Antarctic Advance Party Arrives From U.S.

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30188, 20 July 1963, Page 13

Antarctic Advance Party Arrives From U.S.

About 65 per cent, of the United States Navy Antarctic support force for the coming summer season would be “old-timers’’ said the commander of the advance headquarters at Harewood (Commander A. J. Kinion) yesterday. The force would be much about the size of last season’s: but the Air Force complement would be smaller. Commander Kinion arrived in Christchurch yesterday aboard a Navy Super Constellation from Pago Pago With him was an advance staff of about 60. He said he expected operations to go “full blast” from mid-September until April 5. The Navy would have about the same number of aircraft, men and ships as before. The main body was due in midSeptember. Commander Kinion said he was pleased to be back in New Zealand. He was imoressed by the work that had been done to the Harewood base during the winter. Manv of the men who came with him on the Constellation would go to the Antarctic later, he said. Ten or 12 of the men were returning for the fourth time. Commander Kinion’s assignment in the Dominion will end next January, and he will return to the United States.

Among those who arrived yesterday is the senior representative in Christchurch of the United States Antarctic ’’esearch programme 'Mr E E Goodale) He said the 'cientiflc operation this season would be of about the same sca’e as in previous seasons Only one traverse would be made from Byrd station, although an extensive survey would be made in the Pensacola mountains, where 'ome work was done last year.

An unusual item he will seek when he returns to Christchurch in September (he will return to the United States in the Constellation on Monday) will be 150 quarts of cream. This will be for a number of young seals which a scientific group from the New York Zoological Gardens hopes to take back from the Antarctic. It was considered, he said, that cow's cream was the nearest thing to a seal's milk. Each seal calf would be about three months old and weigh about 1751 b. Also in the aircraft were the assistant logistics officer for the Navy operation (Commander P. L. Rendelson), and the cargo officer (Lieutenant J. J. McHugh).