R«S. Crossin 
195S 
SIC 11 
white necks = 4. 
At 1704 a flock of 12 Petrels and 2 Sooty Terns were seen very close to 
ship, but weather would not permit shooting from the bow. Petrels composed of 
3 Kermadecs, 2 White necks and 7 Juan Fernandez - all in tight knit group with 
the 2 Sooty Terns overhead. Weather still very rough on HW run. Ship rolling 
so bad that the captain changed course after the freezer compartment sprung 
open and spilled contents all over, lumber shifted on decks, fire extinguisher 
broke lose from the hull and filled same in SI crew quarters - every one getting 
banged around a bit with up to 40° rolls. Bow constantly awash - no shooting. 
January 28-29 - 12-01N; 168-15W - 12-23N; I7O-O8W 
Changed course to favorable seas and most nocturnal held from bow where 
Sooty Terns could be heard. Total of 64 birds recorded - mostly Sooty Terns = 
60. Most terns were headed (when direction was detectable), N or E which would 
put them into Johnston Atoll far to the N-NE of our night position. 
January 29 - 12-23N; 170-08N - 13-24N; 171-31W 
Only scattered sightings today - 24 birds total. Rough weather. Held night 
watches again all night, slightly higher number (34) on nocturnal, mainly all 
Sooty Terns . 
January 30 - 14-48N; 172-24W - 15-49N; 17I-O3W 
Another practically birdless day - total of 19. Ho Sooty Terns today. 
Nocturnal yielded 149 birds, mainly Sooty Terns = 130. Tordoff dropped 2 Red- foot 
Boobies by letting them get over the deck before firing, and having them drop on 
deck. The night before the Captain shot at one setting on the radio wire and 
dropped both Booby and insulator with the 30 cal. carbine. One of the two Red- foot 
collected was banded - French Frigate Shoals, an immature bird. 
January 31 - Johnston Atoll - 16-21N; 169-41W 
Birds picked up tremendously as we approached the atoll - 358 birds, mainly 
Sooty Terns (284) and boobies. Spent most of the day at Johnston fixing leaks 
^ i- n the pipes in the engine room. Ken Amerman says there are roughly 100,000 
terns on Sand and they are just beginning to lay. Night watches south of Johnston 
Atoll were held continuously, Sooty Terns common throughout the night, as were 
Red-footed Boobies. 
February 1 - 14-22N; 170-48W - 12-31; 171-49W 
Ran completely out of birds today - a grand total of 25, 10 of these Sooty 
Terns. Night watches likewise were producing nothing so we discontinued these 
at 2130. 
February 2 - 10-30N; 172-50W - 8-36N; 173-42W 
Day practically birdless until about 1630 when we started picking up a few 
feeding flocks of Sooty Terns. Area here evidently rich in food as these are 
the first feeding flocks we have seen in some days. 
