January 2019

The support ship USS Merrick (AKA-97) alongside
the USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8) during Operation
Highjump. U.S. Marine Corps photograph.
ON THE ICE: THE U.S. NAVY IN OPERATION HIGHJUMP
BY STEVE PENDLETON
By the end of World War II, the United States found itself in a far different condition
regarding the rest of the world. From the isolationism of the 1930s, we found
ourselves with commitments in every ocean and most land masses. We also found
ourselves with a new rival — Soviet Russia.
Fresh from the total destruction of the Axis war machine, our military became
cognizant of the global importance of heretofore neglected regions. This was especially
true of the Arctic and Antarctic. In the Arctic, the Soviet Union lay only a
short distance from Alaska and Canada. The Antarctic provided a landmass which
helped block the passage of ships through the Southern Ocean.
There were in early 1946 still many vessels and crews left over from the hostilities.
There was an obvious need to test men and equipment in the dangerous polar
conditions. There was also the challenge of Soviet interest in Antarctica. While
the U.S. did not have (and still does not have) land claims in the Antarctic, it was
interested in maintaining those of its allies Great Britain (and through it Australia
and New Zealand) and France.
Finally, even after many expeditions, much of the Antarctic coast was still unknown.
The classic Antarctic expeditions had mainly been focused on getting to
the Pole. These could often take on the characteristics of a race. The U.S. Navy
26 AMERICAN PHILATELIST / JANUARY 2019