An Excerpt from the May 1st 1936 Walkabout Magazine
WALKAbout, May 1st, 1936
AN ANTARCTIC SUNSET.
With Discovery
II to the Bay of Whales
By C. W. GIBBS
WHEN the two American explorers, Ellsworth and Kenyon, flying
across unknown parts of the Antarctic continent in the machine
the "Polar Star" were reported missing last December,
it was decided to divert the Royal Research' Ship Discovery II"
from its scientific mission to search for the missing men. Australia
took official action by dispatching a well-equipped detachment
from the Royal Australian Air Force, under the leadership of Flight-Lieut.
Douglas, aboard the "Discovery II." The following article
recounts the impressions of a member of the Air Force party during
the voyage.
The R.R.S. Discovery is a lively roller even in ordinary seas.
and the loading of aircraft equipment, extra food, and fuel oil
did not improve matters. The decks were so covered with essential
cargo for our quest that moving around the ship was somewhat like
taking part in an obstacle race. Christmas Day found us rolling
across the Tasman Sea to Dunedin, where the oil and water were
to be finally topped up; sunrise on the 2nd of January found us
steaming for the open sea, en route for the Frozen South and the
Bay of Whales.
Our passage down through the
50's and 60's was favoured with fair weather, except for an occasional
squall, which is a feature of those latitudes. The R.A.A-F. detachment
had plenty of work on hand in preparing the aircraft and equipment
for operation in the colder climate to come. On the 7th of January,
icebergs, those giant sentries of the south, were seen in large
numbers. The temperature, which had been steadily falling, began
to drop rapidly and the breeze now flung us a stingingly cold
welcome. Work in the fresh open air appreciably sharpened our
appetites. Contrary to popular opinion, the diet contained nothing
special as regards fattening foods, but what might appear anomalous
was the inclusion of orange and lemon squash, even when we were
right down at the ice barrier. That, of course, was an antiscorbutic
measure.
The Antarctic Circle was crossed on the 8th of January, as also
was the 180' meridian, the "date line," which made ship's
time lose a day. A noteworthy fact is that the normal barometric
reading in these latitudes is seldom more than 29', but the recordings
for the purpose of forecasting weather are of very little use.
Indicating the presence of pack ice, the sea was becoming noticeably
smoother, and after passing through scattered brash ice, we entered
the pack an hour later. With that, we were in another world-a
world of dazzling whiteness, of perfect solitude and, at that
time of the year, of continual daylight- The ice being only a
few feet thick, the ship dealt with obstructing floes in a business-like
manner. It was thrilling to see a huge floe, maybe acres in extent,
suddenly split in two, and loose pieces of ice tumble wildly at
the bow of the ship. The upturned pieces had a greenish tinge,
due to a prolific marine life (diatom), being frozen with the
sea water. There was also a hue of most delicate blue in the cracks
and crevices, caused by the filtered sunlight and resembling what
may best be described as a vapour.
THE SHIP'S BOW BREAKING
THROUGH THE PACK ICE.
At this time the interval
between sunset and sunrise was only about 45 minutes, and on each
occasion the rays of the sun gave the ice in their path a tinge
of red, the whole galaxy of colour presenting a spectacle not
soon to be forgotten. Photographs cannot do adequate justice to
any snow-scenes, more particularly those in such regions, nor
can mere words satisfyingly convey an image to the mind.
Snowy petrels, birds the size of a pigeon and of snow-white plumage,
are a feature of these latitudes- They seem almost ethereal, flying
swiftly and gracefully over the ice, merging into the dazzling
whiteness as they go. There are also those quaint "little
fellows in evening dress," the Adelie penguins, which are
ever a source of amusement with their comical gait and their almost
human antics. By falling prone, they can travel toboggan fashion,
and speedily, too. To the penguins, swimming is no effort at all,
and the ease with which they leap back to the ice is amazing.
Many seals peacefully slept on the foes, whilst, now and then,
a whale would come up for a "blow" in a clear patch
or water. One inquisitive chap, a fin whale, came alongside, swimming
around and under the ship.
AND now the ice was really
thick, 20 feet and more-the genuine bay ice-necessitating great
care in navigation. Breaking through this crust was out of the
question, and only by nosing her way through open lanes could
the Discovery II make any progress, and then only slowly. The
scarred and tumbled icefloes bore evidence of the crushing they
had received from the icebergs, which are really gigantic. One
berg we met measured, by a timed flight, 16 miles long and 4 miles
wide, with the walls towering some 200 feet above the water. It
should be remembered that the volume of ice visible above the
water is only one-seventh of the whole. At one Stage, further
progress was impossible, and we were two days waiting for the
ice floes to separate. The aircraft on many occasions proved invaluable
as a means of "spotting" open lanes. Any ship venturing
into these waters should carry suitable aircraft. After five days
or this uncertain progress, 400 miles had been covered, and we
were in open water steaming steadily to the Bay of Whales.
During the morning of the 16th of January-a fortnight out from
Dunedin-the ice-blink indicated that we were approaching the Great
Ross Ice Barrier. The ice-blink is the glare of the ice reflected
to the clouds that are ever present. Over the sea. owing to the
absence of reflected light, the clouds seem dull and grey, that
condition being known as a water sky. Soon we were treated to
an amazing sight, the white ice cliffs or the Barrier, which are
some 100 feet high and 600 miles long-eternal ice, the edge of
which remains practically unchanged except for pieces that occasionally
break off and wander around the sea as icebergs. The Ice Barrier
so much resembles the cliffs of Dover that the thoughts of many
Englishmen aboard turned to home.
In the early evening we entered the Bay of Whales, an enormous
cut made by nature in the Barrier, and the numerous whales "blowing"
fully justified its name. An aeroplane took off immediately and
soon located the missing men-but that story has been told in the
newspapers.
THE ROSS ICE BARRIER. 100
FEET HIGH.
Some day's were spent in this bay, and.
although the temperature fell to 6 F., that is. 26 below freezing,
not much discomfort was caused by it. Our clothing consisted of
flannel underwear. the shirt being double-breasted, as also was
a top shirt; thick trousers; and a real sweater, over which was
worn a windproof suit of overalls, complete with zipp fastener
and storm cuffs on the sleeves and legs. Submarine stockings and
sea boots, a Norwegian fur-lined helmet, and thick gloves completed
the rig-out. Because of the steam radiators between decks, much
of this warm outfit could be left off-in fact. not more than two
blankets were necessary on our beds. The dryness of the air no
doubt makes the low temperatures endurable. In this climate, tobacco,
for instance, becomes dry unless measures arc taken to keep it
moist.
Several parties visited Little America, the base used by Byrd
on his expeditions some years ago. and found it to be a veritable
underground village, having among other facilities- a telephone
system. The snow had forced its way into some of the huts, the
sunlight making the icicles fairly blaze with beautiful shades
of blues and greens. There again, the perfect dryness was evidenced
in the complete absence of corrosion of metal articles, and the
perfect state of preservation of everything was remarkable. Rubber,
being the only exception, was in such an extremely perished condition
that it broke up like chocolate.
Having completed our part in the search, the Discovery II now
resumed her scientific work, which brought us to Ross Island,
an island consisting of three high mountain peaks-Terror, Terra
Nova, and Erebus-rising sheer out of the sea. A party of scientists
went ashore, landing on the slopes or Mount Terror, which made
a grand sight with clouds wreathing its 10.000-feet summit. The
spot where they landed to obtain specimens of rock was the site
of a penguin rookery, with tens of thousands or the birds in possession.
Many skua gulls, the arch-enemy of the penguin, were in attendance,
the carnage from their murderous visitations, along with other
matter, giving off an objectionable odour and making the place
a regular shambles.
Mount Erebus, 12.000 feet, provides a contrast of terrific heat
in the midst of extreme cold. An active volcano in Polar regions
sounds like one of Ripley's tales; but there it is, tossing a
plume of smoke high above its topmost peak. Coal deposits have
been located on this mountain that indicate the existence of forests
in those regions many ages past when the world was young-
And then the ship was headed for home, the floes encountered hindering
her only to a small degree, and good progress was made. We bade
farewell to the last iceberg at latitude 65 south. A "running
survey" of the Baleeny Islands was commenced, but the weather
so hindered the work that the job was not completed.
As we steamed back to lower latitudes, those monarchs of the air-the
albatrosses-again followed the ship, making the airmen envious
of their gliding capabilities. One fellow we managed to catch
on a bait measured seven feet in wing-span, and he was by no means
a big bird.
Sir Douglas Mawson, the Australian explorer, after many visits
to the south, has spoken of the possibilities of tourist traffic
and of the health-giving climate in those regions; and we. having
glimpsed some of the wonders of Antarctica, can readily visualize
the days when world-cruise ships will show their passengers the
edge or the frozen south.
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