...& An Equally Busy New Year
Coming Alongside the Anderma
Celebration of Christmas was subsumed by the annual relief of Halley V; New Year disappeared into a similar haze as relief shifted up a gear with the arrival of the second ship to visit the Brunt this summer- the Anderma. As soon as the Shackleton was successfully unloaded and then backfilled with the winter's waste and a few other northbound goods, notably including my various research samples, the larger ship appeared over the horizon. It intentionally left Cape Town a few days behind the Shackleton, such that the Halley V and VI reliefs merged into one long haul.
The Anderma Up Against the Ice
The Anderma was designed as a large Russian icebreaker to carry amongst other things military tanks around the world, used now for commerical shipping, she has the requisite size to carry the large steel frames that form the skeleton of each of the seven or so podules that will make up the new base. As well as the frames, there is an enormous amount of construction cargo that has had to come ashore, dwarfing the amount that could be carried on the relatively small Shackleton. The Anderma absolutely dwarfs the BAS ship, as they sit tied up against the ice. Along with the cargo, the Russian ship bore a handful of the construction team, full of stories of Russian meal times with endless cabbage soup, a sharp contrast to the relative luxury of the Shackleton, with its salads and bottled beer.
A Sno-Cat Approaching Across the Sea Ice
One of the constraints in the whole construction project is the relief stage, particularly the sea ice. As thick as the ice is and it is supposedly at least a couple of metres thick, there is a limit to the weight of objects (in the order of tonnes), that any ice will tolerate, which neccesitates a lot of the construction taking place on site despite the brief summer season available for work (around 10 - 12 weeks), as opposed to being pre-fabricated and towed into position.
Offloading Cargo
The unavoidable risk of working on sea ice (as opposed to the several hundred metre thick shelf ice that separates Halley from the sea underneath the Brunt), requires various precautions when unloading the ships to protect against not only the loss of cargo through cracks in the ice but the possibility of somebody getting wet in near freezing waters.
Nascent Sastrugi
The most notable is the use of special tracked Sno-Cats which shuttle across the ice carrying no more than a single sledge (which will take a single shipping container), accompanied by a driver and a driver's mate, the latter riding pillion on the sled whose job is not only to help with the cargo but carries a throw-line for the driver should the former get into trouble.
Working the Sea Ice
Dave (Met) and Toddy (Field GA) adjust the straps on their cargo
The Sno-Cats drive off the ice up a ramp, specially bulldozed weeks ago at a prime spot, to surmount the 40m high cliffs and onto the safety of the shelf. At this point their load is unhitched and they return as part of a shuttle system, controlled for the period of the Anderma relief from the bridge of the Shackleton. The latter, as well as acting as a control point for all the sea ice operations, acts as a floating hotel, accommodating the large number of BAS ship's crew and FIDS working the cargo and driving down on the ice. With two twelve hour shifts a day, it is long enough without a two hour journey that would be required to commute to and from base each day.
Road Train Across the Shelf
From the mechanic's caboose at the head of the cliffs, the cargo is linked to form a long train of sledges, which are then pulled the short distance across the shelf at (relatively) high speed by one of the large Challenger prime movers to base. Both ships are close enough to base that if the conditions are right they can be seen miraging on the horizon, so the jourrney is brief.
The Memorial At Halley
The Halley VI relief took well over ten days with this continuous cycle of sledges making their way twenty-four hours a day across the Brunt Ice Shelf. Met at the base end by depot teams on unloading the sledges, the cargo lines for the summer work stretch several miles in length.
Skiway Refuelling
Chad (Z-Air Mech) in action
While a large number of the base have been down on the ship working, I spent most of the time on base. I did however hitch a lift on one of the Challengers to sneak down ships' side for an evening to see the sheer scale of the Anderma, see some of the crew who I sailed South from the UK with and simply an excuse to escape base.
Operating the Platform Crane
Probably not a transferable skill within the NHS- photo thanks to Mel D'Souza
New cargo means a lot of unpacking, most notably on my part for the surgery. The problematic nature of drug expiry dates means that there is, unfortunately, a fair amount of stock that has to be removed, as it has gone out of date unused, as the new drugs and kit are placed on the shelf. Nonetheless, given that the base is isolated for nine months of the year there are a fair few unlikely eventualities which have to be covered for and there will always be some drugs that are carried and sit unused, to cover uncommon but life-threatening illnesses.
End-of-Relief BBQ
Fortunately, given the proximity of the creeks, some good weather and a lot of hard work, both reliefs were over much quicker than expected. Numbers on base have sprung upto nigh on hundred neccesiating the appearance of new temporary accommodation to house the extra numbers.
Blocked Melt Tank
One of the complications of the large number of people on base and the increased water demands means that the melt tank has great demands placed upon it. As a result it struggles to melt all the snow that comes its way as it is filled and there is a tendency for the 30 metre chute that leads down to it, ending up blocked.
Way to the Wings
Steps on the side of a Twin Otter
A blocked melt tank is an arduous and not particularly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. The chute has small doors on it every couple of metres, so following the long climb to the bottom, it is slow progress gradually clearing out compacted snow and ice at each level heading back up to the surface. Until, finally, a lump of snow, thrown in from the top will fall, fall and fall, until there is a resounding double thud as it stops at the dog leg that leads into the tank itself.
Skiing After Work
Joe, Dean and Tamsin take on the perimeter
Throughout the two reliefs, unusually, the Twin Otters have kept flying. Most years the whole base would stop while everyone works on relief but this year with a lot of summer science to be done, there has continued to be a fair amount of work on the skiway for me. While there are four Twin Otters in the BAS fleet, it is unusual for there to be two on base at Halley as most operate out of Rothera supporting the majority of field projects that work from there. So there was a fair amount of excitement to have two on base for a few days.
A Pair Of Twin Otters
As well as the need for Bravo Lima to return for a significant service that cannot be carried out here, the incoming Bravo Bravo has been modified for aerial photography. MAGIC is the BAS mapping division and in one long successful day they succeded in a long high altitude flight across the Brunt Ice Shelf to capture a set of photographs, which will help produce a new map of the area around the base and contribute to our understanding of the glaciology of the shelf. With that goes also the big question for daily living at Halley- when will the ice shelf calve (or break off)? A large part is expected to calve at some point taking with it the current base, hence the construction of a new base- the question is when.
Drum Raising Along the Creek 4 Drumline
The driver's view from the Sno-Cat
With both reliefs safely out of the way and a huge amount of cargo unloaded and brought across treacherous sea ice, the season is now well under way. The surgery window looks east across the base where Halley VI is starting to take rise out of the ice.
The Base Doctor
Photo thanks to Pete Milner
Celebration of Christmas was subsumed by the annual relief of Halley V; New Year disappeared into a similar haze as relief shifted up a gear with the arrival of the second ship to visit the Brunt this summer- the Anderma. As soon as the Shackleton was successfully unloaded and then backfilled with the winter's waste and a few other northbound goods, notably including my various research samples, the larger ship appeared over the horizon. It intentionally left Cape Town a few days behind the Shackleton, such that the Halley V and VI reliefs merged into one long haul.
The Anderma Up Against the Ice
The Anderma was designed as a large Russian icebreaker to carry amongst other things military tanks around the world, used now for commerical shipping, she has the requisite size to carry the large steel frames that form the skeleton of each of the seven or so podules that will make up the new base. As well as the frames, there is an enormous amount of construction cargo that has had to come ashore, dwarfing the amount that could be carried on the relatively small Shackleton. The Anderma absolutely dwarfs the BAS ship, as they sit tied up against the ice. Along with the cargo, the Russian ship bore a handful of the construction team, full of stories of Russian meal times with endless cabbage soup, a sharp contrast to the relative luxury of the Shackleton, with its salads and bottled beer.
A Sno-Cat Approaching Across the Sea Ice
One of the constraints in the whole construction project is the relief stage, particularly the sea ice. As thick as the ice is and it is supposedly at least a couple of metres thick, there is a limit to the weight of objects (in the order of tonnes), that any ice will tolerate, which neccesitates a lot of the construction taking place on site despite the brief summer season available for work (around 10 - 12 weeks), as opposed to being pre-fabricated and towed into position.
Offloading Cargo
The unavoidable risk of working on sea ice (as opposed to the several hundred metre thick shelf ice that separates Halley from the sea underneath the Brunt), requires various precautions when unloading the ships to protect against not only the loss of cargo through cracks in the ice but the possibility of somebody getting wet in near freezing waters.
Nascent Sastrugi
The most notable is the use of special tracked Sno-Cats which shuttle across the ice carrying no more than a single sledge (which will take a single shipping container), accompanied by a driver and a driver's mate, the latter riding pillion on the sled whose job is not only to help with the cargo but carries a throw-line for the driver should the former get into trouble.
Working the Sea Ice
Dave (Met) and Toddy (Field GA) adjust the straps on their cargo
The Sno-Cats drive off the ice up a ramp, specially bulldozed weeks ago at a prime spot, to surmount the 40m high cliffs and onto the safety of the shelf. At this point their load is unhitched and they return as part of a shuttle system, controlled for the period of the Anderma relief from the bridge of the Shackleton. The latter, as well as acting as a control point for all the sea ice operations, acts as a floating hotel, accommodating the large number of BAS ship's crew and FIDS working the cargo and driving down on the ice. With two twelve hour shifts a day, it is long enough without a two hour journey that would be required to commute to and from base each day.
Road Train Across the Shelf
From the mechanic's caboose at the head of the cliffs, the cargo is linked to form a long train of sledges, which are then pulled the short distance across the shelf at (relatively) high speed by one of the large Challenger prime movers to base. Both ships are close enough to base that if the conditions are right they can be seen miraging on the horizon, so the jourrney is brief.
The Memorial At Halley
The Halley VI relief took well over ten days with this continuous cycle of sledges making their way twenty-four hours a day across the Brunt Ice Shelf. Met at the base end by depot teams on unloading the sledges, the cargo lines for the summer work stretch several miles in length.
Skiway Refuelling
Chad (Z-Air Mech) in action
While a large number of the base have been down on the ship working, I spent most of the time on base. I did however hitch a lift on one of the Challengers to sneak down ships' side for an evening to see the sheer scale of the Anderma, see some of the crew who I sailed South from the UK with and simply an excuse to escape base.
Operating the Platform Crane
Probably not a transferable skill within the NHS- photo thanks to Mel D'Souza
New cargo means a lot of unpacking, most notably on my part for the surgery. The problematic nature of drug expiry dates means that there is, unfortunately, a fair amount of stock that has to be removed, as it has gone out of date unused, as the new drugs and kit are placed on the shelf. Nonetheless, given that the base is isolated for nine months of the year there are a fair few unlikely eventualities which have to be covered for and there will always be some drugs that are carried and sit unused, to cover uncommon but life-threatening illnesses.
End-of-Relief BBQ
Fortunately, given the proximity of the creeks, some good weather and a lot of hard work, both reliefs were over much quicker than expected. Numbers on base have sprung upto nigh on hundred neccesiating the appearance of new temporary accommodation to house the extra numbers.
Blocked Melt Tank
One of the complications of the large number of people on base and the increased water demands means that the melt tank has great demands placed upon it. As a result it struggles to melt all the snow that comes its way as it is filled and there is a tendency for the 30 metre chute that leads down to it, ending up blocked.
Way to the Wings
Steps on the side of a Twin Otter
A blocked melt tank is an arduous and not particularly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. The chute has small doors on it every couple of metres, so following the long climb to the bottom, it is slow progress gradually clearing out compacted snow and ice at each level heading back up to the surface. Until, finally, a lump of snow, thrown in from the top will fall, fall and fall, until there is a resounding double thud as it stops at the dog leg that leads into the tank itself.
Skiing After Work
Joe, Dean and Tamsin take on the perimeter
Throughout the two reliefs, unusually, the Twin Otters have kept flying. Most years the whole base would stop while everyone works on relief but this year with a lot of summer science to be done, there has continued to be a fair amount of work on the skiway for me. While there are four Twin Otters in the BAS fleet, it is unusual for there to be two on base at Halley as most operate out of Rothera supporting the majority of field projects that work from there. So there was a fair amount of excitement to have two on base for a few days.
A Pair Of Twin Otters
As well as the need for Bravo Lima to return for a significant service that cannot be carried out here, the incoming Bravo Bravo has been modified for aerial photography. MAGIC is the BAS mapping division and in one long successful day they succeded in a long high altitude flight across the Brunt Ice Shelf to capture a set of photographs, which will help produce a new map of the area around the base and contribute to our understanding of the glaciology of the shelf. With that goes also the big question for daily living at Halley- when will the ice shelf calve (or break off)? A large part is expected to calve at some point taking with it the current base, hence the construction of a new base- the question is when.
Drum Raising Along the Creek 4 Drumline
The driver's view from the Sno-Cat
With both reliefs safely out of the way and a huge amount of cargo unloaded and brought across treacherous sea ice, the season is now well under way. The surgery window looks east across the base where Halley VI is starting to take rise out of the ice.
The Base Doctor
Photo thanks to Pete Milner
