Report from Antarctica

Rights Information
Year
1956
Reference
25684
Media type
Audio
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Rights Information
Year
1956
Reference
25684
Media type
Audio
Series
D series, ca. 1935-1950s.
Duration
01:01:51
Credits
RNZ Collection
Black, Richard Blackwood, 1902-1992, Speaker/Kaikōrero
Smith, William James Lanyon, 1922-2018, Speaker/Kaikōrero
Whittlewood, William, Speaker/Kaikōrero
Hatherton, Trevor, 1924-1992, Speaker/Kaikōrero

A six part report from Antarctica. This is an account of three New Zealanders, Lieutenant Commander Bill Smith, Dr Trevor Hatherton and Bernard Gunn who travelled on the [United State Coast Guard icebreaker] 'Edisto' from Lyttelton to McMurdo Sound to seek a site to establish Base Camp 4 and carry out investigations for the International Geophysical Year Party, which is to be established by New Zealand over the year 1957-1958. This programme was edited and produced by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in 1956 from tape recordings made during the journey and flown back to New Zealand by the first returning air party.

Part 1. Actuality accounts from on board the 'Edisto' icebreaker from Captain [Richard] Black, who describes the first iceberg sighted in detail; Lt. Commander Bill Smith describes the "iceberg area proper" ; Mr William Whittlewood of the U.S. Hydrographic Office gives his impressions of the "white continent"; the microphone is dropped over the side of the ship to capture the ship passing through the water and Lt. Commander Smith offers another description of conditions and views surrounding the ship, the pack-ice with little patches of water, lack of wind, the pressure of the ship creating cracks and 'leads' ahead allowing the ship to continue to break through.

Part 2. Lt. Commander Smith diaries the 18th December from 60 miles east of Cape Adare as conditions have drastically changed. By 2.30am on 20th December the Edisto is just off Cape Byrd, with Cape Royds in the distance and Erebus can be seen clipped by clouds in the distance. On arrival at McMurdo the Edisto becomes "a scene of feverish activity" as the American Task Force Faciltiy Operation off loads equipment and the crew celebrate land beneath their feet by chasing inquisitive penguins which they catch for American ornithologist, Mr Davis who will eventually take 50-60 penguins back to the U.S. for zoos.

Part 3. On December 20th 1955 Dr Trevor Hatherton and Lieutenant Commander Bill Smith take a helicopter ride from the flight deck of Edisto to an airstrip on the sea ice of McMurdo Sound. They anticipate and record the arrival of two planes from Wigram Aerodrome in Christchurch which have flown across southern waters to land in the Antarctic - a first. As the helicopter takes them over the Ross Sea Lt. Commander Smith describes the view of Cape Royds, Cape Armitage, Butter Point (which is to be assessed for a New Zealand expedition the following year) and the media, lined up on the airstrip. Once on the ice and waiting for the arrival of the planes he describes the air strip, the vast expanse of sea ice, Erebus, Mount Discovery and Observation Hill (where a cross for Captain Robert Falcon Scott is visible). The historic moment of the arrival of 'Neptune' which crosses the top of Erebus before turning and descending into the runway is described with excitement. Bernie Gunn is sledging with the dog team.

Part 4. Following the special occasion of the plane's landing and sight-seeing, Dr Hatherton and Lt. Commander Smith set out on their base camp reconnaissance trip with two, man-hauledl sledges and about 400 pounds of equipment. With no room for tape recorders or unnecessary extras, diaries were kept from which recordings were made later on tape, documenting their movements over the 95 mile trip from December 31st – January 5th 1956 accompanied by Bill Hartigan, an American cameraman from the NBC TV network. Dr Hatherton speaks first, describing how a helicopter takes them (Bill Hartigan follows later due to flight weight restrictions) with the aim of studying the area and taking photos before moving on to Butter Point. Bill Hartigan joins them and as appointed cook provides a dinner of stew and "half a gallon of coffee". The A-frame tent designed for two men accommodates the three of them along with their belongings. The New Year's Eve is celebrated with a mug of coffee, New Year’s breakfast with bacon, eggs and cocoa. Lt Commander Smith and Dr Hatherton continue to share diarised stories describing their progress and conditions over the varying ice terrain.

Part 5. The recorded diaries of Dr Trevor Hatherton and Lt Commander Smith continue as they traverse the ice terrain from Butter Point to Cape Chocolate. In an attempt to dry off their wet socks, (suggested by Bill Hartigan) they heat their wet socks in a dry billy only to fill their tent with the smell of burnt wool. On 3rd Jan 1956 ‘Smithy’ describes how he and Dr Hatherton made their way through yet another very uncomfortable thaw area (three feet of water) and as they explored further, the ground continued to be variable. Although the terrain was treacherous at times and at that point they would liked to have called it a day and taken the tram home, 'Smithy' remarks that in the Antarctic once you decide to do a thing it must be done. During dinner that night twenty-one skuas surrounded them and through the night sat on the guy ropes and pulled the tent pegs out. Dr Hatherton notes his second crampon breaking during this trip, boots loaned to him by the Americans with riveted crampons.

Part 6. In the last leg of their journey they are exhausted and due to an ice blockage on the direct route to Hutt Point they divert to an American Air Operating Facility close by. On arrival Hartigan and Hatherton collapse into plane seats and sleep whilst Smithy and Dick Stan [? the pilot] are found in sleeping bags by the sledges out in the snow the next morning. They work out they have travelled 32 miles the previous day pulling 600 pound (waterlogged) sledges for over 19 hours. From the planes they arrange helicopter transport back to the ship but still managed to get to Hutt Point as the helicopter stops over to pick up another American on the way. The American camp consists of about twenty tents and a new looking square wooden building which they discover is actually Captain Scott’s original hut built in 1901-1904, now over 50 years old and looking in perfect condition. Returning to Edisto for lunch, they unpack and spend the rest of the afternoon talking and resting.

Dr Hatherton gives his impressions on the possible sites for the New Zealand base camp. The Ross Sea Committee’s original plan for Dailey Island is scrapped as Hatherton’s observations deem it completely incompatible. He discusses the pros and cons of Dry Valley and Butter Point in terms of access by plane, ship and sledge. After hearing his observations the Ross Sea Committee approves immediate progress on plans for a base site to be erected four miles from Butter Point, at the foot of the Ferrar Glacier.