Burton Island (AGB 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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- Y,,, -..-......,. ,,,,,................. ,. N.---- -.- - - A-.- ..t-. . I D 1. .-.. .-,..7,:......S.11 . .,:..4.L...5:z:: r ..::'- r tzxgsf' ::.:5.2 L: .iLi'LilT1ILi '1:1':7::::TL::'- ' . ',..g The Plateau Station vans were designed to fit snugly inside the Hercules. At left, there cloesn't seem to be a chance. At lower left, the plane's loadmaster stands on the ramp and waits to be shown before he moves out of the way, below. The van was designed by the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks to meet every conceivable need of the four Navymen and four scientists who will stay from February to December at the new Plateau Station in the coldest highest, most remote part ofthe Continent. The curtains to afford privacy and the colors of the walls were made as cheerful as possible, but there are few windows since for six months it will be dark outside. This van will be connected to others by a roof and floor creating extra I space for work and relaxation. Plateau Station was one of the most important obiectives of Deep Freeze '66, The station's main purposes are for research in Very Low Frequency radio reception, aurora, meteorology, and geomagnetism. An important by- product is the opportunity to study human behavior and psychological reactions at extreme altitudes. Plateau's altitude is ll,900 feet, and the temperature may go as low as T30 degrees below zero. The Navy doctor in charge checks regularly on the men's response to an altitude that is effectively very near the limit that can be tolerated without oxygen. Before the station was isolated for the winter, it was visited by a NASA representative who wanted to find out what the space program could learn from this experiment in living for possible land- ings on other planets.

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Pretty soon, says Cdr Jim Newman, the ship opera- tions officer, 'lit'll be the thing to do -to go out on the point and watch 'em bustin' ice. For two months Mc- Murdo sound was an expanse of white, relieved only by a few Weddell seals sprinkled on the ice near Hut Point. Then, early in December, from a helicopter, icebreakers were seen far to the north. The ship's radio reports their patient mile and a half each day. By December ll, Glacier is close enough to Hut Point forthe people at Mc- Murdo to stand on the rocks in their spare time and enjoy a new diversion. As seen in the photo at left, three cuts are made, 20 degrees apart. With throttles full ahead, Glacier rides up on the six-foot ice for perhaps one-third her length and crushes it with her weight. The trick is to stop the engines before the ship loses way and gets caught in the ice. The two l7-foot propellers help to churn the brash A ,455-' - or loose ice out of the way. Then she backs down three or four lengths to prepare for another charge. Each cut takes about six minutes, and this year it was three weeks before the channel was ready. The wheel in the fore- ground belongs to one of Glacier's helicopters, which are used for ice reconnaissance, special cargo, and ferrying scientists to otherwise inaccessible locations. Below, Atka enters Winter Quarters Bay, with McMurdo Station at lower right. As in the old days, ships must wait for Nature to open McMurdo Sound, but now the icebreakers cut a channel from the Sound to McMurdo Station and allow the ships to come ina little earlier than in years past. Deep Freeze '65 was the first year in the history of the operation when it was not necessary to un- load cargo on the sea ice and haul it to McMurdo on sleds. Tankers used to have to stay off as far as ten miles and pump their fuel ashore. f 1 1