U.S. Navy Operation HIGHJUMP 1946-47

[emron]

Operation HIGHJUMP, officially known as The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-47 was a U.S. Navy operation to establish the Antarctic research base, Little America IV. The operation was led by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Jr., USN (Ret). The fleet of Navy and Coastguard vessels were designated Task Force 68 and comprised 4,700 men, 13 ships and 33 aircraft. Operation HIGHJUMP commenced 26 August 1946 and ended in late February 1947.
Unlike many previous expeditions this one did not use NZ as it’s final departure point south, however many of the ships, including submarine U.S.S. Sennet. visited our ports on their return from the ice.

Gisborne Herald, 8 March 1947.

BIG DISCOVERIES IN ANTARCTIC

BYRD REACHES N.Z.
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MAPS OUT OF DATE
VALUABLE TRAINING
EXPLORATORY FLIGHTS

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Mar. 7

The major portion of the United States Antarctic expedition arrived at Wellington this morning. The ships were Rear Admiral R. Byrd’s flagship Mount Olympus and the icebreakers North Wind and Burton Island. As the early morning mist was dispelled the Antarctic explorer’s were greeted by one of Wellington’s most beautiful sunny days.

A statement issued from Mount Olympus says: “Operation High Jump” the name given to the expedition, is scheduled to return to home ports in April. The expedition commanders are Rear-Admiral Byrd USN (retired), officer in charge of the Antarctic development project, 1946-47, who exercises overall control of the operation: Rear-Admiral R. H. Cruzen USN in tactical command of the task force of 13 ships: Captain H. R. Horney, USN, chief of staff for Admiral Byrd: and Captain R. S. Quackenbush Jr., USN, chief of staff for Admiral Cruzen.

6000 Men in Expedition

The statement said the task force with 6000 personnel, had completed two months’ extensive polar training, scientific study and discovery. Operating simultaneously and nearly circumnavigating the Antarctic continent, the three main groups – central, east and west – penetrated deeply into previously unknown areas of Antarctica to accomplish their mission.
The central group, comprising the ice-breakers North Wind and Burton Island, the cargo ships Yancey and Merrick, the submarine Sennet and the flagship and headquarters ship Mount Olympus, reached the Bay of Whales on January 15 establishing a 200-man base camp at Little America under the command of Commander Clifford M. Campbell USN, and from where six twin-engined R4D (Dakota) transport planes launched from the carrier Philippine Sea on January 30 made 29 exploratory flights, one of which Admiral Byrd dropped the flags of the United Nations at the South Pole.

On February 4, as a precaution against a possible consolidation of the ice pack, the Mount Olympus, Herrick and Yancey guided by the North Wind left for Scott Island to await the evacuation of the base camp, which was evacuated on February 23 when it was apparent that the ice pack was beginning to close in.

Operation of Patrol Bombers

The east group, with the seaplane tender Pine Island, the destroyer Brownson and the oiler Canisteo under Captain George R, Dufek, operated outside the ice pack east of Little America and around a large portion of the continental coastline lying with a west longitude. Martin patrol bombers from the Pine Island did 137 hours exploratory flying. An estimated 385,000 square miles of unknown areas were charted.
It was from this group that three lives were lost on December 30 when an aircraft went down on the tip of Thurston Peninsula.
The east group terminated it’s operations on March 2 due to adverse weather and sailed for Rio de Janeiro.

The west group, comprising the seaplane tender Currituck, the destroyer Henderson and the oiler Cacapon, under Captain Charles A. Bond, conducted operations round the east longitude continental coastline, aircraft flying 220 hours in 35 flights. It was this group which reported discovery of an “oasis” described as “Shangri-La”, inland from the Knox coast. This area was reported to contain many unfrozen, coloured lakes with nearby bare ground having evidence of vegetation.
Another oasis in the Vestfold Mountains, inland from the Ingrid Christensen coast of the Mackenzie Sea, was reported on March 1 from this group, which concluded it’s operations on March 4 and sailed for Sydney.

Accomplishments Summarised

An accurate evaluation of the expedition’s accomplishments is impossible at this time, but the following general summary may be noted.

(1) Much knowledge has been gained in connection with the training of naval personnel and testing of equipment under Antarctic conditions.
(2) Sixty successful photographic flights were made by the groups of the expedition.
(3) Invaluable experience was gained in the technique of building and maintaining polar camps.
(4) The discovery of unknown and incorrectly charted bays, inlets, glaciers, mountains and islands.
(5) Information was collected from the aerial magnetic survey.
(6) An amplification of knowledge in respect of hydrographic, geographic. geological, meteorological and electro-magnetic conditions.
(7) The successful use of an airborne magnetometer for plotting approximate elevation of land.

[emron]

75 years ago:

Press, 24 February 1947

POLAR SHIPS IN PORT
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HAZARDOUS TRIP FROM ANTARCTIC
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STORMS INTERRUPT TOW

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, February 23.
With her rudder stock broken through striking an ice-floe 30 feet thick the United States Naval transport Merrick arrived at Port Chalmers on Saturday afternoon, towed by the United States icebreaker Northwind and escorted by the transport Yancey after a hazardous voyage of 1500 miles occupying about 10 days.

The three vessels arrived off Taiaroa Heads at 3.40 p.m. and were met by the Otago Harbour Boards tug Dunedin, and later by the dredge Otakou. The Yancey entered the harbour first and berthed at the George street pier shortly after 5 p.m. The damaged vessel Merrick, towed by the Northwind and steered by the Dunedin and Otakou, lashed on either side of her, reached the berth on the opposite side of the same pier about an hour and a half later.

All three vessels, which are part of the task force under the technical command of Rear-Admiral Richard E. Byrd in the Antarctic, are now carrying their latest battle honours in the form of scars inflicted by the huge masses of ice through which they had to their way for days before they reached the open sea.

The story of the Merrick’s escape from the ice, which extended for 500 miles north of Little America, gives a graphic indication of the extreme hazards attending exploration in the far south, even when the most modern vessels and equipment are employed.

On February 5, a task force group of the expedition, which was in the Bay of Whales, decided that as the ice was unexpectedly thick, plans to leave the locality on March 1 should be abandoned and that an attempt to reach open water should be made immediately. A shore party of 190 men was stationed at Little America at the time and, leaving the icebreakers Northwind and Burton Island to evacuate these, the Mount Olympus, command vessel of the task force under Admiral Richard H. Cruzen, with the Yancey and Merrick, endeavoured to make their way through the ice.

Pressure Ice

Almost immediately pressure ice 35 to 40 feet thick was encountered and at the same time the Mount Olympus broke her rudder. This was no sooner repaired than terrific snow storms swept over the vessels and Admiral Cruzen ordered the ships’ bows to be held against the ice till the storm had passed. The three larger vessels were joined here by the two icebreakers, and the Burton Island succeeded in locating a break in the ice pack.

As the ships were steaming through the lane which was being cleared by the Burton Island, the Merrick was blown sideways on to a huge floe, which snapped her 12-inch steel rudder stock like a carrot. Her subsequent erratic behaviour brought the icebreaker Northwind to her assistance; but the steel hawser, which was passed between the two ships became entangled in the Northwind’s propeller and rescue work had to be abandoned until the screw was free. In the meantime the wind increased in violence and the helpless Merrick was driven against massive floes until the Northwind again came to her rescue by crushing into harmless fragments the floes that were under her lee.

When the ships were free from the ice Admiral Cruzen transferred to the Burton Island and started back through the ice for Little America to evacuate the 190 men left behind, leaving the Northwind to tow the Merrick to New Zealand, with the Yancey as escort vessel in case of emergency. The ships made 10 knots until the beginning of last week when they encountered a gale from 75 to 80 miles an hour.

Roll to 55 Degrees

The ships rolled heavily in huge seas, the Northwind putting up the astonishing performance of rolling 55 degrees at least once every 10 minutes, a feat made possible without danger by her peculiar hull form. In such conditions even the compensating winch gear on the icebreaker could not ease the violent jerks which the heavy hawser had to stand when two vessels of 7000 tons and 13,000 tons, respectively, rolled in opposite directions, and the hawser broke at 4.10 a.m. on the second day of the gale. For 48 hours the Merrick was again adrift; but this time there was no ice danger, and when the tow was resumed the vessel gradually steamed into good weather and increase speed, until over the last part of the voyage to Port Chalmers they were making the excellent speed of 13.5 knots. They arrived off the entrance to Otago harbour in perfect weather, and two hours later all three ships were in ther berths at Port Chalmers. The Northwind is under the command of Captain Charles W. Thomas, US Coast Guard Service, who is senior commander of the convoy. The Yancey is commanded by Captain J. H. Cohn, and Captain John J. Hourihan is in command of the Merrick.

Return to Little America

The Northwind sailed again this evening for Little America to assist the Burton Island to evacuate personnel left at the base, and all the vessels of the group are scheduled to rendezvous at Wellington on March 14. The Yancey is expected to remain in Port Chalmers with the Merrick until repairs are completed, as there is no point in sending a “thin-skinned” vessel back to the ice pack where she would serve no useful purpose.

For the next few weeks Dunedin will entertain a total of nearly 700 American Naval officers and men, whose last sight of green hills and civilised surroundings was on December 16 when they sailed from the United States to the Antarctic.

The practical results attendant on the excursion of a great task force of 13 vessels, equipped with such aids to discovery as helicopters and amphibian aircraft, into the Antarctic, are shown by the fact that during the exploration of the great frozen area members of the expedition mapped and delineated 125,000 square miles of coast, discovered 15 islands of moderate size, four large bays (one of which was 125 miles wide and was situated where Admiral Byrd first placed the position of the Walter Kohler mountains on the Wahlgren coast) two new mountain ranges approximately 15,000 feet high, and numerous groups of mountains. This vast field of discovery was made possible by the task force being divided into three groups. These groups were spread over 5000 miles of coastline, extending from the Weddell Sea to Princess Elizabeth and MacRobertson Lands.

The flagship of the task force, is the Mount Olympus, a vessel of more than 14,000 tons, the remaining units consisting of the Merrick and Yancey which are transports, the Northwind and Burton Island, icebreakers; Pine Island and Currituck, seaplane tenders; Brownson and Henderson, destroyers; Philippine Sea, aircraft-carrier; Canisteo and Cacapon, oil tankers; and Sennet submarine.

Submarine Unsuccessful

The introduction of the Sennet into the pack ice was not a success as the submarine became helpless in the grip of the ice and had to be towed to safety by the Northwind.

The function of this task force was as much tactical as exploratory and the expedition gained much experience in the employment of vessels of various types among ice floes. The value of the icebreakers was immense, the Northwind alone crushing millions of tons of ice in the Bay of Whales in three days. Without them it is considered that the presence of such large vessels as the Mount Olympus, Merrick and Yancey at Little America would have been impossible.

A large party of scientists accompanied the force and of these a number arrived at Port Chalmers on Saturday. They are Dr. James Hough and Lieutenant Metcalfe, oceanographers; Dr. W. A. Bowne and Dr. Leslie, from the Naval Ordnance Laboratory; Lieutenant-Commander C. Gale and Captain Charles Harrison, meteorologists.

[emron]

Ashburton Guardian, 21 March 1947.

HELICOPTERS OVER WELLINGTON

After last week’s exhibition by two Byrd expedition machines, Wellington knows a lot more about what can and cannot been done in helicopters.
They lazed round above the city as no aircraft ever has before, and did more to demonstrate their capabilities to the man in the street than have half a hundred articles or newsreels. Their take-off and landing on the icebreakers commanded all the attention of sightseers at Aotea Quay while they were in action.
They hovered over the Basin Reserve wicket briefly, like the batsmen.

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Hutt News, 19 March 1947.

THE MODERN WAY
CHALLENGE BY HELICOPTER

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A helicopter attached to the American Antarctic expedition attracted much attention during the party’s stay in Wellington. Several landings were made in the Hutt Valley.

One afternoon the helicopter landed at the Ford Motor works, where the pilot delivered a challenge to a game of baseball between the firm’s baseball team and members of the expedition, and then re-entered his machine and took off.

Does this envisage the day the helicopter will become the message boy or goods deliverer of the skies?

The baseball contest proved very enjoyable, resulting in a win for the men from Antarctica by 6 to 2. The American players were conveyed to the Ford works in cars provided by the company, and after the game were shown over the works and entertained at luncheon.

[madmax]

The two helicopters accompanying this expedition which flew at Wellington were a Sikorsky HNS-1 and Sikorsky HO3S-1,I have photographs, taken by my family, of them in flight and and on the deck of the Northwind. They were accompanied by a Grumman biplane which took off from the harbour and landed at Rongotai. I have an idea it also landed at Nelson. The two helicopters which were said at this time to be ageing were reputed to have been dumped overboard after the ships left New Zealand

[Dave Homewood]

What a shame if they were dumped. I am sure the RNZAF's Technical Training School could have found them useful.

[tbf2504]

True Dave, but was not until the early 1960s that Defence actually created a policy for the requirement for helicopters!!!

[Dave Homewood]

They did not have a requirement for a Firefly or a Zero either, I guess.

[oj]

"What a shame if they were dumped. I am sure the RNZAF's Technical Training School could have found them useful."

OK, in 1962 at 4TTS Woodbourne, there was a Sikorsky engine on a stand, partially sectioned and heavily corroded where immersion in seawater in Wellington harbour had eaten away much of the magnesium components.

4TTS Instructors told us it came from a US Sikorsky that crashed in Wellington harbour, and it also may have been placarded as such.

This might have occurred in a different year to those spoken about above.
No doubt some member can research and report on this further ...

[denysjones]

I think it more likely it was from the crash of one off one of the early ice-breaker visitors to LYT...somewhere I've got something on it, unless Dave Duxbury doesn't beat me to it.

[emron]

Although there are no reported accidents in NZ there was a high aircraft attrition rate during the operation.
The expedition carried six Martin PBM-5 Mariner seaplanes, six Douglas R4D transports, four HO3S-1 and three HNS-1 Sikorsky helicopters, two Grumman J2F-6 Duck amphibians, two Curtiss SOC seaplanes, two Convair OY observation planes and one Noorduyn JA-1 Norseman ski-plane.

One PBM-5 crashed on land in white-out conditions with 3 fatalities. Bad weather for the next nine days prevented an extensive aerial search. The injured survivors endured 12 days in icy conditions, near the wreckage, before they were found. Rescuers aided them the following day to walk 10 miles to the coast where they were picked up by another PBM.

One HO3S-1, while returning to seaplane tender Pine Island from a survey flight over the pack ice, encountered severe icing on the main rotor and was forced down in the water to avoid crashing into the ship. Captain George Dufek was aboard as an observer, both he and the pilot escaped without injury. But the helicopter had no floats and sank. George Dufeck, by then Rear Admiral, would later take command of Operation Deepfreeze through it’s development in the late 1950’s.

Another HO3S-1 was lost when it hit a downdraft while taking off from aircraft carrier Philippine Sea and crashed into the sea alongside. The crew were promptly rescued unhurt.

While sailing to Sydney after the expedition was complete, seaplane tender USS Currituck with three PBM-5s aboard, encountered a severe storm. During a 28degree roll to starboard the spare PBM broke loose and damaged another one. When the ship rolled 32degrees to port, the spare was pitched overboard.

Not to forget the six R4Ds. Philippine Sea had stood 600 miles at sea to avoid the ice and the R4Ds were launched, JATO boosted, on a one-way journey to main base, Little America. After their flying schedule was cut short by the early onset of winter, and with no means of recovery, they were hastily parked up, drained of fluids and mothballed before the camp was evacuated. They were left in open storage and expected to be re-used by a future exploration party. But Operation Deepfreeze did not commence until the 1955-56 summer and by then the ice shelf had broken away and Little America IV and it’s R4Ds had vanished into the ocean.

[denysjones]

The chopper ditching I was referring to was from the supply ship Greenville Victory in December 1955

[emron]

USS Greenville Victory was preparing to take part in Operation Deepfreeze I.

U.S. Navy Sikorsky HO4S-3 Bu.No. 138519 accident 14 December 1955.

It had taken off from the wharf but hit a wire, one main rotor blade flew off over the crowd. The pilot put down on the edge of Gladstone Pier, narrowly avoiding an estimated 200 spectators. It toppled over and went to the bottom of the harbour 30 feet down with the pilot and crewman still aboard. They both managed to release tangled harnesses and quickly floated free. The wreck was recovered that afternoon and trucked to Wigram the following day.

This model had engine type Wright R1300-3 fitted.

[oj]

"... by then the ice shelf had broken away and Little America IV and it’s R4Ds had vanished into the ocean."

So there are five R4D's on the ocean floor somewhere waiting to be discovered?
They might be widely scattered, but if the ice shelf berg rolled over, probably could be quite adjacent.

Should be within the capabilities of modern satellite detection or oceanographers scanning equipment.
Was there any attempt to track the base as it floated away or was that unseen?
Silly question; you have already stated "vanished". sorry.

[Dave Homewood]

One of the most sophisticated ships in the world for oceanographic scanning is there right now hunting for the Endurance.

[davidd]

There are rather too many corroding DC-3s, etc., all around the world ABOVE sea level all ready!!

[denysjones]

There were 6 R4D's on the Philippine Sea and as far as I know none were w/o during the time of Highjump so all should be in the depths.

It would be rather interesting to see the dispersal pattern of them on the sea bed to see how the ice mass melted

There is a seventh somewhere on the ocean bottom being the LC117D 99853 which was left to its devices on the ice shelf after being badly damaged, and so w/o, during loading on the Pvte John R Towle for return to the US in Jan 1968.

[chinapilot]

www.historynet.com/operation-highjump-1946-47-expedition-to-explore-antarctica-from-the-air/

[emron]

Otago Daily Times, 21 March 1947.

MERRICK’S RUDDER

INSTALLATION COMPLETED
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VESSEL TO SAIL TO-DAY
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The installation of temporary rudder on the U.S.S. Merrick, replacing the one which she lost in a collision with an ice-floe in the Antarctic waters, was completed at Port Chalmers yesterday, and the ship will sail for San Francisco this afternoon.

The new rudder, which is only half the size of the original, weighs seven and a half tons and was built in Stevenson and Cook’s engineering shop. It was completed on Wednesday afternoon, and was removed on a large trailer to the Otago dock, where the Otago Harbour Board’s 10-ton electric crane was used to lift it into a landing barge from the Merrick. The barge was then moored under the vessel’s stern for the night.

The work of shipping the rudder, which was carried out early yesterday morning, was done entirely by the ship’s crew under Chief Boatswain Gage. The rudder was lifted from the landing barge on two running wire blocks, suspended from the ship’s deck, while a set of chain blocks, suspended in the trunk-way which houses the rudder post, was coupled to the rudder which was then lowered into the water. The three sets of tackles were manned by the crew and the rudder stock was slowly drawn up the trunk-way until it reached the top bearing, where it was made fast.

The work of connecting the rudder to the steering gear, and completing it’s installation was undertaken by members of Stevenson and Cook’s staff, and occupied the rest of the day. Although it has only half the area of the original one, the temporary rudder, with certain safeguards, will enable the vessel to travel to the United States under her own steam.

The Mayor, Mr Cameron, on behalf of the city yesterday, expressed his appreciation of the excellent behaviour of the visitors during their stay. It was a pleasure, he said, to have had the men in Dunedin during the last few weeks, and he expressed the hope that they would take with them happy memories of their stay and have a safe and speedy journey home.

[emron]

Otago Daily Times, 29 April 1947.

MERRICK RETURNS HOME

After a voyage of 21 days, the United States naval transport Merrick, which sailed from Port Chalmers on March 21, reached Port Huenema, in California, on April 12. This information was received yesterday by Mr. J. T. Knewstubb, managing director of Stevenson and Cook Ltd., of Port Chalmers, who carried out the work of installing a temporary rudder to replace the one which the Merrick lost in the Antarctic while operating as a unit of the Byrd Expedition. The commander of the Merrick, Captain John J. Hourihan, advised Mr. Knewstubb that the temporary rudder functioned perfectly throughout the voyage, during which the Merrick averaged 11 knots. Apart from five days of head winds and seas, the trip was uneventful.