Underway to the Antarctic
Underway to the Antarctic
December 16, 1955Finally, the Nespelen got underway for the Antarctic and joined the convoy which included the Arneb, the Wyandot, the Greenville Victory, the Edisto and the YOG 34 at Scott Island.
I have always enjoyed a good storm and we soon experienced another bad one. The wind got up to 45 knots and I found it hard to eat since the dishes kept sliding off the table.
I was very excited when we saw our first ice which consisted of small pieces about the size of a refrigerator called "bergy bits." With our reinforced bow, we were able to go through this type of ice without too much trouble.
I thought the ice was beautiful until it started getting thicker and thicker. The ship shuddered everytime we collided with the ice floes. I hadn't thought much about the danger up until now, but the sides of our ship seemed very thin to me after we had been banged a few times.
The Nespelen sometimes found herself left behind with pack ice surrounding the ship. It was unnerving for me to lie in my bunk and hear the ice pounding against the sides of the ship as we went through it.
December 20, 1955Our first snow and I was glad that we had been issued our foul weather gear. New, for then, thermal jackets, pants and boots. Somehow I still felt cold when I looked at the snow.
December 21, 1955
I was amazed when I saw the first real iceberg. This one was much bigger than our ship. I was told to be especially vigilant when standing the radar watch. I remembered what happened to the Titanic and kept my eyes glued to the set when I was on duty.
