Burton Island (AGB 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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Yr 2 DEALY ISLAND Dealy Island is located at 74O58' toward the eastern part of Melville Island fsee chart on page 501. Dealy Island figures in Canadian Arctic history, there are two points of interest, a monument and a house. The monument is a pyramidal heap of stones situated on the highest part of the island. It forms an unmistakable landmark for twenty miles or more on a clear day. Within the crevices of the rock that form the monument a tin can and a glass jar containing copies of records of those who visited the cairn since its building by Captain Kellett in 1853. Kellett, like McClure, was a part of the search organized to find the uintrepid Arctic exploreri' Sir John Franklin. The house is located near the beach on the southern side of the .island, directly below the monument. It was never used as a dwelling but was built as a storehouse to contain provisions for Hsixty-six men for two hundred and eighty-eight daysfi In- side is a tumbled mass of barrels, coal, rusty cans of preserved meat, remains of blue sweaters, boots, tent poles, bottles, and other materials which one would expect to find in an Arctic storehouse. At the far end are two or thfree large riveted iron containers which have been broken open and which contain oblong tin cans, paper covered and filled with such items as Nor- mandy Pippinsn, and other preserved foods. The whole display is now in what might be called a mess, but as late as Stefans- son's visit in 1917, between one-third and one-half of the food and clothing were still in usable condition, while mittens, sweaters, pea ackets, currants, and some other items were as good as new. Toward the east of the house and about one thousand yards away were three marked graves of men who died during the winter of 1852-53, members of Kellett's crew of the BESOLUTE. Although just one hundred years have passed since the death of these men, the lettering on the crosses marking their graves was still visible. Prior to the BURTON ISLAND's visit the island more recently was visited by the iceblreakers USS ATKA in August, 1951, and the USS EDISTO in August, 1952. Both these ships approached the island from the east and not from across McClure Strait from the south. The ATKA carried the 70 tons of prefabricated building material and the 200 drums of Arctic diesel oil to the Bridport Peninsula, where it was contemplated a weather station would be established. All of this equipment has just been rusticating along the sholre of the Bridport Peninsula since then because the idea of a weather station was abandoned. This summer the oil barrels were loaded into the LCVP and then onto the fantail of the BURTON ISLAND. The drums were subse- quently unloaded at Cape Kellett on Banks Island. The First Division needs no reminder of this arduous task, the barrels were loaded on a 'round the clock schedule.

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U I , H 4 f,5j!f1 ffyf, , ,, ,, , fweva, , , 717 iff Aw The Brain Trust fX N-...J . EPI Station Dr. Comeron Big Horv The summer expedition of 1954 represents a fitting climax to the five years of continuous research in the Beaufort Sea. Not only was the most formidable task-the exploration of McClure Strait-completed successfully, but important gaps in the explorations of previous years were closed. The USS BURTON ISLAND has added hundreds of thousands of square miles of sounded Arctic waters to navigational charts, she has thoroughly investigated the western portion of the deep water North- west Passage, her oceanographic observations describe the movement and character of the waters of the Beaufort Sea. Heir scientific accomplishments are those of which she can well be proud.

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Q- The LCVP wos used extensively for . . . l V ' x 1 f sick 8.35154 -Q Awoy the motor wholeboot Q- ' Transporting the diesel oil off Chief Yggkly was useful in Deoly lslond. the somerole.