Glacier (WAGB 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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the Sound that year, my customary exploration trips were canceled, and I remained on scene clearing the channel and escorting supply ships: very routine, very dull. But I got to go back to Wellington the end of January for another two weeks of drydocking (two vacations in one trip. — how ' bout that? ) before departing for Boston. Once more after starring for home, we received the call to provide assistance to two ships. One of the ships, the THALA DAN. was beset in ice. while the other vessel, the NELLA DAN. had an ill seaman aboard. It took me until February 26 to come within helicopter range of the NELLA DAN and air evacuate the patient onboard The THALA DAN had been passed a day earlier as ice conditions had allowed her to free herself and proceed without assistance. On March 4. we armed at McMurdo station where the patient was placed on the last flight of the season ' s Deep Freeze operations to New Zea- land Finally, on March 11. I got to depart for the U.S.. with the 35.900 mile operation coming to a close for us, I arrived at Newport. Rhode Island, on .April 20 for two weeks of administrative and material inspections. YUCK! Double yuckl! How my crew and I hated them: especially after a long deployment. Boy. what nerve they had in those days! Finally I got to Boston, and spent a quiet summer at the Bethlehem Shipvard undergoing extensive preparations for Deep Freeze 64. My ninth Deep Freeze operation (1963-64) began October 4. 1963. We arrived at the Canal entrance and transited the same day. staying overnight at Rodman Na al Base for fuel. Nineteen days later. I moored at Lyttelton: where after a week ' s stay loading up. we headed for the .Antarctic ice. Once again the trip to the fast ice was interrupted, as we were called upon to give assistance to a sick seaman aboard the HMNZS ROL1TI. After a harrowing transfer by small boat in heavy seas, a successful appendectomy was performed on board during the worst of sea condtions. Shortly after the channel to McMurdo began to take shape. on November 22. I became the flagship of Task Group 43.1 when Captain Price Lewis. Jr.. shifted his flag from my cou- sin USS ATKA (AGB-3 ). The main channel was completed mid-December, and I proceeded to be instrumental in the recovery of the D-8 tractor from under 32-feet of water, where it had been lost the pre ious DF. We also recovered two 10-ton ice sleds adrift on an ice-floe. We spend Christ- mas and New Year ' s in .Antarctic waters, then headed for Hobart. Tasmania, late January for mid-patrol break, before heading south again for the second phase. That was a bummer . I missed my annual Wellington belly-rub and new skates . — know what I mean? Well anyway, the month of February was spent conducting a scientific survey of the little known Ross Sea Island On March 5. we departed McMurdo with 109 passengers bound for Lyttelton after a successful summer , and set sail March 21 for the long trip home. I arrived in Boston .April 21. concluding a highly successful participation in DF 64. and spent the summer in an interim overhaul status at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, and the Bromfield Corporation in East Boston. Upon completion of minor surgery and cosmetic face-lift . I left for New York City for my annual Operational Readiness Inspection (Brzzfft! ) and a weekend visit to the World ' s Fair lYeeeah!). returning home the end of July and remaining until the fall: giving my crew some much needed rest (and me tool). October 5 brought Deep Freeze 65. my 10th. The voyage to Panama was une entful and I transited the Canal easilv (see — 1 hadn ' t gained a single pound in ten years — 1 was still a trim 17.800.000 pounds!). During the 20day trip to Lyttelton. readiness training was emphasized. Arriving November 3. 1964. I was immedately made Host ship for .Antarctic Week festivities already in progress. During those two da -s 1 recehed more than 15.000 — count them — 15.000 New Zealand visitors. .After that refreshing stav. we turned to the annual task of cutting the ice of McMurdo Sound. The 19 miles of channel and the breaking of ice in Winter Quarters Bay was completed in 14 da -s. This enabled me to moor at Hut Point on December 5. the earliest sh ip arrival at this location in Deep Freeze history. The remainder of the month was spent escorting cargo ships into McMurdo Sta- tion. On December 20 I pulled my orders to proceed to Lyt- telton for resupply and rest . Got there the 26th and all hands enjoyed the New Year ' s holiday under the warm New- Zealand sun. On the third day of January in the new year of 1965. we set sail toward McMurdo. and arriving about Janu- ary 10. commenced the Western Ross Sea Islands. Balleny Islands. MacQuarrie Ridge Scientific Expedtion. Twenty-two scientists representing the United States. New Zealand, and Australia were on board to participate in this international expedtion. Investigations in the fields of oceanography, marine and terrestrial biology, geology, geodesy, and mag- netics were conducted. Mighty G was able to accomplish two .Antarctic firsts during the survey making the first known landng on Sturge Island. Completing the scientific surveys, we returned to Lyttelton in preparation for the long journey home, arriving .April 12 in Boston. The next month. May 27. marked the tenth anniversary of service for me. Since my commissioning. I had spent a decade of service in support of Deeep Freeze operations. Commemorating this occasion, the commanding officer at that time, CDR Fau- ghman. officiated at the traditional shipboard cake-cut-

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The USS GIACIER (AGB-4) opening up the channel of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica during Operation Deep Freeze 63. ■ • • v. A ». Are you sure I ' m not boring you? I ' m trying to give you just some of the high-lights without going into too much detail. Why d on ' t you get another cup of coffee before I continue? There; — better? Okay now, where did I leave off? Oh, yes. We departed New Zealand ' s capital January 3, and spent a week at Port Lyttelton provisioning before returning to the ice at McMurdo to take aboard observers and special personnel trained in Antarctic research. On January 21, I steamed independently from McMurdo on a voyage of sur- vey and exploration along the Ross Ice Shelf, and the little- town coast of Marie Byrd Land. During the latter half of the month, a survey of 400 miles of the shelf was completed. While confirming charts of the Marie Byrd Land coast and carrying out hydrographic work, events a thousand miles away brought an end to my scientific endeavors on Febru- ary 5. The fast ice at McMurdo had begun to break out, threatening equipment and cargo still in the process of being transferred from offloading sites to McMurdo Station. On February 9 I was back at McMurdo, the voyage of explo- ration, however, it achieved some highly significant results; namely, the plotting of over 1,000 miles of shoreline from 167 E to 130 W. I remained at McMurdo most of February to assist with the mooring of other ships, provide helicopter support, and aid in the preparation for the seasonal evacua- tion of the station. Finally on February 28, I took on cargo and passengers for the return trip to New Zealand. Arriving there March 6, we received word that my services would be required for yet another mission in the ice. Boy, was my crew ticked; we were supposed to head for home! It was reported that the vessel REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA resupplying the South African scientific station on the Prin- cess Martha coast of Antarctica ' s Queen Maud Land, was caught in the ice with a damaged propeller. More than half- way around the Antarctic continent from McMurdo, the ship was unable to free herself from the thick ice. On March 8, the South African government made an official request for U.S. icebreaker assistance, and I received my orders to — GO!. Looking back, I guess my reputation as Mighty G had become world-wide. Anyway, off I went on March 15 for the long 5,400 mile journey to the stricken ship. While halfway there, on March 22, the South African ship informed us that the ice had broken up. The next day, word was re- ceived that the ship had freed herself and was progres- sing northward to open water. Our rescue mission was terminated, we turned toward Capetown, South Africa, arriving April 2. I was escorted into port by the South African Navy and received a fly-over from their Air Force. The South African government and citizenry of Capetown did everything possible to make our visit a happy, interesting, and rewarding experience for my crew. I in turn, had open house , with more than a thousand persons visiting me for guided tours. Depar- ting April 5, we then visited Rio de Janeiro and San Juan before completing my around the world voyage which was a neat trip, even if we did get back later than planned. Mighty G (name does sort of grow on you, doesn ' t it?) turned right around and departed September 17 for the eighth season of Antarctic operations (1962-63). We tran- sited the Panama Canal September 28, and arrived in Lyttel- ton on October 21 for 11 days of final preparations, before heading for the continent on November 2. By the 14th 1 had reached the fast ice and was breaking a channel into McMurdo Station, 63 miles farther south. Upon completion of that job, it was back to Wellington (Yeeeah!) for drydock- ing and my annual new blades. Upon completion of repairs, I returned to McMurdo to tow cargo ships to their offloading sites. Due to the unusually heavy ice conditions in

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THE SECOND DECADE - THE DECADE OF CHANGE Both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard operated icebreakers until August 1965. when it was agreed that the operation would be more efficient in the hands of one ser- ice. The U.S. Coast Guard, having been delegated the sole responsibility for government icebreaking operations as a result of this agreement, arranged to transfer the Navy ' s five hea y-duty icebreakers to the Coast Guard within a period of a little more than a vear. First of the breakers to be trans- ferred was the USS ED1ST0 (AGB-2 ) on December 20. 1965; followed bv the USS STATEN ISLAND (AGB-5) on February 1. 1966; arid then the USS GLACIER (AGB-4) — that ' s me —on June 30. 1966. Following later were the USS ATKA AGB-3) in October, and USS BURTON ISLAND (AGB-1) in November, both in 1966. I was decommisioned by the Navy and lmmediatelv commissioned into the U.S. Coast Guard as the USCGC GLACIER (WAGB-4) at the Boston Naval Ship- yard on June 30. 1966: the first Coast Guard ship to bear that name I was still the newest and largest of the nation ' s icebreakers, and carried my proud service record over to the Coast Guard. After undergoing a major overhaul; the first thing the Coast Guard did was transfer me from Boston to my new homeport of Long Beach. California (Whoopie! — Sun — Surf — Disneyland — the Beach Boys — Hollywood — Frankie Avalon and beach parties — no more pahkin cahs in the gahrahge!! I. Arming August 24. 1966. 1 was readied for departure on my twelfth .Antarctic Deep Freeze mission by October of the same year. I had already made my eleventh trip to the .Antarctic, my last as a Navy icebreaker, in Deep Freeze 66: having departed Boston October 15. 1965. and returning .April 13. 1966. Since the Coast Guard had always operated with the Navy on .Antarctic and .Arctic misions: I, having been designed and built for sustained polar opera- tions, would continue my support of Navy scientific research activities in the polar regions as required under my joint agreements. .And continue I did Operating as a Coast Guard icebreaker didn ' t appear to be much more different then being in the Navy, except for my new coat of white paint. — which 1 thought was rather pretty. .After all — how many Miss America winners have vou seen in a Navy grev bathing suit — huh° I made my annual Deep Freeze trips in much the same manner as before, doing virtually the same jobs; always returning to the ever welcome ports of Lyttelton and Wel- lington for supplies, maintenance, rest and recreation amongst my friends and admirers. .After a routine DF 67. and my annual availability during the summer at Long Beach; Deep Freeze 68 saw me making the first major penetration and plot of the Weddell Sea during the course of which I plotted over 1100 ice bergs, some as big as 13 x 10 miles. Deep Freeze 69 brought my first Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for DF 68: and something new into our pattern of operations, as we spent our mid-patrol break in Valparaiso. Chile: for refueling, maintenance, and R R after having completed our arduous work in the Ross Sea .Alright! Leave it to the Coast Guard to come up with some- thing different! I missed my Wellington belly-rub. but the crew enjoyed the heck out of Yalpo ' for mid-patrol. Leaving rejuvenated, we returned south to continue exploration work in the Weddell Sea area at the completion of which, saw us homeward bound for a summer of rest. Just a thought — but do you realize I ' ve seen very few winters? I rest the summers in the northern hemisphere, and work the summers in the southern hemisphere. Deep Freeze 70 turned out to be one of my shorter trips to date. Departing on my 15th Deep Freeze on December 3. 1969. this one proved to be a close call for me, as I became beset in the ice while penetrating the Weddell Sea enroute to break out the beset .Argentine icebreaker GENERAL SAN MARTIN near Duke Ernst Bay. I was stranded from February 23 to March 5. during which wintering-ove r preparations were begun: before I finally broke loose and assisted in free- ing the .Argentine breaker. Nosiree. — no way was this gal going to winter-over, uh — ah. not me! Why. it would have taken them years to find us with that coat of white paint on me! I probably looked just like another ice berg! Anyway. while both of us retraced our steps out to open water. I was again put on alert to possibly assist the Japanese icebreaker JDS FUJI, beset in another part of the Weddell Sea The FUJI managed to extricate herself finally on March 19. despite the fact she was missing one of her three screws. I returned home to Long Beach and made preparations for my second trip to the .Arctic: my first venture into the western part. Departing Long Beach August 10. 1970. 1 headed for the Ber- ing and Chukchi Seas to carry out scientific research and exploration: returning from my first .Arctic West Summer November 10. and taking a much needed rest with imme- diate yard availability. Nineteen seventy-one dawned with me having missed my first Deep Freeze ever! Still in the yards. I completed my availability February 25. and departed on my first Arctic West Winter (A WW 7 1 ). showing the stuff I was made of as I took scientific parties to areas never before reached during the Arctic winter, conducting a Polar Icebreaker BELOW: LSCGC GLACIER (WAGB-4) in Winter Quarters Bay. McMurdo Sta- tion, Antarctica January 1 969.