Burton Island (AGB 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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a green jacket, and a red Hbelly-clapperl' on his head, points to his radioman, Dick Simmons, and says, HThat7s the team - him and me. At the end of the day, Auxford walks into the Strip Coordina- tor's Office, muttering, '4Sick, sick Goonf' He has found a leak in the gas line. The next day he discovers a bad piston, which he plans to replace with one cannibalized from the Hstrickenn LC-47 that nearly got Cdr Driscoll. A blizzard intervenes. Then another piston is found to be defective. A second blizzard. Final- ly, the New Zealanders are dropped off by a Herc on its way back from the Pole, in an admirably-planned maneuver by the VX-6 logistics specialists. And so 832 is reprieved. If the Coon were dangerous the crews would not speak of it sentimentally, nor would they be expected to fly it. Unlike the Herc, it was not made for this austere continent. The three acci- dents so far have not been due to mechanical failure but to un- usual ice surfaces beyond the control of the most skillful and courageous pilots in the world. When they can afford it, the Navy will come up with a new type of aircraft to serve field parties, such as a longer-range version of the turbine-powered UH-1B helicopter now being used bythe Armyin the Pensacola Mountains. On Sunday, Hal Morris is wandering in the shipls store and gazing thoughtfully at some jewelry for his wife. He asks MLB. Cunningham the price of something and turns to a friend who is looking at the magnificent snow outside. They discuss the mini- mum visibility in which you could get a plane down and walk away from it. uFive hundred feet,', says Morris. 'cThat would be the Zz'vz'ng factor. 7' 80 ---

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ll. S. Navy Above: Hallett Station. Left! Red Auxford, mechanic and plane captain ofa Goon that flew out to resupply a party of scientists on the Ross Ice Shelf. He is responsible for any mechanical problems, in flight or on the ground. Work that would be routine at home is complicated in the Antarctic by the absence of hangars and, above all, by the cold.

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' On February 2, Morris files as plane commander of 832. His copilot is Lt Bill Fordell and the navigator is Lcdr Ron Rosen- thal. He carries two mechanics, ADT3 Charles Kelley and Wayne Shattuck, with Kelley serving as plane captain. His radioman is Dick Simmons. They take off to pick up a group of topographic engineers from the U. S. Geological Survey, who have been meas- uring the movement of the Ross Ice Shelf near Roosevelt Island. On February 3, at 0942 hours, zulu time, the teletype begins: THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING OPEN FIELD LANDING IN PARTIAL WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS WITH RESULTING POOR SNOW SURFACE DEFINITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED, BY PERSONNEL IN AN LC- 117 WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY LANDED, TO ENTER A STALL AND THEN MAKE CONTACT WITH THE SNOW IN A NEARLY VERTICAL, NOSE DOWN POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT EXCEPT FOR THE TAIL SECTION WAS TO- TALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE AND EXPLODING TATO BOTTLES. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LIFE OBSERVED BY PERSONNEL WHO REACHED THE SCENE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. FIRE CHARRED TATO BOTTLES GON- TINUED TO EXPLODE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT DELAYING IMMEDIATE INVESTI- GATION. Auxford with the leader lrightl of a party of glaciologists from Grand Valley State College in Michigan. They re- surveyed a line of stakes that was laid out in T963 near the northern edge ofthe Ross lce Shelf, from Ross Island to Roosevelt Island, about 350 miles away. A tellurom- eter, a radio distance-measuring device, was used for the survey. The resultant data, compared to the earlier sur- vey, showed the speed and direction ofmovementot the ice shelf. The party also measured snow densities and accumulation. Inside the plane is ADJ2 Bruce Benson. Note rack tor .IATO bottles, iust forward of the door. This party had been out on the ice for almost two months and was glad to receive mail. They told the plane's crew that they didn't have enough water for washing. One ot their four motor toboggans broke down in November, when they were T25 miles out of McMurdo, and had to be abandoned. For a week they were unreported, since their radio failed, but they were found safe by a SAR Herc that was on its way to retuel the Brockton summer weather station. Coming back, it spotted them and gave their position to Air Operations at McMurdo, During this period they were pinned down by a blizzard for several days, with winds as high as 65 knots. I ,fr if , y ,,,w..,... A, 1 ,, ,ff-, K , Iprk f. ,,gi2k,-5,f-:gf , . ,. rt, 'fwfr .f . . , . s., f. f --H ff 1 .. 14: V. K V ' , 3 V - 4,5 29 V V ew ,Z 'vii' 'Q ,' fff' fffwf, . ' ' '. ' ,ff f .f , A- 034 .V ' - -4, ' ff , . f, , K- ' 2 , 'W f' ,V-,W ,qw ., ,.., , , ,f , ' 3 'QW 5 ' ' ' ' , . '18, 'T -, T ' G aww -,MQ y , . f :, -ef' . ,- -- 4 ,M 1 If r ',,' I f , . wa , , ,, -' ' r QQ, tw 40' , . , no ,..t 7 A 4... h J ,,.f . 1. ,ff ,v E va- 1