Ice-Breaker To Sail Next Week To Aid Trapped Ship

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29767, 9 March 1962, Page 12

Ice-Breaker To Sail Next Week To Aid Trapped Ship

The American ice-breaker, Glacier, will leave Lyttelton next Wednesday on its 15-day journey to the aid of a South African ship locked in thick ice off the Princess Martha coas* of Antarctica. A message authorising the big ice-breaker to make the rescue bid was received at Harewood from Navy headquarters, Washington, early yesterday afternoon. The message said a formal request for assistance had been made by the South African Embassy in Washington. The South African Antarctic supply ship. Republic of South Africa, which has been trapped tor almos’ three days now, is in no immediate danger. On receipt of the message the commander of the United States Navy Antarctic task force (Rear-Admiral D. MTyree) ordered the operation to get under way. His deputy-commander (Captain E. A McDonald) will be in command Between now and Wednesday activities aboard and around the Glacier will increase in tempo as an all-out effort is made to get the ship away on schedule. It has already been estimated that most of the minor repairs will have been completed in time. Yet to be placed aboard are supplies, fuel and general provisions which will last for

six months. Some 600,000 gallons of fuel—4oo,ooo gallons of which is already on board—will be carried.

Altogether about 50,0001 b of spare parts, foodstuffs and general stores will be placed aboard. Of this amount aboui 30,0001 b will be brought from the United States in tour flights due at Harewood within the next few days. Most ot the items in this cargo are considered to be unprocurable in the Dominion. The remaining foodstuffs and general cargo will be supplied to the ship from local sources, including available supplies from the Harewood base

The aircraft involved in the flights from the United States are scheduled aircraft—Super

Constellations—which normally arrive empty at Harewood and take back scientists and servicemen as part of normal end-of-season evacuation procedure.

When finally prepared and under way the entire rescue operation is not expected to take longer than a month. At its completion the Glacier will not return to New Zealand but will sail to the

United States by way of South American ports. While preparations are being made for the Glacier's departure, the United States Navy is using every radio facility it has to make contact with the trapped South African ship.

Admiral Tyree’s headquarters at Harewood still does not know the crew number aboard the Republic of South Africa, nor the amount of provisions it is carrying. “We are throwing everything we have into this thing radio-wise, but since we were first alerted our attempts have been unsuccessful,” said a Navy spokesman last evening. He said it was not normal Navy practice to be in radio contact with foreign vessels, although if one of its own ships was in the same region the Navy would have been in regular contact To communicate with the South African ship, United States Navy headquarters in Washington has requested the Belgian Embassy there to guard a radio frequency assigned by the Navy in the hope that some contact on this circuit may be made. is believed the Belgian Embassy has made contact with the ship on a previous occasion. Communication centres at each of the United States Antarctic bases are also attempting to make radio contact with the ice-bound ship.

The spokesman said it was possible—although there was no guarantee—that communication would be made sometime within the next few days, perhaps even before the Glacier left port, which might indicate how the crew aboard the ship was faring.