OAE's
Byrd, Ellsworth, Hallet, Plateau, Wilkes Stations

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Byrd

Jim Bartley (Byrd 64-65) - Cle Elum Wa. -  Electricians Mate 2nd class.  What a ride, one of the most memorable times in my life. Wintered over with 28 great guys. Unfortunately was the year our comrad Carl Disch wandered off in a blinding snow storm and was lost forever. Three months later our mascot Gus (Sastrugis) also wandered out of the tunnels and disappeared.

Alan Chandler (Byrd VLF Substation Longwire - 1969, Summer 68, all 1969 and summer of 1970. Summer 1971 McMurdo) -  Woodinville WA -  

Chuck Davidson (Byrd Surface Camp, McMurdo - Byrd 88-89 McMurdo 95-96) - Mt. Pleasant, SC  Have very fond memories of my Byrd Surface Camp summer over in 88-89 and the W/O in McTown in 95-96.

Fuel Queen (Byrd Surface Camp - 1989-91) - Jacksonville FL  email First one to get a shower after 2 week . Still reminiscing about my time in the most beautiful place in the world.

David Hirn (McMurdo Station and Byrd Station - 1971, 1972) - Sturgeon Bay, WI    U.S. Navy - Radioman Summer Support 71-72 McMurdo Station. 72-73 Byrd Station. 73 returned to Seattle via USCGC Staten Island (Thanks to Chief Brown). Thanks too to the guys at Scott Base for their Wednesday night phone patches back to Christchurch.

Thomas Holmes (Byrd Station - 1960, 1961) - North Grafton  MA  Meteorologist, wintered over in 1960 to 61.  Thank God for KC4-USB Ham radio.  Would have been a very long winter without it.  Christchurch really looked good when we landed!   Things are quite a bit different down there now...

Kellie Justesen EO (Byrd Surface Camp - 1990-1991) - Virginia  - Great memories of Byrd and Mac town.

Paul Kelley (McMurdo, Byrd - 1977) - Simpsonville South Carolina -  1977 to 1980. US Navy Terminal Ops for 2 years and then Supply for 2 Years. Customs inspector in Chi-Chi one year.

Mike Kramer (Byrd Station - 1968 - 1969) - Mt Holly North Carolina USA  Meteorologist Loved it!!!

Richard Lynde (Byrd station - 1968) - Lake Forest, California email
 
Rober Lynn Dix (McMurdo, Byrd Surface Camp 1971) - Nicholasville, KY  I was a radioman at McMurdo in 1971-1972 and helped to establish the first Byrd Surface Camp in 1972-1973

Paul R Martin (New Byrd Station - 1961) - Seaford DE  

Walter K Niggemeyer (deceased - USS Preble, Radioman at Byrd Station 64/65) - Bremerton, Washington  Raised German, so most likely still had some accent. Now deceased/passed away in 2010 in Bremerton, Wa. (I am Walter's daughter...He would have loved to find this site!) Walter told us of men wandering off never to be seen again. The story of Gus, wandering off after receiving a "Dear John" letter was told by my father several times. Something about a German Shepard as well, which did make it's way back to the station, just without Gus. I have many photos of Walter and comrades at Byrd Station, from his year there. (Will upload to this site for anyone interested)

Vic Nordmann (Hallett station, Beardmore camp, Byrd station, McMurdo, 1969-70-71), - Louisville, Kentucky   Summer support 1969 season. Beardmoore base camp, Byrd station, McMurdo,  Hallett station 1970, 71. Station UT.

Jack O'Hearn (CBU 201 - '69, '70, '71) - Knoxville TN USA  Alpha Company McMurdo and Byrd Longwire Detachment. Hope to tag up with acquaintances from the Ice

Richard Rutkowski (Byrd Station DF4, 1958 to 1959) - Key Largo, Florida. Winter 1962 South Pole Station, as Weather Station Tech.

Michael St. Pierre (summer support - 1969 McMurdo, 1970 New Byrd Station) - Hernando, Fl.

Everett Suchland (1967) - Darlington SC   Wintered Over at Byrd Station during Deep Freeze '67.  Also, was with Staff, COMNAVSUPPFOR Antarctica from 1958 to 1961 serving with RADM Dufek and RADM Tyree.  Rotated between Washington DC and Christchurch NZ.

Rich Urbanak (Byrd/Pole Stations, 1960 & 1971) - Titusville, FL

Len Williams  "Willy" (MCB 1  Worked on Nuclear Power Plant McMurdo and spent 6 weeks at New Byrd Station - Summer 61, 62) - Ft Walton Beach  Florida email

Silas Willie Williams (MCB 6 NCEL Base, ASA McMurdo wo party ASA  Byrd Station Wo Party - 1964, 1966, 1969) - Ciniguita Honduras  email I got tired of the cold and retired in Central America on the beach.  Would like to hear fro anyone who was stationed at any of the bases or units I was attached to.

Byrd Surface Camp - 2010, picture Lee Thomas NSF

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Ellsworth

Dave Bernier (Seabees Ellsworth Station, 1956, 1957 no winters) - Surprise Arizona USA email

Jorge A Buero (Ellsworth Scientific Station - 1963) - Manzanares Pilar Bs As Argentina    I remain one year in Ellsworth working for the Instituto Antartico Argentino , with 5 US

Earl F Herring (Ellsworth Station Antarctica - 1957-1958) - Modesto California    My father enlisted in 1948 and retired in 1970 from NAS Alameda as a Master Chief AK.  He married in 1959 and had three children.  He passed from cancer in 1990 at 59. My mother passed in 2013.

James G.L. Jones  Lt.j.g (1957 to 1958) - Spokane He was my father.  Pilot of the otter numbered 17 the Julie Ann.  He passed in 2008.   email

Vic McCord (1978 to 1981) - Shelby  NC, USA  I was originally hired for Palmer station but wound up doing Darwin Glacier field camp 1978-1979. Ellsworth field camp 1979-1980 and Siple field camp 1980-1981.

Pictures from Will Sumrall - Ellsworth 1957

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Hallett

Jim Drummond RM2 (Hallett Station - SS with ASA 64, 65, 66) - Indian Trail NC email Each season we would fly to Hallett and after the ice runway went out to sea were were picked up by a ice breaker for the trip back to ChCh. I'll never forget that first trip to Hallett. The desalinator was not working well enough to give us shower water. We had to wait until the sun warmed up a glacier about a mile away and then we would load a tanker and bring it to the station for shower water. It was a six week wait for the fresh water. Stinky everyone. At least we all smelled the same.  All in all the time spent on the Ice was a great experience. And remember........Don't eat the yellow snow.

Earl F Griffith, Griff (McMurdo, Beardmore, Hallett - 1970-1973) - Helena MT  Started out in the firehouse in Sept 1970; made AG3 and went from McMurdo weather to Beardmore for a brief stint. Got pulled from Beardmore to replace AG at Hallett. Spent the next two summer seasons at Hallett and helped close the station in Feb '73.

John Hendrix UT (Hallett - 1958-1959) - Valparaiso Indiana USA  I wintered over the last year of the IGY. UT2

Vic Nordmann (Hallett station, Beardmore camp, Byrd station, McMurdo, 1969-70-71), - Louisville, Kentucky   Summer support 1969 season. Beardmore base camp, Byrd station, McMurdo,  Hallett station 1970, 71. Station UT.

Hallett Station - joint U.S. and New Zealand - 1959

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Plateau

John L Wright (Plateau Station - 1968-69) - Lyons  I was the petty officer in charge of Plateau station for the austral summer of 1968-69, summer support. Scientific leader was  George Ruben de la Borbolla. - John L. Wright (then) ETN2

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Wilkes

Wilkes Station, January 1962

Andrew Stanner (Wilkes 1988) - Kirribilli  I made a relatively short trip to Wilkes. Have photos I can share.

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 Trying to find... To use this option, fill in the registration form, but include your own name and email as a contact, requests kept online approx. 2 years

I'm sure I did this already... every now and then I send out emails, a proportion of these bounce back as "not found", often because it was a former work email or an ISP that no longer exists, as there is no longer any way to make contact I delete the record to keep things as current as I can.