ICECAP II

[Music] a strategic cold spot area of World Geography of vital interest to National Defense is Greenland to this desolate corner of the globe came equipment and Men of the transportation Arctic group whose mission was to develop the capabilities of surface transportation for movement on the vast Greenland ice cap in 1952 a heavy sled train pushed its way onto the ice cap with the knowledge gained from the 1952 operation the 1953 Arctic group of the transportation Corps undertook a test and research program to study the physical characteristics of the Greenland ice cap as they might affect surface transportation between Tuli and the crass free approach onto the ice cap at Nuna takeoff lay a 17 Mile Trace Road and an active Glacier at the head of a frozen pure between Tuli and the F stretched a Winding Road 8 m in length it was essential that equipment and supplies be transported over this road and across the fiord before the spring breakup could isolate the group until Midsummer when lcu could get through to the beach the winding road to the edge of the fiord was the first leg of the supply Hall the second lap of the hall was an ice Road over the Frozen Walston home Fjord concentrated effort was made to transport supplies from Tuli to the beach camp before the ice [Music] breakup a supply dump consisting mainly of P drums was built bu up in order to support the operation until resupply could be accomplished by lcu at Wells and Tents housed The Men Who Would operate the beach camp during the 1952 operation the provisional sled Detachment had bulldozed a Trace Road from the Beach camp through the lake camp to the edge of the ice cap at Nuna takeoff by the spring of the following year huge snow drifts still covered most of the road it became necessary to initiate a tractor sled operation to the lake camp under these rugged conditions the capabilities of standard equipment were strained but by means of bulldo in and winching and just plain hard work the group managed to punch their way through as the snow melted the old Trace Road was constantly being improved from fill material located by geologists along the Route a road capable of supporting wheel traffic was built built over 17 mil of Rocky terrain by organic Personnel a difficult period was encountered when the road was partly clear and partly covered with snow during this time it was hard to move either sleds or trailers over the route but with determined effort great quantities of supplies reached the lake camp site in early July the ice breakup period occurred during this time helicopters carrying external loads to decrease turnaround time were the sole means of resupply hel Ops were used for resupply during the entire operation mail from home and other priority cargo were flown in at frequent intervals when the ice was sufficiently weakened the ice breaker was able to break up and clear the Fjord lcu then accomplished the resupply mission for the rest of the [Music] summer approximately 4 miles from the lake camp is the end of the road at Nuna takeoff at the point where the ice and snow of the cap meet the rocks of land a SA and short access route to the ice cap is located here the test Vehicles were driven onto the snow for the first time the rollon principle although primarily conceived for other purposes was to be tested on the cap this approach was discovered and used in 1952 the place referred to as Nuna takeoff was where last minute preparations were made for the mounting of the sled Wings the 4-in runners of the Canadian made 10 ton Oto sled were removed and bolted onto them were wide sled Runners to give added flotation over the soft deep snow of the Ice Cap supplies and equipment were inventory and all was in Readiness for the departure the condition of the ramp was favorable the sleds were loaded to capacity the test group's Ascent of the Nuna ramp was the culmination of many months of preparation the group made its way onto the cap headed toward its final destination the test area 110 M out on the way vehicle performance was observed of primary importance was the D7 low ground pressure tractor developed especially for over snow operations the M4A1 a highp speeed artillery prime mover never intended for over the snow use performed surprisingly well roligon were procured and sent to Greenland for over snow test on the ice cap with the test group The rolligon principle of the pneumatic bag which had attracted the attention of the transportation research and development station was under close study the navigation vehicle the otter carried a miniature gyro compass and position indicator wanigans served as living quarters for the group both on the move and while at halt this aluminum wanigan was a commercial type office trailer mounted upon sled Runners 110 M out from Nuna takeoff the test group reached their final [Music] location the area chosen was representative of high altitude ice cap surface conditions supplies and equipment were then offloaded since the camp was to serve as a test site for a period of 30 days wanigans were wired for electricity for maximum Comfort the mes wanigan was a converted eight-man wanigan with the bunks removed food was good and ample and the men received a high caloric diet to ward off the arctic cold due to the small area inside the men ate within their own living quarters only 16 of the 24 bunks were used for sleeping the top bunks were used for duffel and gear Drums of diesel fuel because of their known weight were used to make up test loads it was necessary to adjust these loads from one sled to another this handling was accomplished manually indicating clearly a need for Materials Handling equipment yet to be developed as an aid to mass ice cap transportation a small canvas covered Wan was mounted on the side of each test sled in it were delicate instruments such as this recording dynamometer one of the modified D7 tractors was equipped with ladder tracks for comparative tests with other modified tractors using 36in tracks repeated runs or passes were made over the same area to evaluate snow penetration and sliding resistance tractors and sleds were tested over various surface conditions under different loads the loads varied between 5 and 15 Tons on each sled sets of modified Runners varying in width and Keel shape were tested under maximum load conditions over both virgin and traffic compacted snow from the data collected on Runner performance a comparative analysis for the best overall Runner could be made in the Deep soft snow of the Greenland ice cap region draw bar resistance increases greatly during sharp maneuver minimum turning radi where determined with a variety of loads operator proficiency had much to do with this [Music] maneuver since no cranes were available many field expedients were devised to facilitate the loading of equipment and vehicles onto sleds by backing a sled into a hole a vehicle could be driven upon it this was done with the M4 A1 which was used as a test load the 15 ton artillery prime mover provided a test load of maximum weight the Snowshoe was a personnel carrier developed by the UT Research Foundation it and the snowcat were subjected to speed tests every vehicle underwent the draw bar pull test in order to measure Tractive effort under different surface and load conditions the snowcat was found to have good grade ability due to the independent articulation and power of its four track equip pontons the test agenda required frequent interchange of Runners this operation was facilitated by using the a frame mounted over the winch of a D7 tractor after many such changes this operation was accomplished with great efficiency Welding Repair repairs were done on the spot using the Hobart welder from the shock wanigan without this welding equipment heavy maintenance and repair of major assemblies would not have been possible a flexible exhaust extension of the snow cat was used successfully to free pontons of accumulated ice and snow meanwhile light scientific field parties had been ascending the ice cap from Tuli takeoff a point 8 mil southeast of Tuli from the Tuli takeoff the field party moved up the ice ramp across the marginal Zone and between crevassed areas onto the cap light field parties had been mounting the ice cap all summer each group had its own mission but the primary function of all groups was to make scientific studies of the ice and snow in designated areas so as to incorporate their findings with those of the test group scientists obtained on a contractual basis from leading universities engaged in the fields of glaciology geology and meteorology each having its own objective but aimed at the furtherance of the main mission navigation was an important technical activity intimately related to scientific and operational activity without exact determination of position the findings would have been meaningless a high Precision theodoly was a major navigational tool astronomical fixes were taken at regular inter weather permitting the course of travel was recorded and existing Maps corrected the theodoly was also used for surveying the trail and aligning Trail markers bamboo pylons topped by Red panions were placed as markers every 10 miles seismic shots determine the depth of the Bedrock under the snow these measurements were an aid in finding crass free routs across the marginal Zone because of the definite relationship ship between the Bedrock Topography of an area and its influence on the ice surface observations were taken periodically along the way by the field parties and the data automatically recorded pits were dug in order to study the density temperature and hardness of snow below the surface these studies were made by glaciologists and snow technicians who as representatives of cypri accompanied the scientific field parties thermometers inserted in the snow recorded the temperature at various depths and thus provided Clues on sled Runner performance in addition past climatic conditions could be determined by the snow [Music] layers density measurements were taken by Ramson in order to study the changes in the physical characteristics of the snow caused by the passage of vehicles and sleds weather observations were made daily by attached United States weather bureau Personnel relative humidity temperature barometric pressure and other observations proved of value not only for the Arctic group operating on the ice cap but also to the Air Force by way of a weather report Radio to Tuli daily wind velocity and direction cloud formations and altitude were observed and recorded and when the wind reached sufficient intensity a blizzard could be expected white outs and blizzards were sporadic occurrences and unless traveling on a well-marked trail all movement stopped [Music] [Music] following the storm digging out of the vehicles could often be avoided by heading the vehicles into the wind to avoid accumulation of drifts around them radio was the only means of contact between the field party and headquarters at Tuli good radio communications between aircraft and ground party were essential in in air resupply operations with air ground contact frequently established at a considerable distance before drops mission accomplished the planes headed back to their base at Tuli recovery of supplies and equipment was made immediately after the air drop by members of the field party in addition to supplies mail was dropped for the group and in this isolated spot letters from home were doubly welcome the supplies were brought to a central collection point where they were inventoried and checked for damage cargo was dropped with the least amount of dispersion possible in order to facilitate recovery variety and bulk were present in the daily diet both for nutrition and morale cooking and messing with the field parties was on a small scale so each man was his own chef and KP after a halt excess snow was removed from sled Runners thereby lightening the load Vehicles were graced and refueled a necessary step before departure was the breaking loose of sleds Frozen to the surface during mild temperatures this light field party consumed 28 days in travel and investigation on the ice cap except for mechanical difficulties these trips were by now operationally routine geologic and glaciological studies were conducted within a 200 mile range of Tuli one area that was studied was englefield land on the 20th of July this field party descended from the iceap onto englefield land 150 m to the north of Tuli scientists representing the United States and France were included in the group their flags and the flag of the host country Denmark were displayed above the vehicles a small base camp was set up from which to conduct condu scientific studies five man Arctic tents provided shelter from the raw cold of this Barren Windswept region where before there was only snow now ditching was necessary to drain off surface water and after Camp was set up individuals tended to personal needs such as the washing of clothes in this instance a pleasant break in the routine after many weeks on the ice cap the geologists departed early each morning and spent long hours in the field the geological work performed during the summer of 1953 yielded much information of military significance [Music] the meltwater gushing from the ice cap streams presents a problem to surface movement and therefore a study was made of this condition the geology of the area was thoroughly examined and rock specimens were collected materials suitable for military construction were found in several areas under study large deposits of usable gravel were discovered and all this information was carefully documented for future reference during the course of field trips mineral deposits were unearth very little geological information had been available concerning this area and these field discoveries added much to the knowledge about Northwest Greenland a complete survey and mapping of surficial and Bedrock materials was accomplished during the stay of the party on englefield land from this material geologists would be able to develop a key for the aerial identification of other less accessible areas ice Cliffs present formidable obstacles to vehicle movement onto the cap these Cliffs which indicate a recession of the Greenland ice cap permit the observation of deeper ice layers in places Cliffs rise to Majestic Heights of 150 ft and over the experience and knowledge gained from glaciological and other scientific studies on englefield land will be useful in the exploration of other areas when the task had been completed the tents came down the party gathered its gear and made preparations for the return Journey over the ice cap having spent a total of 24 days on englefield land on the 13th of August after breaking camp and loading their equipment onto the sleds the party was ready to move out to join other groups on the return track home the research and the testing mission of the 1953 Transportation Arctic group had been successfully completed equipment had been put through its Paces by the test group and specific knowledge gained light scientific field parties had accumulated basic glacial geologic and geophysical data a formidable beginning had been made in a 5-year research program designed to develop heavy transport capabilities over the ice and snow of the cap a significant contribution to the scientific body of knowledge upon which the transportation core May draw in performing its Mission however much remains to be done there is now and there will remain a continuing need for Ingenuity and outright courage on the part of those who will meet and study the elements on the Greenland ice cap e