Hawkes Heights is the heights (an ice-filled crater rising to 2,000 m) that dominate the south part of Coulman Island

Coulman Island

Coulman Island is an ice-covered island, composed of several connected shield volcanos in the Ross Sea off Antarctica. The Coulman caldera, wide and deep, can be found on the south end of the island. Emperor penguins inhabit this island. Coulman Island lies within the boundaries of Ross...

 and mark the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

's summit, in the Ross Sea

Ross Sea

The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...

. Named by New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition

New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition

The New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition describes a series of scientific explorations of the continent Antarctica. The expeditions were notably active in 1957-58 and again in 1958-59. The 1957-58 expedition went to the Ross Dependency and named the Borchgrevink Glacier...

 (NZGSAE), 1958–59, for Captain William M. Hawkes, U.S. Navy, who took a leading part in early air operations from Williams Field

Williams Field

Williams Field or Willy Field is a United States Antarctic Program airfield in Antarctica. Williams Field consists of two snow runways located on approximately 8 meters of compacted snow, lying on top of 80 meters of ice, floating over 550 meters of water...

 near McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...

, including long range photo reconnaissance and supply flights, and the first air landing at the South Pole

South Pole

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...

. He was commander of one of the two planes which made the historic first flight from Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 to McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...

 on December 17, 1955. His air photos proved of great value to two NZGSAE parties to this part of Victoria Land

Victoria Land

Victoria Land is a region of Antarctica bounded on the east by the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ross Sea and on the west by Oates Land and Wilkes Land. It was discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in January 1841 and named after the UK's Queen Victoria...

. Mount Hawkes

Mount Hawkes

Mount Hawkes is the highest mountain along the Washington Escarpment, standing at the east side of Jones Valley in the Neptune Range, Pensacola Mountains. Discovered and photographed on January 13, 1956 in the course of the trans-Antarctic nonstop plane flight by personnel of U.S. Navy Operation...

 is also named for CAPT Hawkes, who was assigned to Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6

VX-6

Air Development Squadron Six was a United States Navy Air Development Squadron based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica...

) in 1955-56.