VI. MISCELLANEOUS 



A. Ice Conditions 



Altho\igh ice reconnaissance was not one of the primary missions 

 of DEEP FREEZE II, the ice inforroation gathered during the 1956-1957 

 Antarctic expedition equalled and, in some places, surpassed that 

 collected in previous years. This was the first year that an extensive 

 penetration into the Weddell Sea was made. This report is a compilation 

 of ice information and charts from the U, S. Ships STATEN ISLAI^D and 

 WYANDOT for the VJeddell Sea area, and the U. S. Ships GLACIER, NORTHWIND, 

 ATKA, GREENVILLE VICTORY, CLTITIS, NESPELEN, and HJDEAVOR for the Ross 

 Sea area. Ice information is presented on a single chart for the 

 Weddell Sea area and by months for the Ross Sea area. 



1, V/eddell Sea Area 



Ice, in the form of icebergs (possibly grounded), was first 

 observed slightly north of the South Orkeny Islands at 60°18'S, 44°10'W, 

 on 12 December 1956 (Fig. 16), The pack ice perimeter was encotintered 

 at about 60°35'S, 37°10'W on 13 Deceniber. It was followed roughly 

 eastward to 6l°12'S, 14°53'Vi/, where on 17 December the pack was entered 

 on a southeasterly course. Icebergs were very numerous along the 

 entire perimeter. After 10 days in a pack of predominantly close and 

 broken ice, with very little progress being made the last five days 

 because of heavy, consolidated ice, an intermittent coastal lead was 

 reached near 71°25'S, 13°45'W, riinning southwestward along the shelf. 

 This lead was followed without difficulty to the eastern approaches 

 of Gould Bay (in the southernmost extremity of the V/eddell Sea) which 

 was reached on 31 December. Numerous icebergs were observed along the 

 entire route. Outside of the eastern entrance to Gould Bay, heavy 

 pack ice linder great pressure by northerly winds prevented extensive 

 ship movement vintil 11 Janxiary 1957 when a narrow lead of open and 

 scattered ice on the eastern side of a 27-niile long berg (probably 

 grounded) outside of Gould Bay was finally reached. After following 

 this lead to the northern end of the berg, fast ice and heavy pack ice 

 was encountered westward until intermittent and narrow leads along the 

 Filchner Ice Shelf were reached. Snow cover on the pack and fast ice 

 with thicknesses as great as 12 feet presented quite a chore for the 

 STATEN ISLAND between the large berg and the shelf. After continuing 

 northwestward in intermittent and very narrow leads in the scattered 

 and broken ice along the Filchner Ice Shelf, no suitable offloading 

 site was found all the way to Cape Adams, The shelf was 100 to 200 

 feet high at all points west of Gould Bay. The STATEN ISLAND and 

 WYANDOT then retraced their track to the eastern approaches of Gould 

 Bay, The ret\irn trip was marked by slightly narrower leads and occasional 

 patches of pack ice in the leads. Again, heavy consolidated pack ice 

 was present west and northwest of the 27-raile-long berg and between 



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