Such was the nature of Captain Scott's inshore oceanographic 

 work on both the DISCOVERY expedition and on his last expedition. 

 Fish traps and nets were lowered through holes in the ice which had 

 to be constantly dug out and kept open and emphasis was placed upon 

 the biological more than on the physical and chemical side of ocea- 

 nography. Canvas shelters or windscreens were erected but work 

 carried out under such conditions, especially during the dark winter 

 night, must have been very trying to say the least. Shackleton in 

 his 1907 expedition, which wintered in McMurdo Sound at Cape Royds, 

 also carried on similar work; both Scott and Shackleton, in addition, 

 made tidal studies. 



In 1955, the U. S. Navy commenced sending icebreakers to McMurdo 

 Sound as part of Operation DEEP FREEZE, and this has continued to the 

 present time. Oceanographers from the Hydrographic Office have made 

 a considerable number of oceanographic observations from isolated 

 stations within McMurdo Sound, however, the tendency at present is 

 to concentrate on specific problems, such as the ice potential pre- 

 diction oceanographic stations which were commenced on DEEP FREEZE 61. 



The first serious attempt to make regular, seasonal oceanographic 

 observations in inshore antarctic waters was the work of J. S. Bunt 

 of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions; in 1956 

 and 1957, he carried out an extensive program of physical, chemical, 

 and biological observations in the waters adjacent to the Australian 

 base at Mawson. Two stations were occupied, one in 25 to 30 meters 

 of water and the other in over 100 meters. Over a period of eight 

 months, regular samples were taken at different depths throughout the 

 water column. Plankton studies were carried out simultaneously. 

 (Bunt, 1960). 



B. Ice Conditions 



During March of 1959, the fast ice in McMurdo Sound broke out 

 farther south than any other time in the recorded history of the area, 

 which is only about 60 years. The far southern edge, which had also 

 broken away some of the shelf ice, was over 2 miles south of Cape 

 Armitage. New ice formed over the water area and, on this ice, Van 

 der Hoven and Stewart, who were at the time carrying out other geo- 

 physical work at Scott Base, erected a small hut over an icehole. 

 This hut was lost a month or so later when the new ice again broke 

 out, but in May a second hole was covered by a hut and observations 

 for temperature, salinity, and currents were made at intervals until 

 August of that same year. 



C. Establishing the Icehole Station 



The present writers arrived at NAF McMurdo (Plates I & II) in 

 December 1959 at a time when the fast ice still extended as far north 



