JOURNEY TO PRUDHOE

for most of the year Alaska's North Slope remains an icy desert receiving less than six inches of moisture then in summer the Arctic bursts briefly into life bringing migrating caribou to their traditional calving grounds once this vast land villa today there's still room for the caribou to graze peacefully in a largely unspoiled environment now the Arctic wilderness must be shared with a strange new breed that migrates in trucks and airplane protecting the annual in 1968 atlantic richfield company's operating area at Prudhoe Bay has been the scene of an ongoing adventure oil men and their rigs are part of a massive operation designed to tap some 10 billion barrels of oil locked in a natural reservoir beneath the Arctic tundra to meet the pipeline completion date summer 1977 thousands of tons of equipment must be hauled here over long distances in May 1975 the vanguard of an unusual Armada sailed from Houston Texas there were no fanfares no its journey would take it through the Panama Canal around Mexico up the west coast to a special port facility on Puget Sound here in Seattle Tacoma a major industrial complex was being constructed or transport to Prudhoe Bay in view of snow clad mountains workmen struggle against time and the blandishments of balmy weather to assemble the components of immense oil and gas processing facilities built in interlocking sections called modules each unit will be self-contained a fully equipped flow station or gas injection plant for fuel processing system join together like the pieces of some giant erector set they are insulated by steel encased walls against stinging icy wind blasts from the north the 300 thousand horsepower central compressor plant alone will be composed of 41 separate modular units as shown in this model each modular unit is a complex highly sophisticated structure containing its own heating ducting and electrical apparatus hauling the giant modules onto the barges becomes a delicate operation every factor of weight and balance minutely calculated to prevent mishaps some modules stand high as nine storey buildings and weigh up to 1,400 tons from the doc they are moved on to ocean-going barges the size of a football field all in all it will take a month to load 30 barges with modules and equipment almost 100,000 tons of cargo will be shipped to Prudhoe Bay this summer instruments housing units earthmoving equipment trucks crawlers no space is wasted the modules underbelly becomes a vast storehouse for precious cargo packed in tightly to withstand the rigors of an arctic ocean voyage welded down to prevent slippage in high winds spearheaded by ocean-going tug boats man by rugged crews the flotilla prepares to sail timing is critical the barges must reach a point southwest of Barrow no later than the end of July only then does the Arctic ice pack move offshore sufficiently to allow normal passage of sea traffic to the North Slope but even as they depart from Seattle Tacoma there are premonitions that trouble lies ahead observers report ice conditions are the worst in 22 years some say since 1898 as the unorthodox convoy leaves the harbour the assembly yards which at their peak employed over 2,000 workmen sits silent and empty as if frozen in time the voyage from puget sound to Prudhoe Bay is expected to last a month an unpredictable journey along 4,000 miles of open sea whipped by high winds sudden swells and crippling fog under a shroud of heavy mist the convoy navigates through the Bering Straits the first major obstacle in a journey that so far has been uneventful even calm moving north and further east towards Point Barrow the barges and their tugs encounter an impenetrable fortress of ice the harsh predictions have become reality the entire operation faces potential disaster meanwhile at Prudhoe Bay Atlantic Richfield preparations continue around the clock in summer the Sun never sets on the North Slope temporary celis for those who toil much of the year in Twilight or darkness whether sinking steel and concrete pilings to support the modules or simply moving gravel for highways the men of Prudhoe Bay are heirs to a tradition of Arctic exploration begun in the last century by Perry and Crowe bashir searching for oil may seem less romantic than racing to the Pole by dogsled but the potential for mankind is no less impressive by late august the Sun over Prudhoe Bay begins slipping below the horizon dimmer to our expectations for an early breakthrough by the bargains stranded off Point Barrow the town itself shows no traces of the struggle at sea from eskimo village Barrow has grown into a prosperous community many of its natives employed at Prudhoe Bay now they to wait for the ice to break suddenly in late August the unanticipated fury of an Arctic storm lashes out at the barges trapped off Wainwright one of them rushed by the force of the ice pack sinks in a determined rescue operation the barge and its precious cargo is saved miraculously in early September the ice pack loosens its grip on part of the captive fleet ten barges make the hundred and eighty mile run to Prudhoe Bay 15 others remain stalled in ice off Wainwright the remainder carrying smaller equipment and supplies turns out to offload their cargo for overland transportation north a mile and a half offshore heavy cod is transferred from deep draft ocean barges to lie Turing vessels barge is designed for docking in shallow water an unloading dock is formed by sinking a special barge at the tip of a causeway jutting out from shore large 415 pumped with water for 24 hours becomes a permanent fixture of prudhoe swest off along the 4,000 foot causeway the modules will be moved atlantic richfield officials have anxiously waited more than two months for their arrival born on the backs of giant crawlers the modules inch forward looming over the Arctic horizon like faceless monuments from some forgotten civilization throughout September sudden snow gusts sweep the North Slope but steady winds keep the tundra remarkably free of snow and ice and so the procession continues unhindered at the Menace scored a victory the ten barges are unloaded without a single loss or damage in their exhilaration the plight of the icebound fleet left behind is momentarily forgotten two miracles are joined one of technology one of nature modules move along gravel roads laid down to protect the tundra a thin delicate blanket of lichens and moss covering a two thousand foot deep layer of permafrost in the south of Alaska winters fury has not yet struck to Valdez a juncture for sea and land transport one of the barges sent back from the Arctic already has arrived oversized trucks will now carry a vital load north to Prudhoe Bay giant beams and girders for bridges to span one of the many rivers coursing through the Arctic so large are these vehicles in their cargo that all roads north have been cleared by government direction to enable them to pass then in late-september when all seemed lost nature again releases her hold on the vessels blocked at Barrow led by Coast Guard icebreakers moving like flagships triumphant in battle the 15 barge fleet sails through fresh channels toward Prudhoe Bay I winds have pushed the ice pack far enough from shore for all the barges to make it safely through as tugboat vows and broiling propellers help clear the surface ice maneuvered into favorable unloading positions by the skillful tug boat skippers and their crews the barges must be offloaded soon after arrival a race against the impending threat of winter soon after the successful breakthrough nature Rhea search her power over man as a storm rages the barges yet to be unloaded become entombed in clutching ice but on the land man retains control though temperatures fall rapidly and wind velocity increases the movement of the modules to their final destination continues shrouded in protective canvas they are carried by the giant crawlers to the oil facility site passing a drilling rig the modules lend an eerie enormity to the winter landscape like medieval siege towers being towed towards the attack night falls early soon there will be no daylight at all but there can be no let-up in setting up the modules they are the heartbeat of an operation which when completed will help send two million barrels a day flowing to put Alaskans call the lower 48 in the near future Prudhoe Bay the largest reservoir yet discovered on the North American continent will provide nearly ten percent of the oil consumed in the United States Oh constructed of sturdy steel and concrete these pedestals eventually will support an arctic complex of processing plants living quarters and recreational facilities for workers sunk into a gravel pad the exposed sections rise eight feet off the ground allowing air to circulate beneath eliminating heat transference and minimizing snow drift some 400 miles south in fairbanks rail lines to the north terminate 63,000 tons of cargo from the diverted barges brought here by 1,800 rail cars from Seward and Anchorage will now move to Prudhoe Bay along the highways it will take almost five months to complete the transfer no less pioneers than their forebears the trucker's of the fly north must challenge one of the world's most hostile environments leaving Fairbanks the trucks begin their journey north through an inhospitable land they traveled the last light of a journey roughly equal to two-thirds the width of the United States they cross mountain passes that rise to 8,000 feet on wind battered highways that with scant warning can be flipped by winter storms reaching the Dietrich pass in the brooks range the trucker's come to one of the great natural barriers to the Northland once over the mountains they will enter the sprawling endless monotony of the Arctic plain across this barren land a life-supporting pipeline is being constructed when completed the trans-alaskan oil line will stretch 800 miles from prudhoe bay to valdez supplying energy necessary for america far above the Arctic Circle Prudhoe Bay now lies enveloped in around-the-clock darkness the mass trucks which have arrived from Fairbanks stand is silent Testaments to man's perseverance and energy all the equipment transferred from the barges 3,500 truckloads will make it through to ensure a bustling on schedule winter at Prudhoe Bay and to provide a wide choice of unexpected nesting birds for a year-round resident as long as weather permits the flow of huge cargo trucks goes on uninterruptedly and throughout the endless night of winter the Arctic landscape is transformed by ghostly figures of men and machines winter temperatures may fall to 60 below and assembling flow lines must be performed inside a mobile welding hyphen these pipes when join will be part of an extensive gathering system drawing oil from the ground separating it from intermixed gas and water and speeding it to the main pipeline welded together these 34 inch steel sections are eased through a window to make the other parts of the line winter tightens its grip and the shallow waters of the bay turn to ice but the silent tugs sits safely out of its reach though modules and equipment are heavily insulated to withstand gusts up to 100 miles per hour and temperatures unimaginably cold officials are taking no chances self-generating heating units are carried to the barges to provide further protection against the extreme arctic winter and to activate some of the priceless machinery within the modules so as to prevent their deterioration through disuse Trapt off Prudhoe helpless and unmoving ice six feet thick the barges must wait until the spring when nature cycle repeats it's timeless pattern and the ice begins to break until then there is nothing man can do to free the vessels but the modules they carry must and will be moved to shore powerful cutting machines are put into operation to clear a path through the ice for a gravel causeway which will extend nearly a mile out to sea constructing the causeway required special permission from the state of Alaska and the US Corps of Engineers the combined might of men and machines attacked the strangulating ice within a month the causeway will be completed assurance that a crucial project will now be maintained on schedule fitting himself against nature man has beaten the odds you in the eerie darkness of winter the causeway moves steadily closer to the silent towering monoliths soon the modules will be hauled onto Shore set into the Arctic landscape permanent monuments to man's ingenuity and spirit