Figure 2. A U.S. Air Force C-141 Starlifter cargo plane comes in fora landing at the ice runway at McMurdo Station. Each year the icerunway is rebuilt for the summer season. (Official U.S. Navy pho-tograph.)

cue of the Bahia Paraiso, the Argentine icebreaker which sanka mile off the coast of the station on 28 January 1989. Hamptonprovided first aid, treatment for moderate hypothermia, su-turing, and local anesthetic aid. In addition, he initiated asearch aboard the ship for medications required by elderlytourists and established a 15 bed-field hospital. Hampton helpedto set up living spaces at the station, a considerable task dueto the fact that Palmer, built for a population of 40 personnel,swelled to 317. He also assisted in meal planning for the sur-vivors and a station clean-up.

The Marble Point Air Facility, a refueling station for heli-copters supporting outlying science camps, was refueled bythe U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea (WGAB-11) in thefirst ship-to-shore refueling operation in the history of thecontinent.

Figure 3. Unloading cargo from the supply ship M/V Green Waveis a major task at the end of the austral summer season. The shipresupplies the station with food, equipment, and other essentialsfor the winter. (Official U.S. Navy photograph.)

NSFA's Public Works Department resupplied the MarblePoint station at the beginning of the season via motorizedtraverses of the Ross Ice Shelf which carried food, equipment,and fuel to the facility. Located approximately 60 miles fromMcMurdo Station, the facility is manned by three naval-mem-bers, an aerographer, construction mechanic, and a utilities-man. They live and work at this isolated site and outside oftheir regular occupations of weather-observation, mainte-nance, and plumbing, they share responsibilities of cooking,cleaning, and laundry.

Naval Support Force Antarctica serves as the primary sup-port system for scientific research efforts on the continent. Asan integral extension of the National Science Foundation's Di-vision of Polar Programs, this unit's mission continues to growand be shaped by ever-changing needs of a bustling sciencecommunity on the world's last continent. (See figure 3.)

U.S. Naval Support Force,Antarctica: Detachment operations,

1988-1989

L. REED, LIEUTENANT, USNR

Public Affairs OfficerU.S. Naval Support Force Antarctica

Point Huene,ne, California 93043

Naval Support Force Antarctica carries out its mission fromfour locations. During the austral summer season, the mainbody of NSFA personnel deploys to McMurdo Station. Twoother detachments provide technical and logistical support forMcMurdo, and the unit's homeport headquarters at Port Hue-neme, California, and a logistic staging area at Christchurch,

New Zealand. During the winter season, command of thesupport force in McMurdo is turned over to a detachmentofficer-in-charge. This action formally establishes the fourthlocation, Detachment McMurdo.

Prior to the beginning of each summer season, Naval Sup-port Force Antarctica's Port Hueneme detachment selects oneor more representatives from various departments to provideliaison and research for the command when communicationsand time schedules make it difficult for deployed personnel toaccomplish those objectives. Additionally, Naval Support ForceAntarctica's homeport representatives are responsible for co-ordinating cargo and passenger operations for the continentalUnited States portion of transit to and from Antarctica, andmaterial control operations within the United States. They alsocoordinate the loading of cargo bound for McMurdo Stationonto the Military Sealift Command vessel M/V Green Wave.This cargo consists of supplies used for end-of-season replen-ishments for the upcoming winter, and through the next sum-mer season, at McMurdo, South Pole, and Palmer Station.

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The task set before the Christchurch detachment is consid-erably more involved than that of Port Hueneme (figure 1). Adetachment officer-in-charge, who reports directly to the com-mander, maintains jurisdiction over all personnel transiting toand from Christchurch. The officer-in-charge also performs asthe local coordinator for Naval Air Systems Command in NewZealand and as Naval Aviation Engineering Support Unit pointof contact for Navy Calibration Lab activities in that country.

As a public information delegate, the officer-in-charge es-tablishes and directs community relations, public affairs, andinformation programs for the U.S. Navy and Operation DeepFreeze. The officer-in-charge acts as the U.S. military liaisonto the American Embassy in New Zealand and serves as thesingle point of contact with local government and civilian agen-cies on matters regarding policies, procedures, and directivesaffecting Operation Deep Freeze.

The detachment as a whole functions as a microcosm apartfrom McMurdo Station. Administratively, Detachment Christ-church provides per diem computations for transiting person-nel, counseling services, administers advancementexaminations, offers educational support services, and clericalservices.

The communications department provides flight followingfor U.S. aircraft missions to and from Antarctica. It also pro-vides high-frequency radioteletype, facsimile, and voice circuitcommunications with McMurdo Station on a 24-hour basis.Circuit links are also kept with the New Zealand Ministry ofTransport Civil Aviation Weather Network.

VXE-6's air department provides intermediate level supportfor all ground support equipment and conducts safety in-spections on all stock equipment. It also provides calibrationservices for precision measuring equipment to supported ac-tivities (figure 2).

Purchasing and contracting services for McMurdo andChristchurch military units are handled by the Supply De-partment. The shipping and receiving of general and aviationsupplies is under its operational control. Supply also overseesthe detachment's civilian personnel program and maintainsrecords for other civilian personnel employed in New Zealand.

Quarters and other facilities in Christchurch are maintainedby the detachment Public Works Department, which also co-

Figure 1. U.S. Naval Support Force Antarctica operates a detach-ment at Christchurch, New Zealand. Detachment Christchurchfunctions as a cargo and personnel staging area for flights to andfrom Antarctica. (Official U.S. Navy photgraph.)

Figure 2. Maintenance personnel perform a preventive maintenancecheck on their equipment prior to its operation. (Official U.S. Navyphotograph.)

ordinates and provides construction services for the U.S. NavalObservatory in Black Birch, New Zealand. Transportationmanagement for government-owned vehicles is controlled bythe department.

Other detachment operations include medical and dentalservices, weather services, and the management of a NavyExchange retail store and a military post office.

Perhaps the busiest component of the detachment is theterminal operations department. The detachment terminal op-erations officer coordinates with the CNSFA terminal opera-tions officer and through him with Norton Air Force Base,Hawaii, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Naval Air Station,Point Mugu, California, and other air terminals as appropriatefor receipt and loading of air cargo and personnel. Along withexercising control over contractor, science and military pas-senger, and cargo movements through New Zealand, terminaloperations responds to hazardous material retrograde require-ments at the end of each summer season (figure 3). Qualityassurance of all containers and packages is maintained, andauthorization for shipping animal and plant specimens is con-ducted through this department to the New Zealand Depart-ment of Agriculture.

Lastly, the McMurdo Station winter-over detachment servesessentially as a maintenance force for the interim betweenaustral summer seasons. During the winter of Operation Deep

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Figure 3. Personnel from U.S. Naval Support Force Antarctica'sTerminal Operations department are charge with the safe and properdisposal of hazardous materials from the continent. (Official U.S.Navy photograph.)

Freeze 1989, Detachment McMurdo completed several note-worthy projects. The station's largest finished structure, build-ing 155, underwent a significant enlargement of the ship'sstore, and personnel and finance office spaces were created.The station library, laundry facility, gymnasium, and packagestore were installed with new electrical wiring, as well as anew heating system, plumbing, tile, a suspended ceiling, firesprinkler, and new walls. The pier cargo office received similarimprovements except new walls, a heating system, and firesprinkler. Additionally, a plumbing upgrade in the medical

building and new telephone wiring and carpeting in the per-sonnel and finance building were completed.

In the area of electronic communications, a new computerprocedure allowed for a faster, more efficient means for elec-tronically routing all messages and electronic mail to each de-partment. The elimination of hard-copy messages proved aconsiderable time-saving aspect.

During the winter-over season, the Naval Support ForceAntarctica Public Works Department monitors the thicknessof and constructs the annual ice runway in preparation for C-141 landings during the special winter flight operations andthe start of the deployment flights in the summer.

Also in the winter, Public Works begins work on the annualice pier. The removal of the soil cap above the pier began on8 March and was completed 25 March, a project involving allmembers of the transportation division. Approximately 2,150cubic yards of soil was removed. The ice pier was then re-capped with 4 feet of ice for structural upgrade. The cappedsurface is later protected and insulated with a layer of soil tomake the surface suitable for continuous heavy-vehicle oper-ation during ship offload.

The pier, measuring roughly 95-by-75 meters, was re-cappedby eight to ten Public Works personnel at various pointsthroughout the process. The element of danger was alwayspresent, since severe winter weather, fatigue, and the oper-ation of heavy equipment on an uncertain ice surface wereconstant factors.

Collectively, Naval Support Force Antarctica and its detach-ments incorporate the services of a variety of internationalgovernment and private agencies to maintain a continuousmodern civilization in an otherwise untamed domain.

U.S. Naval Support Force,Antarctica: Weather operations,

1988-1989

L. REED, LIEUTENANT, USNR

Public Affairs OfficerU.S. Naval Suport Force AntarcticaPoint Hueneme, California 93043

Antarctica is the land of science, where research and explo-ration are the focus of U.S. national policy. The mechanics bywhich this policy is carried out rely almost entirely upon aneffective, responsive, and safe logistic support program.

Safety is the driving concern in all logistics operations. Avia-tion, ship, and cargo operations are potentially dangerous inany locale but particularly in an environment as harsh as Ant-arctica. The hazards associated with whiteout conditions, fog,hurricane-force winds, severe wind chill, and shifting ice floesmake weather support synonymous with safety support.

The ability to obtain accurate weather observation data, eval -uate the present synoptic situation, and formulate an accurateforecast is the mission of the weather office. The forecast iscrucial to the success of the logistics mission and to the safety

of all concerned. Data from manned camps, from automated,unmanned weather stations and from remote sensing satellitesis the lifeline of the weather office. The quality of the forecastdepends upon the accuracy and timeliness of all available in-formation. (See figure 1.)

Antarctica is largely devoid of data-gathering facilities. Thereare presently 34 manned antarctic stations and 29 automaticweather stations which routinely report weather in an areaapproximately the size of the United States and Mexico. Elevenof the manned stations are located on the Palmer Peninsulathus making the available data somewhat clustered and notwell dispersed. (See figure 2.)

Reports from manned stations and camps are transmittedoff the continent via the host country's communication net-work. A few stations which routinely experience good high-frequency communications with one another will exchangedata directly. Once the data reaches the host country, it isdirected into the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)communication network and made available to the remainderof the antarctic community. In this manner, data is freely ex-changed, usually within a reasonably short period of time.

The U.S. Antarctic Program's all-Navy weather staff uses aunique polar-orbiting satellite system developed specificallyfor Operation Deep Freeze by the Scripps Institute in La Jolla,California. Four times daily, satellite images are relayed fromMcMurdo to the Antarctic Research Center at Scripps for re-cording in their archives.

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