c h his 14-month- sends boulder points out that old daughter for through the roof while the group the first time. of a Palmer sent from “I don’t remember He stayed in Jamesway build- McMurdo to the Navy until ing, injuring Lt. build the South anyone ever saying 1976, when he Harry Anderson. Pole station retired with the went by plane, it was a lousy tour.” rank of chief Jan. 30: The first the Byrd team warrant officer, meal is served in had to traverse — Bill Stroup, now 78, on his W4, after 30 Building 155 din- heavy machin- time at Little America V as years of ser- ing hall. ery by land a chief petty officer vice. through dan- He notes that Oct. 8: C-121J gerous crevasse many of the “Pegasus” air- fields. Deep Freeze I plane crashes at “Their effort, I think, was at least the equivalent of men made the Navy their career, earning substantial McMurdo, but no what was involved in building the Pole base,” he said. promotions along the way. one is injured. “And very few people acknowledge that.” “If they could work under those conditions, they had no problems meeting the challenge of other (con- 1971 At home ditions),” Stroup said of the training and skills the Chicago Tribune The Deep Freeze II crew were at Little America men got at Little America. reporter Louise when the men returned from Byrd, and the original He wasn’t surprised to learn that the station had Hutchinson men were soon on their way home. been closed and eventually disappeared. becomes first Ehrlich said he gets great satisfaction from his “We knew that some day Little America V would woman to spend . But it was not a style of doctoring go out to sea,” he said. Still, it was worth it to be part the night at the he wanted to repeat. of the station’s history. South Pole due The uncertainty of having to treat possibly seri- “I don’t remember anyone ever saying it was a to flight delays. ous trauma that was beyond the scope of his training lousy tour,” he said. December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 13 1972 Feb. 19: Second Byrd Station closes. 1973 Preparations New Zealand begin in late 1955 to off-load makes first cargo from Navy McMurdo winter vessels and airdrop. transport it over sea ice to what First McMurdo would become ice wharf is built. McMurdo Station. Nov. 9: Armed Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun Forces Radio and Television TV broad- casts begin at McMurdo. 1974 Seabees chosen for Deep Freeze Mary Alice McWhinnie and Mary From page 8 the construction equipment, materials and supplies Odile Cahoon needed for McMurdo, Little America, South Pole and at McMurdo How it started Byrd stations. Some of the men went to an Army cold become the In March 1955, President Eisenhower announced weather room in Detroit to practice putting buildings first American that America would participate in the International together in negative 54 degrees Celsius. women to spend Geophysical Year, from July 1957 through the end “It was a very hectic time,” remembers Dick the winter on the of 1958. Bowers, who was a 27-year-old junior lieutenant. continent. Unlike two previous International Polar Years, IGY In November, the Deep Freeze fleet of three ice- scientists would study the entire Earth. Eisenhower breakers, three cargo ships, a gasoline tanker and two First women appointed the Navy, with its experienced Mobile gasoline barges set off for New Zealand loaded with hired by contrac- Construction Battalions (know as CBs or “Seabees”) tractors, forklifts, cargo sleds, jeeps, Sno-Cats, 1,800 tor to work at to lead the project in Antarctica, which was named men, 30 huskies and 1,100 kilograms of mail for McMurdo. Operation Deep Freeze. collectors eager for an Antarctic postmark. Fifteen Eisenhower chose retired Rear Adm. Richard airplanes from the Air Development Squadron VX-6 Navy turns South Byrd, the most famous American Antarctic explorer also gathered in New Zealand. Pole Station over of the time, to serve as the officer in charge of Deep After a brief stay in Lyttleton, New Zealand, to civilian man- Freeze. Rear Adm. George Dufek, who had been to where the men said they were treated like kings, the agement. Antarctica with Byrd twice before, postponed retire- ships set off for Antarctica. The state-of-the-art ice ment to become task force commander. See SEA on page 14 1975 The IGY, Byrd wrote in a 1956 National Jan. 9: New Geographic article, “is perhaps the most important domed South cooperative effort of scientists in the history of man. Pole Station is From it we are going to learn a great deal about this dedicated. old world we’ve crawled around on for so long.” The Navy had about six months to organize the Feb. 3: Lights massive effort in order to reach Antarctica by the turned off for next austral summer. It sent out a call for Deep Freeze good at old Pole volunteers. station, which Grisez was aboard an aircraft carrier in the was already bur- Mediterranean when he spotted the notice on a bul- ied under eight letin board. meters of snow. “I hadn’t been there, so I volunteered,” he said. “That’s why most of us volunteered. It was some- 1976 place we hadn’t been.” Nov. 16: First Grisez and about 300 other men gathered at the official survey base in Davisville, R.I. to start training. Most marker placed were Seabees, but the group also included men from at geographical throughout the military and some civilians. About South Pole. half those men would spend 14 months on the Ice, working two summers and a winter before being Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun 1978 replaced. The chow line in the mess tent at McMurdo Station in First videocas- “They said ‘you’re going to winter-over,’” Grisez the summer of 1955-56. A permanent building was built settes arrive at remembers. “I said, ‘what’s that?’” for the kitchen that summer, allowing the men to eat free Pole. The men spent the next few months assembling all from the wind and cold. 14 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 1978 cont. Aug. 22: Fire destroys Sea ice causes problems, takes a life McMurdo Chapel of the Snows. From page 13 breaker, the Glacier, was the first 1979 ship to pull into McMurdo Sound, Dr. Michele arriving on Dec. 18, 1955. Raney becomes first wintering First summer female at Pole. “It’s beautiful, but you never saw so much nothing.” 1981 That’s Patrick “Rediron” Dec. 1: McCormick’s stock answer when Malfunctioning people ask what Antarctica was electric toilet like. causes major McCormick earned his nick- fire at McMurdo name after spending many hours vehicle repair doing the thankless job of nail- shop. ing corrugated steel sheets onto the frames of the Quonset Hut Courtesy of Dave Grisez / Special to The Antarctic Sun 1985 buildings. He hit his thumb and Above, Dave Grisez, a Navy machinery repairman, Polar Duke index finger often enough so stands next to a D-8 Caterpillar tractor in 1956. replaces the they resembled “a swollen glob Grisez said the assignment in Antarctica was better Hero. of hamburger.” The other guys than being stuck on a cramped ship. Like many of the men, Grisez didn’t consider himself to be a pioneer by began calling him Rediron — and building the stations. It was just another job. 1986 still do — after the metal channels Left, Grisez, at the 50th anniversary celebration of 109th Air where the nails went, which were Deep Freeze in May in Biloxi, Miss. National painted red. Guard makes Elaine Hood / The All the buildings at McMurdo Antarctic Sun first Antarctic were pre-fabricated structures. deployment to The men lived in “Tent City” while the buildings The base was temporarily renamed Williams Air McMurdo. were being assembled. Operating Facility. One of the station’s current run- McCormick, who recently wrote an account of his ways, , still bears his name. 1988 time on the Ice at his family’s request, remembers the The long hours spent off-loading the ships and First tourists cooks preparing their first meal in the mess building erecting buildings continued through the summer. arrive at Pole in instead of a tent in February, allowing the men to eat Bowers remembers being puzzled from time to time Twin Otters from shielded from the wind and cold. when men or supplies from a certain project turned Patriot Hills. “All of the food stores were canned, dehydrated or up missing. He eventually figured out that Chaplain frozen, absolutely nothing fresh but the cooks were Condit was pilfering parts and people to build a cha- 1992 industrious and creative and managed to keep most pel. Bowers knew not to complain too loud, since the Nathaniel B. of us well nourished and happy,” wrote McCormick, chaplain was well loved and the project was a morale Palmer research now 70 and living in Rhode Island. Of all the boost to the men. vessel joins the advancements that he’s heard about at McMurdo in Meanwhile, the VX-6 aircraft flew across large program. the last 50 years, he said he’s most struck by how swaths of the continent that had never before been much the kitchen and food supply has improved. seen. Between Jan. 3 and 14 alone, 1.3 million square Phone calls After many weeks of hard work, Grisez said the kilometers of new ground were covered. to the States men were treated to their first movie. About three In all, 84 buildings were constructed at McMurdo. possible from minutes in, the sound went out. Chaplain John Condit All this was geared toward the station’s real pur- McMurdo. got up and said he’d seen the film and would narrate pose of establishing a 9,700-meter runway on the Previously, peo- for the disappointed crowd. A few minutes later, a McMurdo Sound sea ice — a job that would happen ple could make young cook stood up and said he’d seen the movie, over the winter. calls from Scott too, and would take over the dialogue. It became a Base, patched much bawdier film after that, Grisez said. The winter through New The sea ice caused problems for the men. Sixty- The ships left McMurdo Sound in March 1956, Zealand to the five kilometers of it kept the ships far from the spot leaving 93 men at McMurdo Station for the winter. States. on Ross Island where they wanted to build the sta- The winter crew celebrated their impending isolation tion. The ice breakers did their best, but for a while it with a party. Then they got back to work. 1996 seemed like the station would have to be built farther They had to slaughter seals as food for the sled Last routine mid- north at . Finally, the Glacier was able to dogs, which were there to help with search and winter McMurdo get within about 15 kilometers of Hut Point, where rescue operations. They repaired machinery and con- airdrop takes Scott’s 1902 hut stands, and the station tinued putting buildings together. Others organized place. was built on its current site. the South Pole cargo to ready it for airdrops in the The ice also claimed lives. Six men died at summer. 1997 McMurdo during those first 14 months. The first Men did whatever tasks were needed, often those First ATM is was Richard Williams, who was driving a D-8 trac- that would normally be considered beneath their installed at tor across the sea ice when it fell into a crack. The rank. McMurdo. doors were wired open, but Williams couldn’t escape. See MEN on page 15 December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 15

1997 cont. Oct. 18: First Men build in winter issue of The Antarctic Sun is From page 14 ment, including a re-enactment of Grace Kelly’s mar- printed, replac- “You did what you had to do,” said Jim Bergstrom, riage to Prince Rainier. ing the Navy’s who was a lieutenant in charge of setting up the “I was a bridesmaid,” said Bergstrom, now a Antarctic Sun airfield’s ground-controlled approach equipment. He retired Navy captain living in Virginia. “I was wear- Times. helped out in the mess tent. ing a Swedish flag on me as my gown. … That was The runway builders first needed to pick a spot as what we did on Saturday night — had fun.” 1998 far south as possible so the ice would last well into the Condit came through for the men again on June The Laurence M. summer. The planes that had previously flown to the 21, mid-winter’s day. He had bolts of cloth with him Gould joins the station were much smaller and lighter than the ones and fashioned gingham curtains and table cloths for program. coming the following summer. Those new planes the mess hall. The men dined by candlelight on spa- would airdrop cargo at Pole and then deliver the men ghetti, meatballs, pizza and wine. This was followed 1999 to build the station. They needed a full runway. by a movie and party, with the obligatory whiteout The last Navy It took more than 100,000 man hours to clear 16 punch, a combination of grain alcohol and fruit juice contingent kilometers of snow from the ice and then smooth mixed by the station’s doctor, Isaac “Ike” Taylor. at McMurdo out and maintain Grisez wrote in departs when the the runway, accord- his diary: “A few pilots with the ing to a National fights, but I had fun VXE-6 Squadron Geographic article “They just worked relentlessly.” singing.” fly back to New from 1957. A huge Many of the Zealand for the floodlight on top — Dick Bowers, a junior lieutenant at men suffered from last time. of Observation Hill McMurdo, of the Seabees who a winter afflic- guided the men back built the station and runway. tion that the group 2000 into town during called “big eye.” Construction winter days spent They’d wake up in begins on new working on the sea ice. the middle of the night unable to sleep, wander into elevated South The men’s only contact with the outside world the mess hall and find half the station there with the Pole Station. during those eight months was occasional ham radio same problem. calls that were patched through to their families. By early September, despite temperatures as low 2002 Otherwise, they were on their own. as negative 50 degrees Celsius, the men had basically C-17 airplanes McCormick describes how each of the berthing completed the runway — just in time for a huge storm begin routine huts had a small area with a table and chairs. “We to blow through town and trash their work. The entire flights between used the open area to play cards, drink our beer, project had to be redone in a month. The men came McMurdo and shoot the breeze, solve world problems and otherwise through, and the runway was completed and ready New Zealand, entertain ourselves.” when the ships and planes returned in October. phasing out the They watched all their movies so many times that “They turned out to be a group of very, very tal- C-141s they started running them backward, just to shake ented people and very dedicated,” Bowers said of the things up. crew. “They just worked relentlessly.” First winter resi- Chaplain Condit organized a lot of the entertain- See DEEP on page 16 dents move into new South Pole Station. 2005 Feb. 4: Last C-141 flies from McMurdo to New Zealand.

Sources: Bill Spindler, Billy- Ace Baker, Elaine Hood, Val Carroll, “Reader’s Digest: Elaine Hood / Special to The Antarctic Sun Antarctica,” NSF, Above, Jim Bergstrom, a lieuten- Robin Burns, ant at McMurdo, at the Operation Colin Bull, Al Deep Freeze 50th anniversary Sutherland, celebration in Mississippi in May. Left, Chaplain John Condit Rae Spain, organized a re-enactment of Susan Lee, Alan Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Schoenwald, Rainier. Bergstrom is the first Gerald Crist. bridesmaid on the left. Condit arranged for much of the sta- U.S. Navy / Special to The Antarctic Sun tion’s entertainment. 16 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 Deep Freeze men remain close group

From page 15 Building the South Pole The first flight of that second summer arrived on Oct. 16, 1956. Adm. Dufek was onboard, but more importantly for the men, so were eight months of letters, care packages and home- town newspapers. McCormick remembers hearing his first Elvis Presley song, carried in on that plane. The next day, disaster struck when a plane caught a wing in the snow and crashed. Three men died instantly and a fourth died in the sick bay. But the Deep Freeze planes kept flying. Pilot Gus Shinn made history on Oct. 31 by landing the first plane at the South Pole. It stayed on the ground for 49 minutes, long enough for Dufek and his men to inspect the snow surface and record some atmospheric conditions. The stage was set to start building a station at Pole. Twenty-four men from the McMurdo wintering crew, led by Bowers, were selected to go to Pole. Al Hisey was in the group. He remembers training every couple weeks during the winter by Courtesy of the Antarctic Photo Library man-hauling sleds seven or eight kilometers, setting up a radio with a hand-crank generator, eating pemmican and sleeping in a tent. Bowers and an advance party landed at the Pole on Nov. 20, and the rest of the crew followed shortly. Hisey remembers the first day that a scheduled plane didn’t arrive because a runway problem in McMurdo kept it grounded. He thought of those many nights in a tent near McMurdo. “That’s when I think we came to the realization that maybe that training might come in handy,” he said. The men had learned a lot building McMurdo, and construct- ing the South Pole Station turned out to be an easier task, Bowers said. Construction was finished just after New Year’s, and the Photos by Elaine Hood / Special to The Antarctic Sun crew returned to McMurdo. They turned the station over to Lt. Top, Dick Bowers, Al Hisey and Patrick “Rediron” McCormick at Jack Tuck, and , the South Pole science leader who McMurdo Station during Deep Freeze I. The men remain close, and started his Antarctic career as a Boy Scout with Byrd on his 1929 they all attended the Deep Freeze 50th anniversary celebration in expedition. May in Biloxi, Miss., as seen in the bottom photographs in the same By the time the group returned to McMurdo, a new round of order as above. ships and men who were part of Deep Freeze II were taking over operations from the original crew. For most of those 93 men, their another . Antarctic adventure was over. “We were the guys who laid the foundation,” Bergstrom said. “We went down there and had good leadership. We did what we Grisez returned to McMurdo in 1995 for a chance to see what were supposed to do and had pretty comfortable quarters. I really had been built on that foundation. He spent the summer working didn’t look at it as any hardship,” said Grisez, who said the bunks in the machine shop, this time with female co-workers, and mod- beat anything he would have had on a cramped ship. “Nobody was ern communications, vehicles and buildings. shooting at us. … It wasn’t a bad deal, really.” “It just blew my mind,” he said. He’d be working here again if his wife would agree to come, he Reminiscing said. When people ask why he wants to return, he tells them about Hisey said he arrived at McMurdo as a “kid who didn’t know the ice and mountains. much about anything except how to get from bar to bar.” “There’s a beauty to it,” he said. He echoes many of the Deep Freeze men, when he says he left Which is how Adm. Byrd felt. Antarctica with an understanding of how to get along with people, Deep Freeze I was Byrd’s fifth and final trip to Antarctica. He a sense of self-sufficiency, and lifelong friendships. died in 1957. “I was probably closer to that one group than any group of “People ask me why I keep going back to Antarctica again and people I’ve ever gone to school with or worked with or anything,” again,” he wrote in his 1956 National Geographic article. “Well, he said. He retired from the Navy 21 years later as a lieutenant. I like it there. I like the endless reaches of wind-rippled snow, the Many of the Deep Freeze veterans have remained close and stark peaks, the awesome glaciers. gather for reunions every two years. “I like the clatter of tractor trains, the whir of helicopters, and “We reminisce a lot,” said Hisey, now 72, and tell “lots of shouts of men wrestling with vehicles and gear. … I like the sym- lies.” bols of life’s triumph in a lifeless land: the squawking skua gulls, The group had their 50th anniversary reunion earlier this year. the comical penguins, seals wheezing at their blowholes, the arch- “That was fun,” Bergstrom said, “also sad because a lot of our ing backs of whales. compatriots were just not around. They had passed on.” “Most of all, I guess, I like the challenge of it, for Antarctica He’s looking forward to the next reunion in 2007, which will be still plays for keeps. And I believe, as the scientists do, that the the 50th anniversary of the IGY, the event that spurred the modern things we can learn there will have a profound effect upon the Antarctic program. The year will also mark the celebration of lives of us all.” December 25, 2005 The Antarctic Sun • 17 DNA, photos used to count whale species From page 1 taking aerial photographs that were fed into software that could determine the orca’s size. The team thought it would need two seasons to document 30 to 40 orcas using this method. But last year’s effort proved so successful that they were able to sample 225 animals. “I thought it was going to take two years to get any type of a workable sample size, but we essentially wrapped it all up last year,” Pitman said. “We had to scramble to broaden our research, and I think we’ve got a pretty good program set up for [this season.] … We are going to get a lot more out of this study than we anticipated.” The team has spent the last year com- ing up with the best and most effective methods to enhance its study, and they will return to Antarctica this season in early January with three new instruments in hand. The first is a hydrophone. It will allow scientists to record the animal’s underwa- ter song of whistles and clicks. The sounds Donald LeRoi / Special to The Antarctic Sun are used for communication and for echo- Killer whales swim in McMurdo Sound. The whales were photographed by scientists who use the location. But the orcas’ prey of choice can photos to determine the size of the animals. often dictate that behavior. “In the North Pacific, mammal-eat- under the ice surrounding the continent. It rate the animals into distinct species can be ing killer whales are normally very quiet travels in pods of 10 to 20 and feeds mostly a difficult undertaking. because the mammals they hunt all hear on marine mammals like Antarctic minke “They have to be distinct enough that very well,” Pitman said. “Fish-eaters tend whales. they don’t breed. That’s usually the acid to be a lot more noisy and social and talk- Type B is significantly smaller than type test,” Pitman said. ative. I expect the [primarily fish-eating] A, growing to about six meters. It lives in The breeding test can sometimes be killer whales around McMurdo are going the loose sea ice and feeds primarily on hard to observe, because potentially dif- to be chatting all the time.” seals. It has distinctive coloring patterns, ferent species don’t always overlap. This The group will also use a laser device and yellowish markings instead of the is where the group is fortunate in studying to measure the height and width of the ani- white ones typical of most killer whales. killer whales, he said. The animals live in mals’ dorsal fins. The team will compare This type is especially prevalent around the the same vicinity but have different habitat these figures to killer whales in other areas . preferences and appear to avoid each other of the world and also between males and Type C lives mainly under the pack ice. during breeding. Pitman’s group has never females in the Antarctic population. It also grows to about six meters long but observed a mixed school or seen animals The scientists are also bringing down feeds on fish almost exclusively. Yellowish that look to be hybrids of the different 15 to 20 satellite tracking tags, which markings are found on this type as well, types, despite the fact that they live near they plan to attach to the orcas’ dorsal fins but its coloring patterns differentiate it each other. using a special pole. These tags are being from the other types. It has much smaller “It’s looking good,” Pitman said. “I’m funded through a $30,000 grant from the teeth than most killer whales. This form is convinced that the killer whales around National Geographic Society’s Committee especially prevalent around McMurdo. McMurdo are a separate species.” for Research and Exploration to help the Pitman said he hopes to be able to While Pitman said he is very confident team prove the existence of a separate spe- produce some concrete answers on the that type C killer whales, the Antarctic cies of killer whales in the Antarctic. killer whale question sometime next year. fish-eaters, are a distinct species, there The tags will show when different types He hopes the team’s genetic work will is still work to be done before he can be of orcas inhabit the Antarctic waters. help resolve this issue. Last season, the as certain the type B killer whales, the “It is not clear if these ice-inhabiting scientists took 15 pencil-eraser-sized tis- Antarctic seal-eaters, are a separate species killer whales in Antarctica are resident sue samples from different orcas around from type C. year round or if they migrate to lower McMurdo. “[Killer whales] are some of the most latitudes like the [main species of] killer Scientists are most skeptical about dif- obvious and largest animals there are,” whales do,” Pitman said. ferentiating type B killer whales as a sepa- Pitman said. “If it turns out we don’t even Pitman and his group divide Antarctic rate species from the other two. know how many species there are, it gives killer whales into three types. “There is a lot of genetics work being us some idea of how little we know about Type A is the large, black-and-white done at the lab right now,” Pitman said. what we have in our oceans.” version that is familiar to most of the “We are hoping this will resolve — to world. This type can reach nine meters everyone’s satisfaction — what is going on NSF-funded research in this story: in length. It is present during the summer with Antarctic killer whales.” Robert Pitman, National Oceanic and in Antarctic waters but does not venture Proving variations large enough to sepa- Atmospheric Administration. 18 • The Antarctic Sun December 25, 2005 Polie takes lead Profile FIRE & ICE: in station safety By Tom Lohr South Pole correspondent It takes a hearty soul and an ample dose Dainella Nartker of courage to face a wall of flames accel- is working as erating toward you at speeds normally an electrician’s reserved for automobiles. But that is what helper at the the protectors of North America’s forests South Pole for do regularly during the sweltering summer a year, as well as leading the months. station’s fire bri- As the fire crews pack up their gear for gade. winter, many of these wilderness warriors face a seasonal dilemma: How does one replace the adrenalin rush of combating raging wildfires? For Dainella Nartker, a in one place for more than six months for veteran with five seasons of beating back a change.” the flames, the answer lay south, way Overcoming a short turnover with the south. summer crew, a tough acclimation period Adventure and the lure of the unknown and the demands of her full-time job, enticed Nartker to join the U. S. Antarctic Nartker had turned the South Pole’s fire- Program. In 2004-2005, she spent the Ethan Dicks / Special to The Antarctic Sun fighters into a cohesive team. austral summer at the South Pole Station Dainella Nartker, right, takes a break dur- “Getting gear sorted and knowing as a general assistant. This year, unable ing firefighting school in Arvada, Colo., in exactly what we had as assets was an early to shake the pull of the Antarctic, she is September. challenge,” she said of the beginning stag- back for the full-meal deal and signed on es of team development. The role involves to work a year at Pole. doors while living in her native Beaver sorting out gear, organizing the team and “The first step down from the aircraft Creek, Ore. procedures, and thoroughly familiarizing onto the ice was a feeling that will always She started at the bottom of a wildland the crew with the station. be with me,” she said. “Like the first step fire team, combating blazes as a dig- Tours of the station’s nether regions on the moon, I suspect, a soft sinking into ger between semesters at the University have been integral in preparing the fire- a world devoid of life, yet unimaginably of Oregon (where she also managed the fighters for a timely response, Nartker beautiful.” campus climbing wall). Nartker climbed said. To this end, she takes the crew on Nartker will assist in keeping the new the forest service hierarchy to finish as a frequent excursions to the lesser known elevated station juiced and the lights burn- squad leader. areas. Training even includes spelunking ing as an electrician’s helper. She will also After school, Nartker headed for adven- through eerie utility ice tunnels, where the shoulder an additional responsibility as the ture in her mother’s native New Zealand, potential exists for incidents to turn nasty. station’s fire brigade chief. exploring the adventurous side of the Training can also be problematic with The bulk of the 2005-2006 winter crew South Island by climbing and kayaking. team members that work three differ- met in Arvada, Colo. in September for She later returned to the states to teach city ent shifts. “Coordinating training for the a weeklong school to hone firefighting dwellers the finer points of canoeing and entire team can be a stumbling block,” skills and gel into a team. The fire team is kayaking in Virginia. she explained. But the results attest to extremely important, because if the main “It was amazing to watch someone learn Nartker’s skill at navigating fluid sched- station is lost to a fire, the Polies will find a new ability that they never dreamed they ules. themselves in the bleak situation of having would be able to master,” she recalled of Her leadership and efforts have given to live outdoors on the polar moonscape, her times teaching watercraft skills in the the station a fire brigade capable of dous- where temperatures repeatedly plunge Appalachians. ing any fire that flares up, according to below negative 75 degrees Celsius. During her adventures in New Zealand, those who work closely with her. As the firefighters went through Nartker met a couple of other expatriate “She’s very intense and attuned to the their paces under the searing sun at the adventurers testing their limits: two Polies needs of the fire brigade,” said new team Red Rocks Fire Academy, one member taking the long way home from Antarctica. member Christopher Kieres. “Her enthu- seemed to stand out from the rest. Nartker Nartker credits the two with steering her to siasm and commitment to the team are excelled in fire knowledge, tenacity and the Ice. By the following summer, she was obvious.” skill, according to Liesl Schernthanner, the at the bottom of the world. Though still nearly a year away from South Pole winter site manager. Nartker said there’s a big difference the time when she’ll hang up her South “Dainella was pegged as fire bri- between her freshman season on the Ice Pole fire hat, Nartker is already planning gade leader based on her experience in and this return trip, which will last a full her next great adventure. But what can fighting fires, familiarity with the South year. she possibly do for an encore after expe- Pole Station and its associated equip- “Coming here for the first time was riencing the blistering heat of wildland ment, and unwavering dedication to field one of the most nerve-wracking decisions fires and the brutal, bone-rattling cold of the most effective fire team possible,” I have ever made,” she said. “How dif- Antarctica? Schernthanner explained. ferent it is the second go-around. It felt Well, next up is a motorcycle tour of New The firefighter-turned-electrician perfectly natural to be coming here for a Zealand’s scenic South Island, with caving acquired a taste for working in the out- year, and, frankly, I’m quite content to stay and backpacking planned along the way.