The Theron Mountains Trip (Shackleton Base)- February 1974 – Dave Rowley
Me and Bert did the first flights to Halley Bay and back from Adelaide in order to pick up Sir Vivian (“Bunny”) Fuchs in his last year as Director, and Derek Gipps, for a tour of the Peninsula bases.
During our stay at Halley, I flew Bunny , and Captain Tom Woodfield up to the Theron Mountains and beyond. We were only a breath from the Pole, but Bunny decided that it wouldn’t be etiquette do ‘drop’ in unannounced, so we headed North with a sinking heart.
The next day, Capt. Woodfield invited me and Bert to join them for a trip to Shackleton Base***. I leaped at it, but Bert declined, he told me that he wanted to live the life of base. Typical of the person.
*** – Shackleton Base was established on the Weddell Sea Coast, as one end of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition by Vivian Fuchs, with Scott Base being established on the Ross Sea by Sir Edmund Hilary. You can read more HERE
Continuing from Adelaide Page, 1969
I was welcomed on Bransfield by Tom and his wife and given the privileges of the officers, but still wore my four month old Fid gear that nobody seemed to worry about. We ate in the ward room and I had the run of the ship, which, as an ex-marine engineer, was sublime.
On arrival at the Ice Shelf in sea fog the ship nosed in and the prow was at the same height as the cliff, so we all leapt ashore. Someone (i.e. Sir Vivian), had pinpointed the exact spot and after a short trek up the ice shelf, there was the stove pipe.
We dug into the base, it was pristine. A lot of snow of course, but all the structure, covered in hoar frost, was as good as yesterday. I was in awe of being there.
I was privileged to be so involved with the ships.
Dave Rowley