The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, Department of the Interior and The Treasury. Although a U.S.-government sponsored expedition, additional support came from donations and gifts by private citizens, corporations and institutions.

Description of expedition

Background, orders and goals

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Richard Evelyn Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

donated many of the supplies that he had gathered for his own expedition, the largest item being the ''Bear of Oakland'', commissioned as the USS ''Bear'' (AG-29) on 11 September 1939. A second ship, the USMS ''North Star'', a 1434-ton wooden ice ship built for the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

, was supplied by the Department of the Interior. A total of 125 men departed from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the two ships of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. Most of the men who made up the expedition were solicited from the military ranks, civilian agencies of government and scientific institutions. A few volunteers were employed by the Department of the Interior for $10 per month, food and clothing included. A total of 59 men, divided initially into three groups, wintered in Antarctica. The objectives of the expedition were outlined in an order from President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

dated November 25, 1939. The President wanted two bases to be established:

East Base East Base on Stonington Island is the oldest American research station in Antarctica, having been commissioned by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. The station was built as part of two US wintering expeditions – United States Antarctic Service Exp ...

, in the vicinity of

Charcot Island Charcot Island or Charcot Land is an island administered under the Antarctic Treaty System, long and wide, which is ice covered except for prominent mountains overlooking the north coast. Charcot Island lies within the Bellingshausen Sea, wes ...

Alexander I Land Alexander Island, which is also known as Alexander I Island, Alexander I Land, Alexander Land, Alexander I Archipelago, and Zemlja Alexandra I, is the largest island of Antarctica. It lies in the Bellingshausen Sea west of Palmer Land, Antarcti ...

, or on

Marguerite Bay Marguerite Bay or Margaret Bay is an extensive bay on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, which is bounded on the north by Adelaide Island and on the south by Wordie Ice Shelf, George VI Sound and Alexander Island. The mainland coast on th ...

if no accessible site could be found on either of the specified islands; and West Base, in the vicinity of

King Edward VII Land King Edward VII Land or King Edward VII Peninsula is a large, ice-covered peninsula which forms the northwestern extremity of Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica. The peninsula projects into the Ross Sea between Sulzberger Bay and the northeast corne ...

, but if this proved impossible, a site on the

Bay of Whales The Bay of Whales was a natural ice harbour, or iceport, indenting the front of the Ross Ice Shelf just north of Roosevelt Island, Antarctica. It is the southernmost point of open ocean not only of the Ross Sea, but worldwide. The Ross Sea ex ...

at or near Little America was to be investigated, and delineation of the continental coast line between the meridians 72 degrees W., and 148 degrees W. In view of the broad scope of the objectives and the unpredictable circumstances that always arise in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, it is remarkable that most of the objectives set for them were met. The expedition also took a M2A2 Light Tank, and a T3E4 Carrier, both of which performed well, but were too heavy for the terrain and were abandoned.

Accomplishments and noteworthy events

The visionary but ill-fated

Antarctic Snow Cruiser The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41). The Snow Cruiser was a ...

, a vehicle having several innovative features, was used by the expedition but it generally failed to operate as hoped for under the difficult conditions and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. It was rediscovered in 1958 but has since been presumed to have been lost due to the breaking off and eventual melting of the ice floe it was on. Observations were conducted in every conceivable area: seismic, cosmic ray, auroral, biological, tidal, magnetic and physiological to name a few. All in all, it was an extremely successful expedition.

Mission termination and aftermath

With international tensions on the rise, it was considered wise to evacuate the two bases rather than relieve the present personnel with new men who would continue to occupy the bases. It was hoped that one day this base would be reoccupied, so much of the equipment and supplies were left behind as the two ships sailed from West Base on February 1, 1941. The evacuation of East Base was concluded on March 22 and both ships sailed immediately. The USMS ''North Star'' arrived in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on May 5 and the USS ''Bear'' on May 18. On September 24, 1945, Congress directed (Public Law 79-185, 59 Stat. 536) that such number of gold, silver, and bronze medals—at the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy—be presented to members of the United States Antarctic Expedition of 1939-1941, in recognition of their valuable services to the nation in the field of polar exploration and science.

Expedition members

The following is a partial list of expedition members. *Richard Black, USN - Base Commander (East Base) *Herwil McClure Bryant - Biologist, Radio Operator (East Base) *Rear Admiral

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

, USN - Expedition Commander *Arthur J. Carroll, USN - Chief Photographer (East Base) *Zadik Collier - Aviation Machinist (East Base) *

Richard H. Cruzen Richard Harold Cruzen (April 28, 1897 – April 15, 1970) was a decorated United States Navy officer with the rank of Vice admiral (United States), Vice Admiral. A veteran of both World Wars, he is best known for his participation and leadership ...

- Commanding officer of USS ''Bear'' *Leland S. Curtis - official artist *Harry Darlington III - General Duty (East Base) *Herbert Dorsey - Meteorologist (East Base) *

Hendrik Dolleman Dolleman Island is a rounded, ice-covered island, long, lying east of Cape Boggs, off the east coast of Palmer Land. It was discovered in 1940 by members of East Base of the US Antarctic Service. The island was named in honour of S-Sgt. He ...

- Dog Driver (East Base) *

George J. Dufek George John Dufek (10 February 1903, Rockford, Illinois – 10 February 1977, Bethesda, Maryland) was an American naval officer, naval aviator, and polar expert. He served in World War II and the Korean War and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much ...

- Navigator of USS ''Bear'' *

J. Glenn Dyer ''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...

- Cadastral Engineer, Surveying, Map Making (East Base) * Carl Eklund - Ornithologist (East Base) *Felix L. Ferranto - Radio operator (US Marine) *Roy Fitzsimmons, Magnetologist and Geophysicist *

George W. Gibbs, Jr. George Washington Gibbs Jr. (November 7, 1916 – November 7, 2000), a sailor in the United States Navy, became the first African-American to set foot on the continent of AntarcticaRejcek, PeterMaking history: Gibbs first person of African de ...

, USN - Officer's Cook 3rd Class (West Base) * Joseph D. Healy - Dog Driver (East Base) *Arthur Jamison Hill - Ph M3c (USS ''Bear'') *Archie Hill - Cook (East Base) *Donald Hilton - Assistant Surveyor - Dog Driver (East Base) *Paul Knowles - Geologist (East Base) *Elmer Lamplugh - Chief Radioman (East Base) *Lester Lehrke, USN - Boatswain's Mate First Class, Sailmaker (East Base) *Anthony Morency - Tank and Tractor Driver (East Base) *Lytton Musselman - Dog Driver, Radioman (East Base) *Howard Odom - Assistant Radioman (East Base) *Robert Palmer - Assistant to Meteorologist, Supply Officer (East Base) *

Charles F. Passel Charles Fay Passel (April 9, 1915 – December 27, 2002) was a polar scientist responsible along with Paul Siple for the development of the wind chill factor parameter. Biography Passel was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 9, 1915 and gr ...

*Earle Perce - Co-pilot, Radioman (East Base) *William Pullen, USN - Aviation Machinist Mate (East Base) *

Harrison Holt Richardson Dr. Harrison Holt Richardson (June 16, 1919 - July 17, 1999) was the youngest member of Rear admiral (United States), Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd's United States Antarctic Service Expedition from 1939-1941. As part of the expedition, Richardson ...

- Dog Team Driver and Meteorological Observer *Finn Ronne - Chief of Staff, Transportation Engineer (East Base) *Charles Sharbonneau - Carpenter (East Base) *Lewis Sims - Base Doctor (East Base) *

Paul Siple Paul Allman Siple (December 18, 1908 – November 25, 1968) was an American Antarctic explorer and geographer who took part in six Antarctic expeditions, including the two Byrd expeditions of 1928–1930 and 1933–1935, representing the Boy Scouts ...

*Ashley Snow, Jr. - Chief Pilot (East Base) *Clarence Steele - Tank and Tractor Driver (East Base) Crew of the USS Bear

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{Authority control 1939 in the United States Antarctic expeditions United States and the Antarctic Expeditions from the United States 1939 in Antarctica 1940 in Antarctica 1941 in Antarctica History of the Ross Dependency