Deep Freeze '03: Hobart to Mcmurdo Station

15 Dec 2002 – 30 Dec 2002

After much needed R&R in the ports of Sydney and Hobart, Australia we got down to business. We on-loaded gear and scientists in Hobart and headed south. Mostly the scientists just did water samples to test salinity and nutrient levels. Nothing really exciting though. About ten days out of Hobart we started to see icebergs. We reached the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf on the 29^th of December. On the 30^th of December the avdet departed the ship and flew to Mcmurdo Station Antarctica. While in Antarctica we fly our helos in support of National Science Foundation research. We also support the Polar Sea and the NSF's icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. Some of the things we assist the NSF with include setting up automated weather stations (AWS), and rounding up and tagging seals and penguins. We also assist in taking peolple in and out of remote camps located near Mcmurdo.

Here are some of the first icebergs sighted during DF '03

The first iceberg sighted on DF '03.

This iceberg is bound in sea ice, which is also called pack ice.

This iceberg is an older one. Over time the wind and sea have eroded one face of the iceberg creating this interesting shape.

This iceberg is so big that it gets a name. B-15 is approximately the same size as the state of Vermont!

Dry (but frozen) land at last! We made it to Mcmurdo on the 30^th of December.

Mcmurdo as seen from Discovery Hut. Observation hill is seen in the background. Every one in Mac Town just calls it Ob Hill.

After climbing up Ob Hill you get a much better feel for the size of Mac Town. During the summer months Mac Town can have up to 1200 residents. The population shrinks to under 200 during the winter months.

On the other side of Ob Hill is Scott Base which is operated by New Zealand. The population of Scott Base is only about 85 during the summer.

These trucks are really cool! Every man needs a set of these things!

Supposedly there is very little snow in Antarctica during the summer. However, between the 20^th and 22^nd of January we had quite a blizzard blow up here.

The building in the background houses the dining hall, store, computer kiosk, and there are 4 person rooms on the second floor.

The tall buildings in the back are the operations centers.

After the blizzard let up we were able to survey the impact on our aircraft. As you can see, even with the snow covers on...

...the snow is so fine that it can blow into any little gap filling the engine and transmission areas with packed snow.

A view from the rear showing the exhaust packed with snow.

Here we are using the “Herman Nelson” heater to blow hot air on the aircraft to melt the snow.

A little avdet humor.

Here are some shots of the Ross Island area as well as the Dry Valleys which are across the Ross Ice Shelf from Mac Town.

Here is a shot of Mt Erebus. Erebus is an active volcano on Ross Island.

Mt. Erebus is in the distance, with Scott Peninsula in the foreground. If you look carefully in the center of Scott Peninsula you can barely see Mac Town.

This shot and the next are of different peaks in the Trans Antarctic mountain range.

This picture and the next two are different glaciers in the Dry Valleys.

Hut Point on Scott Peninsula is one of the historic sites in Antarctica . Located there is Discovery Hut which was built by Robert Falcon Scott from New Zealand. Discovery Hut was last used in 1915. It remains in the same condition today as it was then.

Plaque located near Discovery Hut.