January 2019

Even in the Antarctic it was business as usual – cover from mail clerk on the USS Canisteo (above)
and one from a clerk on the USS Brownson (below).
USS Sennet: A most unusual addition was this submarine. It crossed the Antarctic
Circle on December 28, but soon ran afoul of the ice. A collision put a large
hole in the bow. The rest of the time was spent as a weather station near Scott
Island.
There are problems with its philately. It had a US Navy cancel but it was so worn
it is usually indecipherable. A one-line ship’s cachet was made up. Beware of forged
markings. Luckily these are easily spotted, since the forger misspelled the name
“U.S.S. Semnett”.
USCGC Burton Island: An icebreaker which was at the northern edge of the
shelf February 6 and at Scott Island February 26 after assisting in the evacuation
of Little America. There is a regular ship’s name cancel and standard cachet. I have
also seen some very nice pictorial Crosby cachets.
USCGC Northwind, an icebreaker, met the other ships at Scott Island on December
30, departed February 13. It also had a ship’s name cachet, standard cachet
and some Crosby covers.
USS Philippine Sea; an aircraft carrier. Certainly Adm. Byrd was not stupid
enough to risk a carrier in the ice. It arrived off Scott Island on January 25, and
set course for Panama on January 30. It carried nine converted DC-3 type aircraft,
which were to be flown down to Little America. This was a unique situation for the
Navy, since the planes were to be flown one-way. They were almost too large to fly
off a carrier (they could only do so with assistance), and far too large to land. After
their flights from Little America, they were left at the camp.
JANUARY 2019 / AMERICAN PHILATELIST 37