There are some things you might be surprised to see down here. While things like vans, trucks, and small moving equipment could probably have been transported on a cargo plane, how the heck did they get a bus, an oversized forklift, and a full on crane to Antarctica? The answer is The Vessel. McMurdo is located on a convenient natural port that's been used since the early days of exploration. So if we need something big, better be willing to wait that eighteen months before it can get down here on a cargo vessel.
While cargo planes can get us a good deal of our supply, there's only so much that they can bring at once. And as the fourteen-day delay to get me down here showed me, getting flights in is often an act of God. (For reference, at the time of writing, we've had maybe thirty flights come through this year; previous years at this time they've had over eighty.) So if we need reliable delivery, it goes on the vessel.
One of the reasons I know I could never run the food service department here (as if that was somehow an option) is that they have to plan and order eighteen months in advance. Many of the dry and shelf stable items are transported down on the cargo ship. You have to have a full picture of what you want meal service to look like for over a million meals and make preparations accordingly. I don't think I've got that kind of foresight.
(The icebreaker fittingly arrived during a storm)
The first sign of vessel season beginning is the arrival of the Icebreaker. The USCGC Polar Star is a heavy icebreaker that's been clearing the way for seafarers since 1973. Capable of breaking through ice up to 21 feet thick, the Polar Star is seemingly a pretty unique member of the US fleet. The only reason I know that is because there were rumors going around that we might not have vessel season at all. Apparently Polar Star's drive shaft broke on the way down and the only other icebreaker that could match its capabilities was in the north, months away. Somehow they managed to machine the replacement parts at McMurdo and get the Polar Star up and running again.
When the Polar Star finishes clearing the way, that opens up a channel for the cargo ship to come in, in this case, the Ocean Gladiator. When the vessel shows up, life at McMurdo takes a bit of a turn. For one, the population increases. With the coast guard and other sailors, we get around 150 to 200 additional people. While most seasons that's a respectable increase, this year that's actually a pretty big jump, since we've been a smaller crew. Mostly we feel that in the kitchen as more pounds of food being prepared. The state of the town changes as well. The vessel arrives during 24-hours of sunlight, and they make use of it. Unloading the cargo is a 24-hour cycle, with vehicles of all kinds going to and from the harbor. We have what could actually be called traffic in town for the first time.
(Over a year of supplies onboard. Icebreaker in the background)
There's also the social elements that change. For one, the store stops selling alcohol. Apparently the sailors aren't allowed to have it, and during years past, they'd buy up a bunch at station and things would get interesting at all hours. So to curb that, alcohol sales are totally stopped. But you can bet that there were people on station that were stocking up and "borrowing" other people's rations to keep them supplied during the dry spell. We were actually warned during an official meeting that the sailors would be willing to buy alcohol from us at a 300% markup, but that we'd be fired if we were caught. Not sure why they wanted to tell us how to set up a black market. We're also encouraged to keep our dorm doors locked, as things have "walked away" over the years and it's better to be safe.
This is not to throw shade at the sailors who arrived this year. From what I could see, they brought plenty of liveliness to the station and it seems like everyone had a good time for the week and a half that the vessel was here. After the cargo ship departed, we had one additional vessel arrive, the fuels vessel. Like everything, gas, diesel, and the works needs to be transported down here. I don't know the logistics, but something tells me putting a bunch of fifty-gallon drums on a cargo plane isn't a wise idea, so fuel gets its own special ship to take it in. The Acadia Trader was here for another four or five days, though the town was much less busy than the cargo delivery. I will say, I love that the Trader had "No Smoking" emblazoned in big red letters on the bridge. Probably a wise policy when you're sailing on a giant floating gas can.
(I bet the story behind that warning would make Michael Bay blush.)
Logistics makes the world go round, and it's the only thing that keeps Antarctica running. The need to keep it going is what sparks innovation. Our machine shop didn't come equipped to make a new drive shaft for the icebreaker, but they made it work. The human effort to keep everything running is amazing to see.
Now if they could just get more coffee mugs delivered for the store.
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