NAVAL SUPPLY VESSEL
Greenville Victory From McMurdo
A 65-knot gale, which caused the Greenville Victory to break away from her ice berth at McMurdo Sound and damage her shell plating, was the only untoward incident in the Antarctic trip, said Captain Alfred Neilsen after the vessel arrived at Lyttelton yesterday.
The 7655-ton United States naval supply vessel left Lyttelton on January 18 for McMurdo Sound. She encountered very little ice, and when she arrived on January 24, to discharge stores and cargo, she was able to berth within three-quarters of a mile of the base. After breaking adrift in the gale, the freighter drifted alongside an ice bank nearby and was holed. This was temporarily repaired by constructing a cement box. The ship was then trimmed by transferring ballast in the double bottom tanks, and w'elding repairs were satisfactorily made. The freighter brought four scientists back from Antarctica, as well as a retired United States naval officer and former colleague of Admiral R. E. Byrd, Commander Isaac Schlossbach, and several United States Construction Battalion servicemen.
In addition to a small quantity of cargo aboard, some of which will be discharged at Lyttelton, the Greenville Victory has two crated Otter planes on deck forward and a larger plane on the after hatch. These are being taken to the United States for overhaul and repairs. There is also a small New Zealand plane from Scott Base aboard. It will be discharged here. Captain Neilsen, who lives at Brownville. Texas, about 200 miles south-west of the Corpus Christi naval base, on the Gulf of Mexico, said he did not know whether he would be back again next year, because he was 63 years of age and had already had one year ashore recently in an unsuccessful attempt to retire.
This Danish-born shipmaster, also the son of a shipmaster. has been an American citizen for many years. He has been in command for 18 years.
The Greenville Victory is expected to sail for Davisville, Rhode Island, on Tuesday.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume C, Issue 29436, 11 February 1961, Page 14
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334NAVAL SUPPLY VESSEL Press, Volume C, Issue 29436, 11 February 1961, Page 14
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