Part III: Antarctica and Academe - Scott Polar Research Institute

and spent some time on the bridge. Fids came up for drinks: Donald Hadley (‘King’
Fid), Ian Rutherford (Builder, Halley), George Morgan (Met Halley), Dave Hogg
(Ionospherics, Halley), also Brian and Roy. After dinner there was a brandy with
Roy, Brian and Luiz, and talk about Brazilian aspirations in the Antarctic.
We were nearing the eastern side of the Weddell Sea. The pack had been
beautiful with reflections in a mirror-calm sea. I went up onto the bridge to look at a
lovely, luminous lemon sky and fantastic cold mirages transforming the shapes of
the icebergs. Another whale and some penguins passed by while I was there. Then
the ice cliffs of the Brunt Ice Shelf came into view. In the very clear air we could pick
out the Halley Beacon, black oil drums welded in a huge "H" and a pile of other
drums. The aerials for the base itself came into sight and we could see their muskeg
at the ice front. On the radio we learnt that their beacon was now on an iceberg; as
the headland broke off soon after they finished construction, so it was lucky that they
were on 'shore' by then. At about 11 pm we came up to 'Lurking Creek' in sunshine.
It was now a very shallow indentation with a 30 ft cliff at its head, just the height of
Bransfield's bows. The wintering party was lined up 'ashore', Stuart put the bows into
the cliff and held position there on automatic pilot. The mail went ashore over the
bows and then I followed to salute the Fids, led by Ken Back as they came aboard.
We decided that some cargo could be landed there but that the snowcats should
be put ashore at the low shelf, some 50 miles north from base; there was no nearer
landing place. After some talk the ingoing Fids and Roy Piggott went ashore and the
outgoing ones came aboard. Then Ken Back left and they headed back to base - only
a couple of miles away. We backed out at about midnight and set course for the low
shelf and then I turned in at 12.30 am. There was bright sunshine and a nearly full
moon floating in the sky over the shelf and bergs of all colours from deep purple to
lemon yellow. I was wakened by the ship bumping and shuddering and got up at
7.30 am to find that we were alongside the low shelf, 20 ft high at that point. A
couple of Fids from the base had dug holes for 'deadmen' and a line of black drums
led in the direction of the base, heading up a slope and past a caboose. Unfortunately
the shelf edge was very cracked and as we began to tie up a very large chunk fell off
it onto Bransfield - some tons of snow and ice blocking the main deck companionway.
So the ship was used to butt the ice shelf so as to knock off other unstable pieces; then
other holes were dug for 'deadmen' and the vessel was brought alongside. All this
took until noon, when the position was still unsatisfactory. Fortunately it was still
calm, there was no swell or wind and the temperature was about -10°C.
Unloading commenced, first the vehicles and then the cargo. The vehicles stored
in the after hold had to be lifted into the scow (which had been lowered into the
water), and moved forward along the side, so that the speedcrane could lift them
ashore at the only part of the ice edge near enough to the ship. All unloading would
have to be done from that point, possibly causing some congestion on the ice surface.
The initial operations took all day before the vehicles could set off at 8 o’clock with
the first cargo-sledge loads. There was a very jolly party that evening for Stuart's
birthday which went on until 12.30 am when we went to bed in broad daylight.
24 January was a dull day, with black clouds to the west, shading to a citron sky
to the north. Cargo work and transport continued but was very slow. The relief
might take 14-15 days at that rate and lower temperatures would help. I had a walk
ashore across endless white wastes. David Smith did a painting of the ship - oils and
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