Innocents on the ice: a memoir of Antarctic exploration, 1957

876 Pages·1998·3.98 MB·English

by  John C. Behrendt

Innocents On the Ice : A Memoir of
title:
Antarctic Exploration, 1957
author: Behrendt, John C.
publisher: University Press of Colorado
isbn10 | asin: 0870814931
print isbn13: 9780870814938
ebook isbn13: 9780585099262
language: English
Behrendt, John C.,--1932---Diaries,
Antarctica--Discovery and exploration--
subject
History, Antarctica--Discovery and
exploration--United States--History.
publication date: 1998
lcc: G850.B44 1998eb
ddc: 919.8/904
Behrendt, John C.,--1932---Diaries,
subject: Antarctica--Discovery and exploration--
History, Antarctica--Discovery and
exploration--United States--History.
Page iii
Innocents on the Ice
A Memoir of Antarctic Exploration, 1957
by John C. Behrendt
University Press of Colorado
Page iv
Copyright © 1998 by the University Press of Colorado
International Standard Book Number 0-87081-493-1
Published by the University Press of Colorado
P.O. Box 849
Niwot, Colorado 80544
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing
enterprise supported, in part, by Adams State College, Colorado State
University, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State College, Metropolitan
State College of Denver, University of Colorado, University of
Northern Colorado, University of Southern Colorado, and Western
State College of Colorado.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard for Information Sciences
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-
1984
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION
DATA
Behrendt, John C., 1932
Innocents on the ice: a memoir of Antarctic exploration, 1957 /
by John C. Behrendt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87081-493-1 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Behrendt, John C., 1932Diaries. 2. AntarcticaDiscovery
and explorationHistory. 3. AntarcticaDiscovery and exploration
United States History. I. Title.
G850.B44 1998
919.8'904dc21
98-26379
CIP
Frontspiece: Official U.S. Navy Photo by W. Cox
Page v
To Kurt and Marc, innocents abroad, each in his own time and place
Page vii
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Editorial Note xv
Roster of Men at Ellsworth Station, 1957 xvii
1. Introduction 1
2. Voyage to the Weddell Sea 9
3. Fall 49
4. Winter Begins 97
5. The Long Night Goes On and On and On . . . 153
6. The Sun Returns 189
7. Final Traverse Preparations 235
8. Ellsworth to Berkner Island 275
9. Dufek Massif to Korff Island 333
10. Heading for Home 389
Epilogue 403
Glossary 405
Bibliography 407
Index 409

Page ix
Preface
I was a 24-year-old graduate student when I sailed from the U.S. Navy
base at Davisville, Rhode Island, to participate in the International
Geophysical Year (IGY) expedition. IGY was the 18-month period 1
July 1957 to 31 December 1958, during which a worldwide program
of geophysical research was conducted by 70 countries and about
30,000 scientists. A large part of this effort was concentrated in
Antarctica.
I had romanticized Antarctic exploration since childhood, and
although the pursuit of science and a Ph.D. degree was my ostensible
purpose, the romance/adventure part was what really drew me south
to the seventh continent. What I didn't know then was that adventures
in Antarctica only happen when someone makes a mistake.
In 1956 I had just finished my master's degree in geophysics and had
obtained a position as assistant seismologist to work on the IGY
glaciological program. The main purpose of the IGY oversnow
traverse program was to measure the ice-sheet thickness and its
physical properties including snow accumulation. We now know that
the average thickness of the Antarctic ice sheet is about two miles (3
km), with much of it below sea level. But in 1956 the only direct clue
to this great mass was a short seismic reflection traverse by the
Norwegian-British-Swedish Expedition a few years earlier.
Specifically not included in the IGY program in Antarctica were
geological research and topographic mapping because of the possible
political problems related to potential mineral resources and
competing territorial claims. The cold war was at its height, and
negotiation of the Antarctic Treaty was still three years in the future.
"You can only go to Antarctica for the first time once." Thus I was
told, so I recorded events conscientiously in a daily journal