I. INTRODUCTION 



A. Purpose 



Operation DEEP FREEZE 60 (I959-I96O) was a continuation of United 

 States support of scientific effort in the Antarctic. It also marked 

 the sixth consecutive year of U. S. Navy Hydrographlc Office participa- 

 tion in obtaining oceanographic-hydrographic data in Antarctic waters. 

 The Hydrographic Office's work during DEEP FREEZE 60 was supported by 

 the National Science Foundation. During DEEP FREEZE 60 considerably 

 more ship time was provided for oceanographic work than in previous 

 years. 



Surveys were conducted in the Ross and Amundsen-Bellingshausen Seas, 

 McMurdo Sound, the area of the Antarctic Convergence, Bransfield Strait 

 at Palmer Peninsula, and across the Drake Passage. In addition, one of 

 the vessels conducted surveys along the west coast of South America dur- 

 ing transit to and from the Antarctic. 



B. Summary of Operations 



Oceanographic-hydrographic data were obtained from aboard four ice- 

 breakers, USS GLACIER (AGB-4), USS BURTON ISLAND (AGB-l), USS ATKA (AGB-3), 

 and USCGC EASTWIND (WAGB-279). Observations were made on a not-to-interfere 

 basis with the vessels primary mission. Three icebreakers carried oceanog- 

 raphers and bathythermograph (BT) teams, while the fourth had aboard a 

 bathythermograph team only. 



Tracks made by the ships conducting survey operations are shown by 

 Figure 1. The shaded portion of this figure indicates an area of numerous 

 track lines by several vessels. The locations of stations made by the 

 icebreakers in the Ross Sea, McMurdo Sound, South American Quadrant, and 

 Thurston Peninsula are presented in Figures 2 through 5, respectively. 

 Basic observations, in each of these areas consisted of vertical tempera- 

 ture measurements, collection of water, bottom, and biological samples. 

 Also, limited gravity measurements were made. While underway, between 

 stations and in transit from one area to another, continuous temperature 

 recordings, soundings, ice and meteorological observations, BT lowerings, 

 and surface water collections were made. Table 1 summarizes these obser- 

 vations by ship. 



C. Methods 



Vertical temperature measurements were made by standard Nansen casts 

 employing paired reversing thermometers. The corrected observed values 

 were averaged when differences did not exceed 0.06°C. Depth of obser- 

 vation was determined by thermometric calculation from protected and 

 unprotected thermometers. 



