"News about the USAP, the Ice, and the People"
United States Antarctic Program United States Antarctic Program Logo National Science Foundation Logo
 
Helicopter lands on U.S. Navy ship.
Photo Credit: Dave Griesz/Antarctic Photo Library

A helicopter transporting passengers from Little America V lands on the U.S.S. Curtiss in Kainan Bay, January 1957. Navy personnel were en route home after spending the winter of 1956 in Antarctica.

IGY

Historic science campaign set the stage for International Polar Year

The International Polar Year (IPY) External U.S. government site ended in March 2009. This two-year global cooperative effort has allowed scientists around the world to focus attention on the two polar regions. It came 50 years after the International Geophysical Year (IGY) External Non-U.S. government site, 1957-58, an unprecedented global scientific event.

When President Dwight Eisenhower declared, in March 1955, that the United States would participate in the upcoming IGY, he assigned the logistical support effort to the U.S. Navy.

Operation Deep Freeze, as it was called, was assigned to Task Force 43 under command of Rear Adm. George Dufek, U.S. Navy (Retired), Commander U.S. Naval Support Force Antarctica.

Paul Siple
Photo Credit: William McPherson/Antarctic Photo Library
Paul Siple
Tractor train leaves Little America V.
Photo Credit: Jim Waldron/Antarctic Photo Library
Tractor train departs Little America V to construct Byrd Station.

Aviation support provided by Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6) was commissioned on Jan. 15, 1955. The Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (Special) was commissioned on Aug. 18, 1955. More than 1,800 men were members of Deep Freeze I (DFI, 1955-56) and more than 3,000 men participated in DFII (1956-57). Their mission was to have the Mobile Construction Battalion (Special), better known as Seabees External U.S. government site, construct two main bases.

One base, Little America V, was established near Admiral Richard Byrd’s 1929 base on the Ross Ice Shelf. The other base, Williams Air Operating Facility (now known as McMurdo Station External U.S. government site), was built on Ross Island.

During DFII, Little America V personnel traversed 650 miles inland to construct Byrd Station, and personnel from McMurdo constructed South Pole Station External U.S. government site. The three remaining U.S. bases — Ellsworth, Wilkes and Hallett — were built as part of DFII.

Albert Crary was the IGY Deputy Chief Scientist for Antarctica and the chief scientist while working on the Ice from 1957-59.

Paul Siple was the scientific leader at South Pole during DFII. Siple was already famous from his first trip to Antarctica as a 19-year-old Eagle Scout, accompanying Adm. Richard Byrd’s 1928 and 1933 expeditions.

Three must-read books, to best understand the accomplishments and hardships of this era, are Deep Freeze by Dian Belanger, Innocents on the Ice, by John Behrendt, and 90*South by Paul Siple.

back to top