|
|
Four Dutch
biologists carried out field work at Cape Lea focusing on
Polar bears, reindeer and the bird population.
|
| Two
styles of covers were used in 1968, one from the new post office
at ISFJORD and a second cover used by the wintering party that
was carried to the Netherlands for servicing.
|
An Oil Tanker Through the Northwest
Passage
|
|
The ice-strengthened
SS MANHATTAN pushed through
the heavy ice of the Northwest Passage in September 1969 to
become the first commercial vessel to make such a voyage.
One purpose
of the trip was to determine if a route could be created for
the newly discovered oil on the North Slope of Alaska.
|
| All
mail received a cachet on board the MANHATTAN, however
the mail was not delivered to the post office at Barrow until
additional ice experiments were complete. |
|
To the North Pole and Across the
Ice Cap
|
|
|
|
Wally Herbert
led a British sled party to the Pole and continued on to Spitzbergen.
The 408-day journey was the first surface crossing of the Arctic
Ocean.
The HMS
ENDURANCE accepted their mail and placed it in the regular
postal service on arrival at London.
|
The U.S. Navy Takes Over
|
|
When
the U.S. Navy took over Ice Island T3, the name "Fletchers
Ice Island T3" returned to cachets. The island periodically
floated free of its grounding and remained in continuous use
until 1974.
|
| |
|
Aidjex Beaufort Sea Studies
|
|
Sea studies
were conducted on random ice floes in the pack during 1975-76.
Three stations were located on floes, each sixty miles from the
main camp, to conduct joint ice dynamics experiments. The ice
pack was recognized as a practical laboratory for the study of
ice phenomena. Supplies were provided through Barrow. |
(Exhibition
pieces courtesy of George Hall)
