Glacier (WAGB 4) - Naval Cruise Book

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ceeding as far north as Buenos Aires. Even with two blades missing off my starboard propeller; I finally managed to break free, turn myself around (although it took 12 hours to do so), and slowly break out toward open water. A close call — but — I told you I ' d never spend the winter in Antarctica! We arrived back in Ushuaia by March 15 and retrieved my scattered crew. The GENERAL SAN MARTIN freed herself when winds and ice shifted. Stops at Valpa- raiso, Callao, and Mazatlan rounded out an exciting DF 75 with our arrival home April 21, 1975. THE THIRD DECADE - THE DECADE OF TROUBLES A quick yard availability with unscheduled drydocking from May 1 to June 23 for the propeller damages suffered during DF 75 (I had resigned myself that I wouldn ' t be get- ting anymore belly-rubs or new blades in Wellington), and I was ready to depart July 15 for AWS 75 for continued Con- ductivity, Temperature, Depth, and Current Meter Stations in the Bering and Chukchi Seas; and do a MIZPAC Operation (Marginally Ice Zone Pacific). AWS 75 was unique primarily due to ice conditions reported to be the worst in 80 years. In the past, resupply ships and barges arrived at Ft. Barrow, Alaska, no later than August 22. During summer 75, 10 tugs and barges slipped past Pt. Barrow enroute to Prudhoe Bay on September 3, leaving the barges in the bay to winter- over. Vessels resupplying Pt. Barrow did not get through. Offloading would have been impossible due to shore-fast ice in the area. We arrived home September 30, and left for San Diego and an interim training period on October 6, upon the completion of which, we returned for a short 30-day home stay before being under way again November 20 for DF 76, my twentieth, which again proved to be a little out of the norm. A case of viral hepatitis was recorded onboard while at McMurdo Station; resulting in a 3-day quarantine of both me and the station, while all personnel were innoculated from January 5 - 8. The accidental electrocution of one of my fine young petty officers during rough weather January 21, 1976 recorded the first fatality in my life; a very sad experience for me and my crew. Services were held at the channel at Base McMurdo, and the remains flown home.

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Operations Cook Inlet Mammal Survey. On March 9, while moored at Anchorage, Alaska, in Cook Inlet: I broke all six of my doubled-up mooring lines; striking and coming to rest against the port quarter of the SS PHILA- DELPHIA moored forward, with only my port anchor (which we had had the good sense to drop) holding me against the 7-8 knot currents and the 20-foot tides. WHEW! I tell you, - 1 was scared! I ' m glad thevquickb de- termined that icebreakers of m) size would be a hazard to ourselves and others if operated in the Cook Inlet area. We left there to do the Bering Sea Mammal Survey, and I haven ' t been back to Anchorage since. While doing the mammal survey, I became beset for the first time in the Arctic on March 1 5th, a nd drifted 42 miles in twenty-nine hours. My crew had to blast me free using over 250-lbs of explosives. I remember thinking, - 1 hope these guvs know what they ' re doing!! Luckily, that was the last time they took me up there in the middle of winter. We returned to Long Beach May 15, and did a quick get-ready for AWS 71, leaving August 20 headed in the direction I had just come from to do the West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 7 1 , and to conduct an Emperor Seamount Survey, On mv way home, we made goodwill calls at Nakhopka, Russia; Sasebo, Kure, and Yokosuka, Japan; and stopped in Ho- nolulu, before arriving at Long Beach in November for an even quicker get-ready for DF 72. It was a little boring for me in Russia, as I was kept under guard and wasn ' t al- lowed to talk with any of the other ships there; but my crew found it interesting. Japan was nice though. Every- one was so friendly, and they talk so cute there you know : - thev kept calling me GR A IS HA . Anvwav,- during the short inport back in Long Beach, I received my second Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for DF 70 as a member of Task Force 43. Gosh, it looked like I was becoming a heroine. How nice for my super-great crews: it couldn ' t happen without them you know . Deep Freeze 72 saw us revisiting our familiar haunts in the southern hemisphere, and doing what had become second- nature to us in the Antarctic. A quick trip home, a short rest, and I found myself turned around departing June 28 for AWS 72; enroute to the Bering and Chukchi Seas again for West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 72, and a North Slope Ice Scouring Survey. These north trips had also started to become routine for me, but to the natives of the area, I must have presented a strange appearance this trip. This was my very first venture out in my shiny new coat of fire engine red paint! Ding! Ding! Ding! Here I come - ready or not!! Any belief in the rumor that the polar bears stopped attacking me because they could finally distinguish between me and the ice bergs - is purely unfounded! No wonder my nick-nam e all of a sudden changed to — BIG RED. I have to admit, there seemed to be no end to the Coast Guard ' s surprises; it sure made life interesting for me. Completing our scientific work, we returned home in September and readied for my 17th Deep Freeze. Deep Freeze 73 started November 15, 1972, and was high- lighted by the deepest penetration of the Weddell Sea pos- sible, right up to the Ftlchner Ice Shelf in Gould Bay; also with the recovery of the two Norwegian current meters set out by my crew during DF 68. Returning April 1, 1973, I again prepared for another AWS and West Beaufort Sea Ecology Cruise 73; departing on July 9 with Dr. Rita Horner, the first woman scientist to be carried on these trips. Although thought had been given earlier in the year for a circum-navigation of the northern continent via the Northwest Passage, time commitments for up-coming cruises did not permit the carrying out of this idea (so thev said!). (Don ' t print this, but just between you and I: the ru- mor I heard was that the Guard was planning to build a new bigger ' breaker ' , a bigger red , and wanted it to be first round the top for the publicity they could get from it!) That ' s alright, I wasn ' t feeling too keen on The idea anvwav. 1 was really getting bushed from all these back-to-back trips. Let ' s see. We arrived back in Long Beach September 1, and made preparations during the next 57 days for an October 27 departure on DF 74: my eighteenth DF, in which I broke channel into Mc.Murdo along with my cousin LSCGC STAI ' EX ISLAND (WAGB-5), from December 30 through January 12, 1974. 1 then delivered a group of scientists and equipment to Casey Station, and spent the rest of the month conduc- ting seal studies along the Wilkes Land coast. This was the seventh consecutive annual study to determine this mam- mal ' s numbers, distribution, population make-up, and re- productive potential. This was the first extensive use of the new tranquilizer drug — ROMPLN — which proved highly successful. I was called away at the end of this sur- vey to escort the USNS MAUMEE, which had a damaged rudder, back to Wellington, arriving February 12. Arriving home a month later on March 13, I spent much needed time in the yards and drydock from about April 22 to August 26; with my availability continuing until my departure on Deep Freeze 75 on November 17. Now, my ninteenth Deep Freeze proved to be anything but routine. Upon arriving in Wellington, I was presented with my third Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation award for my participation in DF 74, again as a member of Task Force 43. My mid-patrol break the end of January was spent in Ushuaia, Argentina; the first time we ever stopped there. Returning to the Weddell Sea operating area March 1, I became beset for the third time in my south voyages; again while enroute to assist the Argen- tine icebreaker GENERAL SAN MARTIN which was beset near Erebus and Terror Gulf. By March 9. eighty-two of my crew had been evacuated off, with some fifty of them pro-

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Returning home .April 20. I did another quick about-tace and prepared for AWS 76: departing July 26 to cam out the Submarine .Arctic Warfare Project and SLAR Project demon- stration (Side Looking .Airborne Radar i Both projects proved to be a great success. During this cruise I discovered a slew of shallow uncharted reefs around 72 -037 1 161 -5CAV. Hav- ing bumped my butt on uncharted shoals several times. I know how it feels. - not good! Consequently. I guess they have become an obsession with me. as I am constantly on the look out for them. We returned to Long Beach in late October where 1 missed my second deep freeze voyage with a much needed rest and maintenance period that lasted until my departure in the spring of 1977 on AWS June 8. This time 1 had aboard Dr. Carleton Ray ' s scientific party of four women scientists to stuck walrus behavior in the Chuk- chi Sea. Divers dove to 135-feet for underwater photography of these mammals in their natural habitat. During this trip 1 made my farthest easterly penetration of the .Arctic to 70 - HIS ' 141 -28AV. Returning home September 23. I made ready for my November 15 departure on DF 78. and my 21st .Antarctic voyage This was the first Deep Freeze that I had the opportunity to work with the new Coast Guard Polar class icebreaker POLAR ST.AR Hummph. — very big — very red — impres- sive — but lots of bugs to work out still - like mechanical problems - know what I mean? At least Ive been reliable from dav one, thanks to my simple basic design, and mv loving and talented crews. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn ' t get cattv. On Januarv 12. 1 made mv southernmost pene- tration of the eastern part of the Ross Ice Shelf at 78 -25 S 164 -20 ' W. I guess seeing the struggling Polar ship gave mv crew incentive, because we arrived home April 5 with all ten main engines on the line. — a First — in manv vears. Julv 4 brought AWS 78. and the usual Bering and Chukchi Sea operations. You know - between June 8. 1977 and August 14, 1978, I was underway 286 days; completing two AWS ' s and one DF w ith only a seven week and a 12 week availability! L pon completing AWS 78, we had 54 davs in port before departing November 1 5 upon Deep Freeze 79! .And depart 1 did — right on schedule: following my well wom track across the Pacific to New Zealand, thence to .Antarctica I took over the channel breaking job at McMurdo on this, my 22nd Deep Freeze, when the primary icebreaker assigned suffered mechanical problems (now. now. GLACIER — hold your tongue ole gal! ) Anyway, the entire cruise was pretty routine except for the incident on February 8. 1979. when another of my young petty officers was fatally injured at McMurdo base in a fork-lift accident while offloading the L ' SNS BLAND. We were all saddened by this unfortunate event and it left a pallor on the usual festive mood of the homeward trip. We retraced our way across the Pacific via Sydney and Pago Pago on our return to Long Beach, arriv- ing there .April 6. A summer availability was followed by another November departure on Deep Freeze 80. number 23. Completing the channel at McMurdo with the CGC POLAR SLA (the second new bigger red one). I got right at work in my assigned scientific areas. cfisco ering on December 25. three large submarine canyons over 1.000 meters deep, including Big Red Canvon (named after me - naturally!), just off the continental shelf of Victoria Land. On December 26. 1 discovered an unusually deep submarine basin off Cape Hooker: this one too over 1 ,000 meters deep. On January 1. 1980, I discovered a sea mountain chain rising from 2.000 meters deep up to 100 meters.extendingfrom7o-35 S 169-30 ' Eto70-20 ' s 169 -00 ' E: which was believed to be an extension of the Bal- lenv Fracture Zone. While enroute Wellington. I had mv LCVP ripped right off my deck the night of February 25th during a severely violent storm! Luckily, no one got hurt when that happened! The return home was again made the long way from Wellington via Raoul Island: ar- riving Long Beach on March 22. 1980. My summer 1980 availability was the most extensive since my initial retrofit after being acquired from the Navy. Over S3 million was used to install a marine sanitary system, rehabilitate the galley, mess deck, and all the berthing areas. (During this period I received my fourth Navy Meritorious Unit commendation award for my participation in DF 79). Still. I sailed November 19 on Deep Freeze 81 with only 6 of my ten main engines operable, and 3 of my four generators usable. Two first class petty officers from Fleet Training Group. San Diego, sailed with us from Fleet Training Group. San Diego, sailed with us to Fiji: holding General Emergency drills four times a week and conducting classroom training to bring the crew up to standards. This was also my first cruise with a complement of Coast Guard women onboard 2 officers and 17 enlisted 1 remember hearing the men ask . . . how in heaven ' s name is this going to work out? Will we have coffee clatches every morning Will we have to secure in the afternoons to watch soaps?... But they were sur- prised. The women adapted superbly to the stresses and strains of life aboard a ship at sea. and working with men in an isolated work environment. They worked out great, and I became as proud of them as I was of my men. In fact, they became quite the hit of the New Zealanders. who were amazed the women would accept the rigors of polar ice breaker duty! We worked with the CGC POLAR ST.AR this year, breaking channel into McMurdo: then I proceeded independently on my usual scientific fora s; after which. 1 took the shorter route home up the west coast of South .America via Valparaiso. Callao. and Mazatlan: arriving home March 26. 1981.