THE MEN WHO WERE THERE
MEMBERS OF THE 15th SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION, 1974-75
Leader R. van Mazijk
Medical Doctor V. D. van
Deventer
Senior Mechanics
C.
L. de W.Lambrechts J. A. Stark*
Mechanics J. F. Scott
D. B. Buckley*
Radio Operators H. L. B. Helberg A. P. T. Kuppen
Radio Technician S. D. Mandy
Technician (Electronic Instruments) W. A. Smith Technician (Radio/Radar) H. P. Barnard*
Physicist (Geomagnetism) E. Terblanche Physicist (Cosmic Rays)
B.
G. Bowers 'Physicist (Whistlers/Micropulsations) G. R. LinscoftPhysicist (AirglowfSeismology) C. U. Schulz l>hysicist (Ionosphere) J. R. Riley
Geologists J. M. Erasmus*
R. D. J. Gavshon*
Surveyor
Senior Technician (Meteorology) Technicians (Meteorology)
M. J. van Schalkwyk*
J. N. van Zyl
D. J.
Rosewell D. G. Cillie*Members of Field Party (Leader H. Barnard)
GOUGH
September 197 4
Nuusbrief Newsletter
TYDENS ONS MAANDELJKSE telefoonoproep met hoofkantoor is ons meegedeel dat 'n televisie-span van die SAUK bestaande uit vier man die eiland sal besoek vir 'n televisieopname. Terselfdertyd is ons ook meege- deel dat die Gough-film wat verlede jaar tydens oorname hier deur die filmraad geskiet is, aan ons gestuur word.
December 1974
To describe the weather of the month: it was inclement.
And that is all I can and want to say about it, since I am a meteorologist and you do not talk about your work after hours.
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MEMBERS OF
THE 31st SOUTH AFRICAN EXPEDITION TO MARION ISLAND, 1974-75
Leader/Radio OperatorSenior Technician (Meteorology) Technicians (Meteorology)
Radio Technician/Deputy Leader Technician (Geomagnetism/
Ionosphere) Male Nurse Mechanic Mammalogist
Assistant Mammalogists
Ornithologists
Botanists
J. van Wyk G. E. Wolvaardt A. M. Churchill R. J. Thorpe D. D. Waldie G. P. Otto G. M. Tilbury
' 0. J. Buys P. Ingle P.R. Condy T. Harris A. D. Scott R. J. van Aarde A. J. Williams A. E. Burger A. Berutti V. R. Smith N.J. M. -~
Gremmen
C.
W. Jubelius' '
MEMBERS OF THE 20th SOUTH AFRICAN EXPEDITION TO GOUGH ISLAND, 1974-75
Leader/Senior Technician(Meteorology)
Radio Operator/Deputy Leader Technicians (Meteorology)
Radio Technician Seal ~iologist
Male Nurse
January
1975
W. A. Pretorius D. A. Thornton T. R. Potgieter V. L. Trollip A. Peens V. W. Hugo M. N. Bester J.P. S. van
Tonder
En verder was dit ongoddelik warm gewees. Ou Phoebus het sm6rens briesend kwaad bo die horison verskyn om ons daglank te martel totdat ons slap, apaties, oopmond, starend, gesit en luister het na die eentonige musiek van 'n groot brommer erens .in die vertrek.
March
1975
In die mengbak van riie tyd . was hierdie maand 'n konglomeraat van klein somer- en winterstukkies. Na maande van stinkende hitte en selfs droogtes, het die weer hierdie maand begin verander. Ook hoog tyd, ek lag as ek dink aan die herhaalde flaters van die verslag- gewers wat altyd praat van Gough in die 'koue suide'.
June
1975
This month saw the start of the work in preparation for the take-over. All turned out on the set day and we commenced work by carrying bags of sand and stone.
Vic had his taperecorder outside on the extension lead, and to the sounds of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, we merrily gave ourselves acute lumbago.
MARION
October 1974
Newsletter Nuusbrief
OUR TWO NEWLY ARRIVED BIOLOGISTS Scotty and Aldo settled in nicely and are making good progress in their respective fields. Aldo's love for curry has caused Gerhard to consume and lose large quantities of moisture at meal times. Pat and Scotty (sometimes ably assisted by Okkie) have done a lot of work on the elephant-seal pups. Our "bird boys" have also been kept busy as the sooty albatrosses, skuas, giant petrels and various other bird species began laying their eggs.
The rockhopper penguins have started to return to the delight of the whole team. The first fur seals have been sighted and killer-whales have frequently passed by close to shore. Bull elephant-seals fighting for supremacy at various beaches have provided spectators with once-in-a-lifetime spectacles.
NoYember 1974
Die S.A.S. Protea van die Suid-Afrikaanse Vloot het op 17 November aangekom. Aan boord was daar 'n
"Wasp" helikopter en bemanning van die 22 Ylug van die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag. Hulle het gekom om behulpsaam tc wees met die oprig van ses hutte op strategiese plekke om die eiland. Hierdie hutte is beide uit biologiese en veiligheidsoogpunt van groot waarde.
Met die koms van die RSA op 24 November het ons dadelik begin aflaai en DOW se span het met hulle werk begin. Hulle het die hutte klaar gebou, 'n dam gebou en ook twee nuwe 75 kYA kragopwekkers ge"installeer. Ons vrieskamers werk weer en nou het ons nie meer probleme met vriesruimte nie.
December 1974
This month is the peak of activity in the bird calendar.
The macaroni penguins began to hatch and soon their small bodies were distorted as they. were stuffed with food by their mums. The rockhoppers which were still laying at the beginning of the month started to hatch out the first chicks by the end. Gentoos were also hatching their relay-eggs whilst the older chicks were completing fledging and started to go to sea. The king penguins' large young rapidly lost their thick brown wool coating for sleek new feathers and they too started laying their 300-g eggs. The >vandering albatrosses started to build their grass and moss nests and by the end of the month a third had laid eggs which weighed about 0,5 kg.
137
The two sooty albatross species were both busy hatching and each morning a disgruntled Aldo could be seen stomping off into the blustery rain on his way to Macaroni Bay to check their progress. Both species of giant petrels now have large chicks. The cormorants, Ray's favourite ducks, have a full range from new eggs to large chicks in their nests. The skuas mostly hatched this month and the Birdmen have to go out armed with broomsticks to defend themselves when measuring the young. Gulls laid their eggs during the first half of December, as did the sheathbills.
May 1975
The weather was really in its element as Marion was relentlessly pounded by mountainous seas and lashed by furious gales for days on end, with the sun rarely managing to break through the dark skies. Winds of between 38 and 46 knots gusting deep into the fifties and with a record gust of 63 knots, were not uncommon.
The sea was in a similar state, with a swell of up to 3 metres.
August 1975
All is quiet from the radio shack, while Piet and Wolf smile nicely at the transmitter and give thanks for a relatively troublefree end to a month which started with the transmitter going on the blink. As a result Piefs feet protruded from the inside of the drive unit for one whole men'10rable day while he worked flat out to trace
and repair a fault which left us without communications for nearly 24 hours.
September 1975
Op die 16de het die RSA weer anker hier gegooi en die hoogtepunt van sy besoek was toe ons drie lede van die teenoorgestelde geslag aan wal sien kom het. Dit was goed om die skone geslag te sien maar ek weet nie mooi of dit vir ons harte en breine baie goed was nie.
Dit het 'n mens net laat terug verlang na die land van sonskyn en sykouse.
November 1975
ovember sien ook die eerste om-die-eiland staptoer in die geskiedenis van Marion 32. John, Rudi, Piet en Steve vertrek op die tiende, en moet tot hulle teleurstel- ling uitvind dat buiten die hut by Goodhope Baai, wat vroeer vanjaar deur wind vernietig is, ook die hutte by Kampkoppie en Swartkoppunt weggewaai is. Dit laat hulle in die hande van die elemente, sodat hulle sopnat, windverwaaid en doodmoeg, maar met 'n ondervinding wat die ander hulle beny, die basis instrompel.
A Chronology of Antarctica
by M. W. J. Scourfield
Department of Physics, University of Natal
THE HOMECOMING of the SANAE XV team to South Africa in 1975 coincided with the 200th anniver- sary of the return of the first Antarctic expedition. This is therefore an appropriate occasion to Jist the out- standing events in the development of Antarctica and the long association of South Africa with South Polar exploration.
To the lands of the north the Greeks gave the name Arctikos, because they Jay under the constellation of Arctos, the Bear. They ran an imaginary line through the Arctic Pole about which the heavens appeared to rotate. To give the world balance they inferred the existence of an opposite fixed point, the Antarctic Pole.
For centuries the existence of land in the Antarctic was a matter for speculation, and on a fifteenth-century map the area was covered by one word, Brumae (fogs).
CHRONOLOGY
1772-1775 - Captain James Cook (Britain) headed south from Cape Town, and thus began the association of this port with polar expeditions. Captain Cook was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle and reach the ice packs at 71°10' South. He declared "The risk one runs exploring a coast, in these unknown and icy seas, is so very great that l can be bold enough to say that no man will ever venture farther than T have done, and that the land which may be to the south will never be explored".
The period up to 1900 was dominated by economic exploitation of the Antarctic. Some went to discover new trading routes and others to search for new fur-sealing grounds. One scaling vessel alone accounted for 100 000 seals in five years.
1819-1821 - The first sighting of the Antarctic Continent.
The claim is shared by Bellingshausen (Russia), P::lmer (America) and Bransfield (Britain). The Continent was discovered in 1820 but no landing made. This con- troversial topic is not clearly documented, partly on account of reluctance (at the time) to disclose the locations of good sealing grounds.
1822-1823 - Weddell (Britain) discovered the Weddell Sea and measured currents, temperatures and tides.
I 837-1843 - D'Urville (France) discovered Adelie land and named it (and the penguins) in honour of his wife.
Ross (Britain) discovered the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf. He made the first accurate deep-sea soundings together with magnetic and hydrographic observations.
Wilkes (America) explored 1 500 miles of the east Antarctic coast, and 127 men deserted during this expedition.
I 874 - The Challenger (Britain) was the first steamship to cross the Antarctic Circle. Minerals obtained by dredging proved to be typical of continental shores, thus supporting Wilkes' idea that Antarctica was a single continent.
I 895 - Kristensen (Norway) with three others was the first to set foot on the main continental land mass, at Victoria land.
1898 - De Gerlache (Belgium) spent the first winter below the Antarctic Circle after his ship had been frozen in. Amundsen (Norway) was first mate on this ship.
The Twentieth Century: to be cominued in the next issue.
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SANAE
September 1974
Newsletter N uusbrief
"DJD YOU REMEMBER THE PRIMUS PRICKERS?'" "Have you got enough chocolate?"
"You have got that special spanner for the cat, haven't you?"
The poor field party got fired with hundreds of questions in case some insigniftcant but necessary item was left out of the luggage. After many days of prepara- tion the five chaps left for the mountains at noon on the 2nd in a keen adventurous spirit.
With the coming of summer, communications im- proved a great deal and one Saturday afternoon saw a very enjoyable darts match with Halley Bay. There were Arnie, Chris, John, Derek and Steve playing against the chaps in the English base. They beat us 7-3 in a very sociable game. The reason for our chaps· defeat had something to do with beer.
October 1974
Bernie en Derek het die drie groot huskies begin oefen en nks maak vir sleetogte. Brian, die hondemeester op Halley Bay, het baie raad verskaf en die honde het gou reggekom en geniet dit .weer om slee te trek.
Voor die tweede span na die veld vertrek het, is daar vir drie dae brandstof in die basis gebring wat behoort te hou tot net voor die skip aankom . . . en skielik was dit stil. Die span het vertrek en net agt van ons was in die basis. Terry en Guy het begin met die bou van 'n igloo hut volgens ·n Eskimo plan. John Scott, lammie, Bernie en Guy het besig geraak met die skidoo om hom reg te kry en Gerrie was besig om so 'n ou stuk yster te verander en om te bou in 'n motornets. Dan wil alma!
die pad vat na 'n ander bukta toe. Bernie en Guy met die honde, Lammie en John met die skidoo en Gerrie met sy motorfiets.
August 1975
Hierdie maand is gekenmerk deur 'n aansienlike toename in bedrywighede om die basis. Dit is moontlik gemaak deur die koms van die son en dus relatiewe lang dagligure. Basis skoonmaak en brandstof inbring word gewoonlik gekombineer. Dan word al die vuilgoed- dromme bymekaar gekry en na die oppervlakte getrek, om op slee gelaai te word wat dan deur die kruiptrekker na die afvalhoop gesleep word. Tntussen grawe 'n dee!
van die span, gewoonlik gelei deur ons dokter Stu lund, dieseldromme uit die sneeu. Hierdie dromme word dan op die slee gelaai as hulle leeg van die afvalhoop af terugkom. Terug by die basis word die dieseldromme afgelaai, die sewe meter tot onder per handkatrol laat sak, en in die ysgang gepak vir gebruik.
'n Interessante variasic op die tema was toe boge- noemde hele operasie in die maanlig uitgevoer is, soos voorgestel deur ons ,far ouf' Ieier metkassie, KC.
Eers moes die swetsende werktuigkundiges die kruip- trekker in die nag teen - 39°C aan die gang kry. Die nagskofwerkers het darem na 'n paar uur se soek die brandstof gekry en toe die Antarktiese son verrys die volgende oggend, het hulle selfs al 'n paar dromme uitgegrawe. 'n Interessante eksperiment wat nie herhaal sal word nie, maar bewys dat ons span altyd bereid is om iets nuuts te probeer.
( l"eno/g op bl. I 39)
BP ANTARCTIC GOLD MEDAL FOR 1974
DR. GIDEO J. KUHN van die Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir CHO is Programdirekteur van die Suid-Afrikaanse Geomagnetiese en Aurora-programme op Sanae, wat van die Magncticse Observatorium te Hermanus af uitgevoer word.
Hy het die reis van die RSA om die tweede ekspedisie af te los na Sanae vergesel as spesiale waarnemer, en hy was verantwoordelik vir 'n reeks neutronmonitor- metingc wat gedurende die heen-en terugreis geneem is.
ln die volgende jaar was hy die eerste kosmiese traal- fisikus wat lid van 'n Suid-Afrikaanse asionale Antarktiese Ekspedisie geword het. Ten spyte van moeilike omstandighede het hy daarin geslaag om die Potchefstroomse Universiteit se program vir kosmiese strale op Sanae tot stand te bring.
Hy het verantwoordelik geword vir die Antarktiese Geomagnetiese Program toe hy in I 968 aangcstel is in sy huidige pos. Later is die program met welslae uitgebrei na Marioneiland. Sy leierseienskappe blyk daaruit dat hy reeds op betreklik vroee leeftyd die wetenskaplike en administratiewe verantwoordelikhede verbonde aan hierdie pos kon aanvaar. Sy spanmaats getuig van sy moed en kameraadskap op die ys.
Sy baanbrekerswerk met die Sanae-riometer en geomagnetiese data is in 1969 met 'n D.Sc.-graad bekroon. Hy was die eerste wat kon onderskei tussen twce soorte riometer-absorpsies van radiogolwe in die ionosfeer. Hierdie absorpsies word meegebring deur
139
prcsipitasics van elektronc vanuit oop en gcslote vcldlync.
Jn bogenoemde werk en in sy publikasies is 'n hoe wetenskaplike standaard gehandhaaf. Hy toon volgehoue belangstelling in Antarktiesc navorsing.
Die BP-Goue Antarktika-medalje vir 1974 word toegeken aan dr Gideon Jacobus Kuhn vir sy uitstaande bydraes tot Antarktiese navorsing, met spesiale verwysing na son-aardfisika.
(continued from p. 136) September 1975
Des decided to have a braai out, and on his premise that snow does not melt, he built an elaborate braai pit with retaining wall and easychairs out of snow blocks.
He soon realized that snow in fact does melt, when he reached down to turn the wors and found the fire a couple of feet below the surface. It had been warm when we started but it soon dropped to - 30 C and a wee breeze wafted in. Still we soon found some very interest- ing things about having a braai out in Antarctica, viz.
if you choose a piece of meat and then pause to say something, the wors has frozen completely, and not only do you crack your teeth up a bit but the fork freeze- burns onto your tongue and tears a piece out. Beer is quite impossible to drink in the normal manner: you remove the entire lid, shake out a core of frozen beer and then offer it around saying "Anybody for a piece of beer? Just break yourself off a chunk".
