Operation Deep Freeze weathers storms, meets success

By Trish Hoffman

Military Sealift Command tanker USNS Lawrence H. Gianella makes her way through stormy seas to deliver fuel to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in early January.

The frigid temperatures of Antarctica were no match for the ice-strengthened hulls of Military Sealift Command tanker USNS Lawrence H. Gianella and MSC cargo ship MV American Tern as they off-loaded their cargo for Operation Deep Freeze early this year. The ships, together with their icebreaker escorts, U.S. Coast Guard cutters Polar Star and Polar Sea, maneuvered through the Ross Sea to bring a year's worth of supplies to McMurdo Station.

McMurdo is the largest station in Antarctica and serves as the logistics hub for the U.S Antarctic Program. The National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs manages the U.S. Antarctic Program and coordinates all U.S. scientific research on the continent.

McMurdo, on Ross Island, is a permanent station that provides housing as well as logistical and field support to scientists studying everything from the diving physiology of seals to enormous glaciers buried under the dust of the nearby Dry Valleys.

During Antarctica's summer, which is October through February, McMurdo's population hovers around 1,100 people as scientific parties from around the world pass through the station on their way to field camps across Antarctica. The population dwindles however, to roughly 200 people upon the arrival of winter.

McMurdo is nearly 2,000 miles from its closest neighbor, New Zealand, and must be supplied with everything imaginable. From toilet paper to scientific equipment to vehicles, all forms of supplies are sent to the station.

Every year for more than 30 years, MSC has provided a cargo ship and a tanker to re-supply the station and remove recyclable materials that have accumulated. Introducing pollutants into Antarctica's environment is illegal under the Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, therefore, MSC ships also carry waste elsewhere for disposal.

The specially fortified hull of MSC tanker USNS Lawrence H. Gianella has no problem plowing though ice and snow on her trek to Antarctica, as part of Operation Deep Freeze.

Gianella is a veteran of Operation Deep Freeze, having last traveled to McMurdo in 2000. This year she sailed from Brisbane, Australia, on Dec. 31, and met with rough seas. Joe Stanford, member of the engine department, wrote about the events in McMurdo's newspaper, The Antarctic Sun.

"The vessel's relatively pleasant and uneventful voyage from Brisbane was interrupted on Jan. 5, by a sudden and severe storm with wind gusts to nearly 150 kilometers per hour and seven-meter waves. Fortunately, the storm went as quickly as it came, and damage to the vessel was minimal."

Upon her arrival at McMurdo on Jan. 14, Gianella unloaded 253,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline, 3,151,000 gallons of aviation fuel specially designed for use in extreme cold and 4,789,000 gallons of generator fuel. While in port she also refueled Polar Star and Polar Sea for their return journeys. She departed from McMurdo on Jan. 27.

This was American Tern's second trip to Antarctica. "It's very interesting to see how the ice changes every year," said Capt. Tim Adams, master of American Tern.

"This time around we had a smooth passage through the Ross Sea and McMurdo Sound - a far cry from our last voyage. We're all looking forward to seeing what next year will bring." She loaded most of her cargo at Port Hueneme, Calif., Dec. 17 - Jan. 5, and the remainder in Lyttelton, New Zealand, Jan. 22-25. Although she faced some weather-related delays, American Tern arrived safely at McMurdo and unloaded her 5,800 tons of cargo Feb. 5-12. American Tern returned to Lyttelton, New Zealand, on Feb. 17, loaded with 5,100 tons of retrograde.

The yearly re-supply of McMurdo Station by MSC ships is vital to the scientific works in Antarctica and in conserving the environment of the world's coldest continent.