Monday 5 November 1973
Today we still had no helicopters flying. A helo has broken down at Cape Crozier and the weather has not been good. At one stage it seemed likely the NSF would request permission to capture 25 penguins at Cape Royds. This would not have been acceptable to NZ but, as it turned out, the request was never made.
In the evening we had several Americans to dinner including Lt David Console the local doctor and Lt Carmen the VXE Squadron survival instructor. Dr Torii was also with us. The evening ended with fireworks (old flares)
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-North-East 10 knots Temperature -10.0°C
Ration Strength 31
Tuesday 6 November 1973
Today Shaun Norman and I attended a helicopter priorities meeting. Capt Fowler was not present and I had no need to speak. Once the present crucial helo lift shortage is over I will leave these meetings to Shaun. The Survival and Rescue instructors have now launched their second course. Base Maintenance staff current project is a mini production line making dexion angle corner brackets for Vanda.
John Bitters spent the day with Alistair Watson the veterinarian from Massey University, who is here with the Americans. They tranquillised three of the dogs and worked out a technique for sampling and examining the rest later in the month.
Auckland University people are still giving most useful assistance. Victoria however have almost run out of useful work, although they remain most willing to be helpful. The laboratory seems to be quietly efficient. I suspect this is much to the credit of Tony Atkinson.
Tonight we were visited by four members of the staff of Holmes and Narver who were passing through McMurdo on their way to assist with the completion of South Pole Station. One of them was the grandson of Admiral Byrd. (Bob Ryder)
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South-East 18 knots Temperature -9.1°C
Ration Strength 31
Scott Base had Huskies to do some of the haulage
Wednesday 7 November 1973
Today we organised the waiting field people to go with John Bitters and clear out the meat cave. It was Base maintenance staff’s turn for mouse duties so only routine maintenance was done.
The SAR course continues. The Laboratory as always is well on top of the job and were able to release Stuart Clarke to escort some visiting Japanese to the ice caves. They were sponsored by Dr Torii who is still with us.
Early this morning we learned that the helicopter which is broken down at Cape Crozier had blown over and might take some time to repair. I warned the Navy Executive Officer that in anticipation of the consequences of this further set-back I would now have to consider alternatives for our various field events viz:
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Cancellation and return to NZ of party, or
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Substitute project if this could be arranged, or
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Surface transport insertion if feasible.
I explained that I would have to advise the Superintendent of the situation. This communication was received without noticeable enthusiasm.
Late this afternoon Titch Gibson the Postmaster drew my attention to our first serious personality problem.
Our two Victoria University girls, Mrs Janet Crump and Mrs Rosemary Kyle arrived today. There is a strong smell of hair oil in the ablution block.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind East-South-East 8 knots Temperature -6.9°C
Ration Strength 33
Thursday 8 November 1973
Today was Tony Smith’s birthday but we were unable to get him on the radio to receive his “singing telegram” because of the heavy traffic consequent on Shaun’s efforts to get space for our people on the two helo’s flying. At least we were able to get all snow clearance with the bucket and dozer. This has made a tremendous difference. One of the ice sledges has torn a track completely off and had to be emptied, tipped on its side and re-welded.
Derrick Hobby, visiting from Antarctic Division, sat “Production Management” for his institute exams. A steering drum disc on one of the SnoTracs has been re-welded. This was a tricky weld of cast iron and may not be successful. The Laboratory staff is busy with their monthly analysis. Bill Johnson and his maintenance men stripped the President range and set about cleaning it. They were vacuuming up the last few handfuls of soot when the bag split. This separated the Base residents into two easily recognizable groups: those who were absent and those who were present when the soot hit the fan.
Meantime, on my way to the airstrip to collect Event 2, the rest of Event 9 and the two RNZAF observers, I had somehow missed the road and was forging across virgin snow afraid to stop whilst various well meaning Americans ran along snow ridges waving their arms and mouthing soundless instructions. Hurdling a last snow bank, I arrived on the tarmac by the season’s most original route so far.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North 8 knots Temperature -5.6°C
Ration Strength 40
Friday 9 November 1973
Lat night in the middle of a film showing we received a telephone call to say that, unexpectedly, a helicopter was available to take Event 11 to Vanda. With a pattering and clumping of first slippers and then mukluks they scurried out onto the pad, were loaded aboard with their gear and flew off into what purports to be sunset.
The maintenance staff is frantically busy preparing a SnoTrac for use by the party going up to Royds to count the penguins. The recent Victoria University arrivals and Event 2 are preparing for their “trial camp-out”. We have insisted on this for the longer-range parties, over-ruling some mild protest.
The helicopter which delivered Event 11, or another, has now moved all the people from Marble Point to Vanda also. Today at the helicopter allocation meeting however we were told that the allotted totals for ourselves and others might be reduced by as much as 40%. Such a reduction would mean that we could do little more that complete what we have started. I hope it won’t come to that but meantime we are considering what we can do without helicopters – not much I’m afraid. It all points to the desirability of maintaining as much National independence as we can.
Tonight I attended the presentation to the NSF by Dr Torii of a long schedule of laboratory equipment and then went on with Capt Fowler to the ceremony to open the new TV station. Meantime Shaun is at another helicopter planning meeting.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind South-East 14 knots Temperature -9.3°C
Ration Strength 40
Saturday 10 November 1973
At the helicopter planning meeting last might, it appeared there was general agreement that all helicopter users would have to take a 1/16th cut in their allocation of hours. So much for my hopes of a fabulous year! The party looking at the Royds Hut reported in. They had been able to motor all the way to Cape Royds as there was a stretch of solid ice along the coast. Nevertheless they had wisely motored back to spend the night at Cape Evans. It is a good team and should get us an accurate count of the penguins.
This afternoon we held an ice collecting party and once again had difficulty finding clean ice. Whilst doing this job we noticed a tanker broken down on the hill road to McMurdo. It had come over to refuel us and then the differential had failed. We should have our own backup system for this sort of essential supply. In a real emergency I suppose we could bring it over in drums.
Just at dinner time a helicopter arrived from Vanda. It brought Frank Blair back, having done his job, and also two polar tents and two sleeping bags found over there by Ian Cuphey. This gets us out of quite a hole as we had issued the last of each. After dinner we attended a wine and cheese evening at the US Navy Officers Mess.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind East-North-East 8 knots Temperature -14.3°C
Ration Strength 38
Sunday 11 November 1973
A good bit of activity today. Phil Kyle got away in the morning with Sam Treves on their expedition up Erebus. Event 2 took off for Mt Dromedary at 1600 hours, Frank Blair left for New Zealand at 1730 hours by Starlifter, Harry Keys and Ken Blackwood took 1000 lbs of VUWAE gear to Marble Point and then suddenly, at 1830 hours Shaun got a chance to go up Erebus with a helicopter taking equipment up to Treves and Kyle.
We were able to help the Americans out with the movement of passengers to the Starlifter. Meantime, as there was no house mouse, I cooked Sunday dinner. At 1800 hours I was not in a position to strike the dinner bell and instead issued the following status report:
Soup - ready
Potatoes - slightly burned
Roast - crisp
Peas – expect to be ready in 35 minutes
Diners were invited to make their own arrangements taking cognisance of the facts.
Dr Torii has now also left us and is in the field with the drillers.
Conditions at 0900 hours Wind North-East 8 knots Temperature -15.6°C
Ration Strength 29
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