old ships

[FastandBulbous3]

Howdy from TexasYall
I was there in Dec. 1978…I was on the CGC Glacer WAGB 4 or the big
red pig as we called it then. The Polar Star was behind us . We called
it the Polish Star because it woudnt work most of the time. When it did
it sure could break some ice. The ice was about 14 – 16 feet that year.
The big red pig used the ol' back and ram method. It took us at least a
month to get to Mc Murdo. I could have walked there faster. We escorted
a tanker and a frighter in and had scientists doing science ops on
board. I was 18 then and now I'm 42 . I would love to go back as a
tourist. Are the seal carcasses still outside Scott's Hut? Is there
still a bar down there? I got stinkin' drunk in that bar,boy howdy I
tell you what!!!! Well ya must be a whole lot of brave to spend a
winter down there. So stay dry and warm.

Good Luck from an old ice-breaker sailor
Dan

[FastandBulbous3]

Howdy from Texas Yall
I was there in Dec. 1978…I was on the CGC Glacier WAGB 4 or the
big red pig as we called it then. The Polar Star was behind us . We
called it the Polish Star because it wouldn't work most of the time.
When it did it sure could break some ice. The ice was about 14 – 16 feet
that year. The big red pig used the ol' back and ram method. It took us
at least a month to get to Mc Murdo. I could have walked there faster.
We escorted a tanker and a freighter in and had scientists doing science
ops on board. I was 18 then and now I'm 42 . I would love to go back
as a tourist. Are the seal carcasses still outside Scott's Hut? Is
there still a bar down there? I got stinkin' drunk in that bar,boy howdy
I tell you what!!!! Well ya must be a whole lot of brave to spend a
winter down there. So stay dry and warm.

Good Luck from an old ice-breaker sailor
Dan D.

[thepooles98]

I like hearing from the old timer OE’s. I think Mcmurdo probably doesn’t look a lot like you remember it. The old jamesway sleeping quarters have been replaced by dorms and things are fairly modern compared to how things were back in 78. The pile of seal carcasses is still under the eaves of Scott’s hut. They are protected along with the hut as part of the historical site. There are actually 2 bars here. We’ve gone modern in that one is for smokers the other is smoke-free.The smokers club is called Southern Exposure which I think is the same name as before but I’m not sure. The other is Gallaghers. It was renamed from the Erebus Club in honor of Chuck Gallagher, a well liked member of the US Antarctic program who died here a few years ago. At 42 years old you could come back here again either as a tourist or a worker. Go to http://www.polar.org for info on working. There are a number of old icebreakers that have converted to cruise ships. The ones that come here leave out of Hobart ,Tasmania. The people that I have talked to on the Kapitan Kalibnikov loved the trip.
As far as winter goes. This place is way different in the winter than the summer. In some ways the summer was a disappointment to me. The 24 hour sunlight was neat but the temperatures rise with all that sunlight. I was expecting frigid temps, instead I got winter in Chicago. Winter in Antarctica is the opposite. It is everything I imagined it to be. And yes you can tell the difference between -30 and -50. The clothing they give us keeps us warm. We all go through training on cold injuries and the program is dedicated to keeping people safe so there aren’t a lot of frostbite cases. The stars at lunch and the rare auroras make up for the cold.
mike

[will]

Hey Mike and other listmates!! [/font:zup3hur9]
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Chris here from the Antarctic Fire Department..[/font:zup3hur9]
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As some of you know Mike and I are ham radio operators, i am looking for pictures of old QSL cards and or photos that can be emailed to me to create a new photo QSL card and or make a web page about Ham Radio in Antarctica.. anyone got anything??  Old Stories??[/font:zup3hur9]
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Chris Post[/font:zup3hur9]
ZL5CP – KC4/N3SIG[/font:zup3hur9]
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