Deep Freeze: The United States, the International Geophysical Year, and the Origins of Antarctica's Age of Science

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“Dian Belanger has written an exciting and thought-provoking account of the U.S. Navy Seabees, flyers, and scientists who lived through and made the transition from the ‘heroic’ age to the ‘scientific’ age of Antarctic exploration. These mostly young men (no women were allowed on ‘the Ice’) risked lives and endured both cold and dark Antarctic winters and unimaginable isolation from the world to provide a U.S. presence on the vast, remote, ice-covered continent. Deep Freeze, based on countless interviews and painstaking research, is a timely and gripping account.” —JOHN C. BEHRENDT, president of the American Polar Society and author of The Ninth Circle and Innocents on the Ice ”With its well-timed arrival on the eve of the International Polar Year 2007– 2008, Deep Freeze offers a welcome and thorough new examination of America’s involvement inAntarctica during the IGY, often told through the words of the participants themselves.” —JEFF RUBIN, author of Lonely Planet Antarctica “An excellent historical chronology of the United States Antarctic Program and the first establishment of permanent scientific research facilities on the continent of Antarctica. Those who brought this program to life are heroes by every definition of the word. The truly amazing stories of pioneers are chronicled in this detailed and entertaining read. Dian Belanger’s countless hours interviewing living heroes who accomplished Herculean tasks give us pause to remember where this all began.” —JERRY W. MARTY, National Science Foundation Representative, South Pole Station, Antarctica “With the fifty-year anniversary of the International Geophysical Year approaching, the author has done a remarkable job in researching the IGY through archival materials and interviews with some of the major individuals involved. Writing for a wide audience, she offers in-depth discussions of U.S. preparations for stations, their construction, scientific research, winterover experiences, and the formulation of theAntarctic Treaty, the glue that holds it all together.” —JOHN SPLETTSTOESSER, Advisor to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators “The story of the beginning of Operation Deep Freeze has finally been told by a dynamic writer and historian.” —RMC BILLY-ACE PENGUIN BAKER, USN (retired), Vice Chairman, Antarctic Deep Freeze Association Advance Praise for DEEP FREEZE “Deep Freeze provides a wealth of hitherto unreported history. The use of oral history accounts, diary-based material, and quotations from literature of the era is a particular strength in this major recapturing of the heady days of 1957–59. Very little comprehensive historical scholarship has been devoted to IGY since the popular preliminary accounts that appeared (by Dufek, Sullivan, Wilson, Chapman, Eklund and Beckman, etc.) in the late 1950s and early 1960s.” —PETER-NOEL WEBB, geologist for U.S. and New Zealand IGY expeditions and Trans-Antarctic Expedition “In Deep Freeze Dian Belanger has written an important book, fine and wellresearched , focusing on the IGY in Antarctica (1957–1958), which led to the Antarctic Treaty.” —J. MERTON ENGLAND, NSF historian (retired) and author of A Patron for Pure Science “This is a comprehensive and lively book about the people and events that transformed Antarctica into an international laboratory for science. Through their vision, courage, and willingness to work together, the people of Deep Freeze and the IGY brought about a legacy of discovery that continues today and that helps us to understand both Antarctica and the forces of global change. To tell this fascinating and important story, Dian Belanger not only used existing historical records but also added to that documentation with extensive interviews.” —RAIMUND E. GOERLER, Chief Archivist/Byrd Polar Research Center of The Ohio State University “Dian Belanger’s account of the historical development of the early infrastructure for the American Antarctic science operation is superb. Compellingly told, the book incorporates significant research from new sources and unused collections. A must read for anyone with an interest in Antarctica and the early science it provided.” —GEORGE T. MAZUZAN, NSF historian (retired) “Dian Belanger’s Deep Freeze presents science in Antarctica with fascinating perspective, present and past, all rewarding. Well documented.” —DICK BOWERS, CDR CEC USN (retired), Officer in charge of construction, McMurdo and Pole Stations, Deep Freeze I and II DEEP FREEZE DEEP FREEZE DEEP FREEZE U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S O F C O L O R A D O Dian Olson Belanger The United States, the International Geophysical Year...