Evening star., 1947-08-12
. Rome Antarctic Shin,
Now Fast in Ice, Is
Checked Constantly
BY Comdr. Finn Rome
North American Newspaper Alliance


RONNE EXPEDITION BASE,
Stonington Island, Marguerite Bay,
Antarctica, Aug. Oelayed). -
Every one here has daily chores to
do but few have as interesting-and
important - assignments as Chief
Engineer Charles Hassage and Skip
per Ike Schlossbach. They make
constant inspections of the Port of
Beaumont, the vessel which brought
us here and, we hope, will take us
back.
The Port of Beaumont now rests
In her ice-bound harbor in Mar
guerite Bay between Stonington
Island and huge piedmont glacier
whose sheered ice face is between
80 and 100 feet high.
Our plan has been to freeze the
ship into the bay ice during tbe
winter months, thus avoiding the
necessity for more than one round
trip. Extensive plans were made in
advance to insure the utmost pos
slble safety. and preservation of the
ship during its 13-month period of
inactivity.
Precautions Outlined.
From the time the expedition ar
rived in Marguerite Bay on March
II no safety precaution was over
looked which would contribute
toward preserving the condition of
the ship and its machinery. The
Port of Beaumont is constructed of
heavy timber, sufficiently strong to
withstand all the pressure this bays
ice could force upon her. She is
anchored in 80 fathoms of water and
frozen into the ideal position, with
her bow facing southeast.
This is an advantage since the
strongest prevailing winds always
occur from that direction. It's will
also prevent large amounts of bliz-
zard snow from collecting on the
ships decks which might add too
much weight topside for her safety.
The ice sheath around the ships
hull at present is approximately
4 feet thick and will, no doubt,
increase to the usual 5-to-6-foot
thickness. The ship and ice rise
and fall twice day with a differ
ential tide of approximately feet.
While the vessel itself is safely
frozen into the bay ice there are
numerous small items Of equal i'm
portance which need attention to
insure getting the ship homeward
bound once again. Chief Engineer
Hassage's problems include all top
side matches and exhauset vents
which are sealed of against high
gales and wind-driven snow. Con-
densation is due to a warmer sea-
water temperature at the ships
bottom than at the outside water
line. At SO degrees below zero the
engine room thermometer remains
at 10 degrees above zero, difference
of 48 degrees.
Condensation Is Danger.
Condensation is ruinous to any
electrical equipment, so the ships
two 750-horsepower diesel gener-
ators and the main propulsion motor
must be kept as dry as possible.
All electrical motors and equipment
aboard ship have been sealed in
the engine room. Fresh and Salt
water pipes have been drained and
blown out with compressed air to
prevent freezing and bursting of
the pipes. Periodic checks reveal
that rust presents no problem as
yet and so far there has been no
condensation.
However, the coming Antarctic
summer season with its warm sun
rays will constitute the real test for
the sealed machinery.
Skipper Schlossbach skis out to
the vessel half-mile away daily,
looks at the bilges, frames and
beams and notices if the ship is TAX
ing any pressure on the inside of
her hull To date no pressure has
been noted. He also checks the
watertight bulkheads to ensure
watertight integrity below the main
deck.
To date, everything has gone in
accordance with plans for the pres
ervation of the ship and I sam
confident that, with continuing
care, the ship will be ready to
perform efficiently when the ex-
pedition is ready to make passage
back to the United States perhaps
in April of 1948,