Week 14. Problems at Vanda

Monday 7 January 1974

As a result of yesterday’s incident with the D4 and the loss of our usual route, today’s ice party took much longer than usual. Shaun was on standby all day to go to Cape Crozier but in the end the trip was called off. Bob Unwin, Willet (the cook from DVDP) and Maurice Meyer arrived on a late flight. George Kendall has returned from the drill site. Tonight after dinner we had a working “B” from 1900 to 2100 hours and evacuated the site of the new ablution block drain. Even with power picks this is slow work.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind East-North-East 8 knots Temperature -3.4°C

Ration Strength 36

Tuesday 8 January 1974

This morning I went with Bob Unwin, Ian Thomas, John Rothery and Stuart Clarke to Arrival Heights. John Rothery, surveyor, established the angles to a number of markers to be used in connection with Ian’s Photometer project. I took the opportunity to check the route which Stuart as the Photometer Technician will have to use in winter. It needs flagging.

Yesterday Bob Unwin brought an apparatus for taking air samples with which I am required to have samples taken at various on a flight to the South Pole. Warren Featherston wants to get to the South Pole so I gave him the job.

Dr Peter Anderton, Bob Grant and the Franz Lazi film team were all flown to Vanda today. We have apparently got a problem on our hands as regards the supply of power at Vanda. The science technicians have had a number of instrument failures and Tom Bromley in particular believes this is partly caused by surging current which in turn is caused by the generating system whereby each Petter diesel drives two alternators. Each alternator has a separate regulator and these react to each others regulation (or so my chaps believe). I think a heavy duty capacitor in the line might fix it. Russell Plume and Tony Bromley arrived back from Vanda today. Tony has had a relapse.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South-West 2 knots Temperature -2.2°C

Ration Strength 36

Wednesday 9 January 1974

Early this morning Ian Clement and Bob Newland returned from their seal study with their dogs. They had had a wonderful trip. The ice between Royds and Evans moved out whilst they were at Evans and shortly after they had passed over it. There were several leads crossing the ice and they had been unable to get round the tip of the Erebus Glacier tongue. They had to back track and struggle with the dog sledge over its base. Then because the ice breaker channel they couldn’t get into McMurdo and had to cross the Hut Point Peninsula from West to East at Castle rock. They crawled into bed at four in the morning.

Weddell Sea Seal

During the 0800 hours schedule a VUWAE group claimed they heard Cape Bird calling and then claimed they heard a whistling signal that the Cape Bird part had problems. Since we could hear nothing more I asked for a helicopter and with John Warriner and Fred Szdlik flew over to see what the trouble was. In fact it was a false alarm. Cape Bird had made no call and as it wasn’t their scheduled time they hadn’t even been listening. Other problems today included a Victoria University party which proposed to make seismic soundings off an ice breaker. There was doubt as to whether the explosives existed or could be used. Also, we have a serious personality problem at Vanda. Ian Curphey and Tony Bromley cannot agree.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 4 knots Temperature +2.6°C

Ration Strength 36

Thursday 10 January 1974

I was awakened early this morning by the mouse with the news that Vanda had some emergency. When I got to the radio however I was told that the emergency was over. Gary Lewis, the visiting Geophysical Observatory technician had decided to go for a walk in the evening to Bull Pass. On getting there he decided he had time to walk on to visit a field party at Mount Jason from whence he could radio back by the midnight radio contact that all was well. Unfortunately he over-estimated his ability and did not get to Mount Jason until half-an-hour after the schedule closed. By 0200 hours Ian Curphey decided to mount a search operation. He and a companion walked to Bull Pass and were back by 0800 hours to learn that at 0600 hours Gary had called from Mount Jason . Gary is most contrite and admits he did a selfish and irresponsible thing.

It took all morning to get ice. The Cobra power picks were not running well. It appears that two NZ students who are coming to Antarctica to undertake seismic profiling may be unable to do so as the captain of the ice breaker which was to be used is not happy with the method proposed. Chris Wilkins and Tony Atkinson have gone to Vanda to try to solve the power problem. The Lazi film team is seeking last minute changes to the helicopter programme to enable them to get to Kingpin. Shaun and George Kendall have set off for the damaged helicopter at Crozier.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 5 knots Temperature +1.2°C

Ration Strength 34

Friday 11 January 1974

Alex Wilson had been out of contact for 36 hours so I broadcast that since he knew the rules he would be expecting a helicopter any time. Within the hour he had made contact with the Mount Jason field party and told them he was alright but having “transmission troubles”.

We have had to shift the dog lines well down towards the point where the Williams Field road turns away from the land in order to avoid melt holes. The pups are thriving.

The power problem at Vanda seems to be a combination of things but Chris and Tony are hopeful that they can get it working. The disappearing snow has revealed a mess of bits of wood, nails, old bones and bits of sealskin around the Base. Rapid ice ablation is adding to the work of ice collection. Bob Unwin, Ian Thomas and two US scientists, Ray Heer and Hugh Chivers are discussing the possibility of an International Polar Cap Observatory (IPCO). It all depends on getting a US Navy nuclear power source to drive an unmanned observatory.

We are having radio troubles with the Event 10 party at Lake Bonney. Another change of helicopter plan has been mooted. Now Terry Healy wants to go there. Bert Haugh, a visitor from Ministry of Works arranged his own trip to the South Pole. This is disconcerting as there were others with more claim to a trip.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 5 knots Temperature -3.2°C

Ration Strength 34

Saturday 12 January 1974

Shaun and George Kendall arrived back from Crozier ahead of the party bringing the helicopter. All had gone well. With the group of scientists examining the feasibility of IPCO I took a helicopter towards Vanda and its leadership and power problems. Unfortunately although the weather was clear over the McMurdo Sound there was low cloud on the Wilson Piedmont Glacier and it proved impossible to get across it into the Wright Valley. As a consequence two more helicopter hours were wasted.

Back at Scott Base we had the usual Saturday clean up and then a game of rugby against a team from McMurdo. With the aid of the referee, “a Kiwi”, we drew four all. The following social evening must have contributed something to the nourishment of our existing friendly relations with McMurdo.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 15 knots Temperature -3.6°C

Ration Strength 37

Sunday 13 January 1974

At 0500 hours we dispatched Bob Unwin, Bert Haugh, Gary Lewis, Bob Parks and George Kendall to Christchurch and shortly afterwards the science group (less Bob Unwin) and myself flew towards Vanda. This time we were successful in getting over the Piedmont and the IPCO group were able to walk about the top of Dias examining one of their proposed sites. We then landed at Vanda and whilst the helicopter positioned Event 1 and 10 and Ian Thomas looked at a repeater site on Mount Newall, I was able to enquire into the leadership problem. The situation could be summarized as follows:

1. Ian Curphey, the leader, had always been more interested in the adventurous aspects of field party work than the, perhaps, more routine matter of data collection.

2. Early in the new year he had established some sought or rapport with Janet Crump which had apparently intensified this predisposition to the point where he had neglected his share of the task of keeping Vanda functioning. In particular he had:

   1. Made small effort only to complete the works programme.

   2. Spent too much time acting as an extra field assistant and playing the genial host to field parties.

   3. Failed to put idle hands at Vanda to work.

   4. Failed to pass on the complaints of his Base staff to me.

Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 4 knots Temperature -1.8°C

Ration Strength 32