Taconic (AGC 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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Eventually, the work of delivering supplies ashore was completed, and the problem faced became one of assembling and loading everyone and everything that was to go back to the United States with us. Willing hands and minds soon had the details under control, and the day came when the TACONIC, with the other Navy units still at Thule, started the long trip homeward. Greenland and Thule, King Boreas and his Polar Bears, icebergs and growlers and the sun that never set were not soon forgotten as COMPHIBGRU 4 in the away from the land of ice and mighty TACONIC led the formation southward, Eskimos. None the less with blue, ice-free water again around and a sun that behaved as a sun should, rising in the morning and setting at night, liberty and leave in Norfolk was in the forefront of ever yones thoughts. The job for the summer had been accomplished with the knowledge of all hands that it had been WELL DONE. e Pier 5 never looked better! t we-vm--oo-'TIT rmn,

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GREENLAND 'The world's largest island' along whose shores TBI? gggfgaggg Sgihbggz operatinl these past few months, has taken on-a new I lion. contain virtu. advent of lobal air warfare and defense. Its coastad reg and European. and 0:00,-10 gf 005 001000 00005-01:3 00 0':i0::1.3'fa3:::.::ai. 1... T.. ... s nan re, on s covere w aPl'3 cap is one ofgthe most notable geographic feature! of the llndv 30C0nd Only to its strategic location. ' The!discover of Greenland iskcommonly attributed to Norse settlers who founded settlemghts on the southern and southwestern coasts in thei10t2'cent- ury. Graduall communication between the settlers and their nag ve oaway lessened, untif it had completely ceased by the 15th centuryi T E 'su 'fn and western coasts were 'rediscoveredf bi the 0XP10fefl Rin ns., Of Cfegiv Frobisher, and later roughly charted by avis, Hudson, and Ba fin. In s Arctic expedition, Peary gave particular attention to the northern coast, of which little had been known. 0 In the beglnnin of the 10th century the Norwegian, Gunnbjorn, is reported to have sighted isiands to the west or Iceland most probably the southeast coast of Greenland. In 982 Eric the Red sailed from Iceland and further explored Gunnbjorn's find. Upon his return to Iceland he named the new land 'Greenland' so that it might seem attractive and make the people more willing to go there. Four years after his first voyage he sailed again with 25 ships, 14 of which reached Greenland, where a co ony was founded on the relatively temperate southwest coast. Other coloniesfwere founded in the following years, and at the height of their prosperity had a population of about 3,0003 When the-Norsemen came to Greenland they found traces of 'Skraelin ' Qwhich possibly means elves or fairiesj, but the sa as do not report their meeting 'any natives. Somewhat later they found the lgskimo further north, on the west coast, about Disko Bay, where the Norsemen went to catch seals and walrus. The colonists swore allegiance to Norway in 1261, but it was not until the dissolution of the union between Norway and Denmark, in 1814, that the land was passed to Denmark. . The original Norse colonists disap eared, so that ther of their grevious inhabitation when explorer Davis arrived einwa1.58o5r:1yE:zc?v:ttf ions of t e Norse burial grounds reveafbd excessive malformation rickets and evidence of a large child mortality rate. There is no indication to show'that excessive intermarriage caused the original Norse race to be absorbed into the Eskimo culture, or that it was wiped out by an Eskimo onslaught. It was not until the earl art of the 1 th I germanent settlements was fogmgd, near GodtgLabfigf1hi ggtgegqznfgiatiog :he ans Egede. Despite the great smallpox plague, and the fact that mag' of'tK' earl? settlers were convicts, the settlements prospered. Graduall y D t Y sett ements frew halted only by the restriction of communications dylcoab :ah World Wars, until the population now remains fairly stable. I ur nz 0 In 1941 a year after the G A A, ti A L I 0If signed with the'Danish ministe:rTgnW::hgg:t0g? m:k?g:ma::Lnfn Glf90mBhf Wll protectorate of the United States. The U.S. now maintain 'i.n I temporary thaab and throu h various agreements, operates air bases af I consul It God. ezgwgieenland, time most important guf which are Thtllevgnd .g'1fughew:.etstE::gla:t , - . rl: