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VUWAE 16A - PART 2

The afternoon of the 15 and 16 November were spent in sorting and packing gear, ready for an early morning flight by C. 130 into the field on the 17th. After a false start at 03.30 hours, we finally took off from Williams Field at 09.25 hours. Before landing in our field area, we carried out a brief aerial reconnaissance over the potential pick-up site between the Quartzite Ranges and over the Mariner Glacier area, noting potential sledging routes. A landing was finally made on the Evans Neve at 13.15 hours in perfect, calm weather.

On the following morning we left with two toboggans and two sledges for Mt. Overlord via the eastern flanks of the Retreat Hills, leaving one toboggan, three sledges, and most of our food and fuel in a depot at the put-in site. We reached a position opposite Mt. Gobey in the Retreat Hills by evening, and Mt. Overlord the following afternoon. Gale force winds kept us in the tents until late next morning, when we examined nearby outcrops. In mid-afternoon Andrews and Laird left Kyle and Jennings and sledged back along the tracks to the northern end of the Retreat Hills where they camped. During the following day (21 November) Laird and Andrews examined all outcrops within easy travel of the campsite. That evening Laird learnt, over the pre-arranged radio schedule with Kyle and Jennings, that the clutch assembly of their motor-toboggan had been badly damaged, rendering them immobile. In the process Jennings had received a flesh wound in the hand from a flying piece of metal. Laird contacted Scott Base and requested a spare clutch shoe assembly. At 07.00 next morning, Andrews and Laird departed for the Evans Neve depot to collect the spare motor toboggan and drive it to Mt. Overlord. After travelling 10 km they stopped to relash the sledge. While doing so there was a sudden clattering sound from the toboggan and parts of the clutch assembly exploded through the protective fibre-glass cover. The drive pulley and clutch shoe were found to be damaged beyond repair. Laird notified Scott Base of the situation and at 19.30 that evening was informed by the Leader that spare parts would be flown in as soon as possible. During the next few days some local geological work was done by Laird and Andrews, but poor weather, restriction to foot travel, and the high frequency of radio schedules limited activities. Kyle and Jennings were confined to their tent due to Jennings' injury.

An attempt to drop spare parts for both toboggans by parachute from C. 130 to the Mt. Overlord party was made on 26 November, five days after the first toboggan breakdown. Although the package landed 100 m from the tent, the parachute immediately re-inflated and was carried away by the 20 knot wind before the men could secure it. It was chased by Kyle and Jennings for 10 km, long after it was lost to sight, before they gave up the pursuit and returned to camp exhausted 6 hours later. Scott Base was notified and the Leader immediately arranged with McMurdo Station for a flight with replacement parts the following day. Although Kyle and Jennings had ample food and primus fuel, Andrews and Laird had taken only emergency supplies as they had page 12 expected to make the return trip to the depot in one day. The bulk of their food and fuel had been depoted at their earlier campsite 10 km to the north. With food and fuel now running low and the airdrop flight uncertain, they decided to return to their dump, manhauling the toboggan sledge with their remaining supplies and survival gear. The onset of whiteout conditions forced them to set up camp after a 5 km uphill haul. Later that afternoon (27 November) they heard over the radio the welcome news that a C. 130 had carried out a successful airdrop of spare parts at Mt. Overlord. This second airdrop was not without drama, however. On the first overflight the aircraft free-dropped in error a bag containing mail for Hallett Station. The second drop was more rewarding, and the package of spare parts landed intact.

Kyle and Jennings quickly repaired the toboggan but high winds and whiteout conditions delayed their departure until late in the afternoon. They finally joined Laird and Andrews at 22.30 hours. Next morning Andrews and Laird retrieved all supplies from the dump further south with the toboggan, and then the whole party sledged to the abandoned toboggan. The clutch unit was quickly replaced and they sledged out to the Evans Neve depot, arriving there late in the evening.

During an examination of all three toboggans next morning, it was discovered that one of the two repaired toboggans was missing badly. It was decided, after radio consultation with Scott Base mechanics, that the coil was faulty. The coil cover could not be removed as we possessed no gear puller. This item had been included in the abortive parachute drop, and no other was available at Scott Base.

The following day (1 December) we took the two functioning toboggans to the southern Pleiades, 15 km distant, where we examined the volcanic sequence. A whiteout immobilised us on the 3rd, but on the 4th we sledged to the north, examining outcrops on the north-western flanks of the Pleiades and then made our way round the head of the Mariner Glacier to outcrops on the east side. These we reached without incident on the evening of 5 December. After spending five days in this area, during which we measured and sampled fossiliferous sections in the Bowers Group, we moved back to The Pleiades where we camped on the evening of 11 December. The following day and a half were spent examining exposures at the northern end of The Pleiades, thus completing the studies in this area, and a return to the Evans Neve depot was made on the afternoon of 13 December.

We received permission from Scott Base to abandon the malfunctioning toboggan and some fuel, and stripped the toboggan of all usable parts. We then sledged north across the Evans Neve and camped that evening at the southern end of the Salamander Range. Next morning was spent examining the geology in this previously unexplored area, and the afternoon was spent travelling to nunataks near Sphinx Peak, 25 km to the east. The next two days (16th and 17th) were spent examining the Bowers Group in the area. On 18 December we broke camp and split into two groups to speed the geological work.

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All nunataks between Sphinx Peak and the Quartzite Ranges were examined before camp was finally made between the East and West Quartzite Ranges in whiteout conditions with snow falling thickly. Next day Kyle and Jennings examined exposures in the West Quartzite Range, while Andrews and Laird studied and measured the type section of the Camp Ridge Quartzite in the East Quartzite Range.

Pick-up was arranged for 20 December but the weather deteriorated. VXE-6 attempted a pick-up but the pilot reported complete cloud cover over our area. Next evening in perfect weather the C. 130 landed, and after a deviation over Hallett Station to drop the long-awaited mail, we landed at Williams Field without incident and reached Scott Base at 20.00 hours.