Deep Freeze '03: Seattle to Hobart

04 Nov 2002 – 15 Dec 2002

On the 16^th of September in Mobile, Alabama 14 people came together and formed Polar Operations Aviation Detachment 157. After 6 weeks of intense maintenance, training, and logistical mayhem we were ready. On the 28^th of October, Coast Guard Helos 6543 and 6555 departed Mobile on a 5 day cross country flight bound for Seattle, Washington. Once in Seattle, we loaded our gear and took a couple of days to do some sightseeing. After that we got underway, and the rest history.

(click each thumbnail for a larger photo)

Polar Sea and crew left Seattle on the 4^th of November 2002 for Operation Deep Freeze '03. We sailed right into a really nasty storm off the coast of Oregon that required us to detour south towards San Francisco before turning west towards Hawaii. Finally on the 12^th of November we arrived at Honolulu. This picture is of Honolulu harbor. The Polar Sea is the red ship on the right of the picture.

On the morning of the 12^th we had to get up at 5:00 am in order to get the aircraft ready to fly to Air Station Barbers Point, HI. Just about every one in the avdet was able to get a picture similar to this one. What an amazing sunrise!

While in Honolulu I had the opportunity to visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor The only place I have ever been that is more emotionally charged than here is the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.

While we are underway we sometimes fly. In this photo we are hanging out waiting for the ship to get ready for us to fly. I assure you that LT. Wilson IS acting normally, while I try to figure out what he is trying to say to the rest of us. Domnick (in the pilots seat) on the other hand is dreaming of Sydney.

We store the aircraft in the hanger side by side. In order for them to fit we have to fold the blades. Here we are getting ready to fly. The procedure is to pull both aircraft out, unfold the first one, put it back in the hanger, then unfold the second aircraft.

Here are the aircraft in the hanger. Notice the skis attached to the landing gear. The skis allow us to land on the ice without falling through.

After Hawaii, our next stop was Sydney, Australia. My wife flew in and met me here for a much needed vacation. And just like all the other tourists we took pictures of the Opera House...

...and the Harbor Bridge...

...and the two of them together.

My wife and I visited the Royal Botanic Gardens where we saw these huge bats!

We also went to the Chinese Gardens. These iguanas were everywhere. This particular one seemed to like having his picture taken.

While in Sydney I took leave, and my wife and I flew to the ship's next port. In contrast to Sydney's bustling metropolitan atmosphere we found Hobart, Tasmania to be very relaxing. Hobart is a relatively small city on the Tasman River, and we had a wonderful time there. This picture shows our view of Mt. Wellington and the Tasman River from the room of our B&B.

One day we drove south of Hobart into the Huon Valley wine region. This picture is a view from the parking lot of a gift store we did some Christmas shopping in.

This picture, and the next two are also from our drive into the Huon Valley.

On a different trip we drove to Port Arthur, Tasmania. This is a picture of an area known as Tesselated Pavement. You can actually go all the way down to the water and see the rock formations up close.

This picture and the next are also from our drive to Port Arthur. This area is known as the Devil's Kitchen. You can't fully appreciate the 200 foot drop to the water from the pictures!

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