All play and no work...

As we head into the ice, looking back over my previous entries, it would be easy to infer that the trip has been all play and no work. It has not been the most arduous two months of work and there has been the opportunity to visit some incredible places, nonetheless there has been work to do. Hence this entry will focus on some of the work I am involved in on the ship.

Into the Ice



The ships surgery is well equipped and is set up not only for a doctor but also for a dentist. For though all the docs receive some basic dental first aid training, the ship is used to carry a dentist to do check-ups and any necessary work on those who are spending two winters on any of the British Antarctic bases. Along with a comprehensive range of drugs and medical kit, we also carry an x-ray machine, at which point the bathroom, which is usually used to store essential emergency kit, is transformed into a darkroom for wet processing. Part of the pre-deployment training involves learning basic radiography and I have already had to put that into practise. The surgery contains the only bath on the ship- not so that the doctor can keep clean!- but for re-warming any potential hypothermic casualties. (It is in the bottom photo, filled with stretchers and splints).

Surgery (above) and Bathroom (below) on the Shackleton

Emergency drills form part of the routine for the whole ship and it is the doctor's role to lead the First Aid Party. The pictures below are from when 'Bob' (the 50kg dummy), yet again had to be rescued from an engine room fire. Alongside the drills, there is plenty of scope for teaching first aid to both the crew and FIDS and this is forms part of the pre-Halley briefing sessions that are taking place at the moment on the ship. The photos below also feature Charlotte, who as the out-going South Georgia doctor, is hitching a lift to the Falklands via Halley.

First Aid Drills


As we passed through the sub-Antarctic islands, as well as looking after the crew and FIDS on board, the stations without a permanent medical presence, which are either very small (such as Bird Island) or summer-only (such as Signy), invariably required some medical input. This has meant great opportunities to get ashore as well as the occasional need to improvise.

Dental Work at Bird Island

However, the major reason BAS exists is for science and though the Shackleton is primarily a support and logistics vessel, it participates in some science work. One of those projects, which I have got involved in, has been the use of Expendable Bathythermography (XBT) as part of a long-standing study of polynya formation in the Weddell sea. (More about polynyas). These are single-use temperature probes fired off the aft deck of the ship, which are used to record water temperature to a depth of around half a mile. 'Fire' would be an exaggeration for the probes, reputedly designed for use from submarines and despite their large canister size and impressive launcher, left with nothing more exciting than a loud 'plop'.

Launching the XBT Probe
featuring Wavey Davey (Shackleton A/B) , Isa (Z Summer-Chef) and myself

Meanwhile the in-coming wintering Halley Met Team (meteorology assistants who all chant the phrase 'we are observers, not predictors', to abdicate any responsibility when asked what the weather is going to do!), continue their measurements, which are relayed back to the Met Office outside Exeter. There the information is fed into climate models run with significant computing power to attempt to predict global weather patterns both in the short and longer term. The data collected from the ship can be viewed here.

Dave (Z-Met) on the Monkey Island with the Meterology Kit

We are into the ice and should be at Halley in time for Christmas, as long as we do not get stuck.

Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!