Little America
Encyclopedia
Little America was a series of Antarctic exploration bases, located on the Ross Ice Shelf
, south of the Bay of Whales
.
The first base in the series was established in January 1929 by Richard Byrd
, and was abandoned in 1930.
This was where the 1930 film With Byrd at the South Pole
was at which was about Byrd's trip to the South Pole.
Little America II was established in 1934, some 30 feet above the site of the original base, with some of the original base accessed via tunnel. This base was briefly set adrift in 1934, but the iceberg fused to the main glacier.
Little America III was established 6 miles to the north, for the 1940-41 season, and Little America IV was established in 1946-47.
Little America V was established at Kainan Bay
, some 30 miles to the east on January 3, 1956. Little America V served as the American base in the South Polar program in the International Geophysical Year
.
In a later expedition to Antarctica, Byrd's expedition spotted Little America's towers still standing, including the Jacobs Wind
plant installed in 1933.
Little America established the first successful radio broadcasting from Antarctica, making regular broadcasts that could be picked up by household radio sets in the United States, more than 11,000 miles away around the Earth's curvature.
During the 1934-35 expedition, many souvenir letters were sent from Little America, using a commemorative postage stamp
issued by the U.S. government.
The site of Little America III was carried to sea in 1963. The site of Little America V went to sea on Iceberg B-9
in 1987.
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
, south of the Bay of Whales
Bay of Whales
The Bay of Whales is a natural ice harbor, or iceport, indenting the front of Ross Ice Shelf just north of Roosevelt Island. It is the southernmost point of open ocean not only of the Ross Sea, but worldwide...
.
The first base in the series was established in January 1929 by Richard Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd
Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics...
, and was abandoned in 1930.
This was where the 1930 film With Byrd at the South Pole
With Byrd at the South Pole
With Byrd at the South Pole is a 1930 documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his 1st quest to the South Pole. Which also was at Little America-Exploration Base It is narrated by Floyd Gibbons. It won at the 3rd Academy Awards for Best Cinematography.-Cast:*Richard E....
was at which was about Byrd's trip to the South Pole.
Little America II was established in 1934, some 30 feet above the site of the original base, with some of the original base accessed via tunnel. This base was briefly set adrift in 1934, but the iceberg fused to the main glacier.
Little America III was established 6 miles to the north, for the 1940-41 season, and Little America IV was established in 1946-47.
Little America V was established at Kainan Bay
Kainan Bay
Kainan Bay is an iceport which indents the front of Ross Ice Shelf about 37 miles NE of the NW end of Roosevelt Island. Discovered in January 1902 by the British National Antarctic Expedition under Robert Falcon Scott. It was named by the Japanese expedition under Lieutenant Nobu Shirase which, in...
, some 30 miles to the east on January 3, 1956. Little America V served as the American base in the South Polar program in the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
.
In a later expedition to Antarctica, Byrd's expedition spotted Little America's towers still standing, including the Jacobs Wind
Jacobs Wind
Jacobs Wind Electric Co. Inc. is the oldest small wind turbine company in the United States. It has been designing consumer wind systems sized to the changing distributed electric loads of their periods since the mid 1920s....
plant installed in 1933.
Little America established the first successful radio broadcasting from Antarctica, making regular broadcasts that could be picked up by household radio sets in the United States, more than 11,000 miles away around the Earth's curvature.
During the 1934-35 expedition, many souvenir letters were sent from Little America, using a commemorative postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
issued by the U.S. government.
The site of Little America III was carried to sea in 1963. The site of Little America V went to sea on Iceberg B-9
Iceberg B-9
Iceberg B-9 154 km by 35 km calved away from Antarctica, from the sector east of Roosevelt Island, neighbouring the Bay of Whales and immediately east of the calving site of Iceberg B-15. It carried away Little America V....
in 1987.