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Operation Highjump

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USS Sennet (SS-408) participating in Operation Highjump

Operation Highjump (OpHjp), officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946-47, was a United States Navy operation organized by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd in Antarctica under the command of Richard Cruzen, which was launched on 26 August 1946 and lasted until 1947. The massive Antarctic task force included 4,700 men, 13 ships, and multiple aircraft.

The stated claims of the operation were as follows

  1. to train personnel and test material in the frigid zones
  2. to consolidate and extend American sovereignty over the largest practical area of the Antarctic continent
  3. to determine the feasibility of establishing and maintaining bases in the Antarctic and to investigate possible base sites
  4. to develop techniques for establishing and maintaining air bases on the ice, with particular attention to the later applicability of such techniques to operations in interior Greenland. (where, it was then believed, physical and climatic conditions resembled those in Antarctica)
  5. to amplify existing knowledge of hydrographic, geographic, geological, meteorological and electromagnetic conditions in the area.

Timeline

Antarctic expeditions
International agreements
Belgium Belgium
United Kingdom British Empire / Commonwealth
Germany Nazi Germany Germany
Sweden Sweden
France France
Japan Japan
Norway Norway
United States United States
Soviet Union Soviet Union
International

The Western Group of ships reached the Marquesas Islands on December 12, 1946, whereupon the Henderson and Cacapon set up weather monitoring stations. By the 24th, the Currituck had begun launching aircraft on reconnaissance missions.

The Eastern Group of ships reached Peter I Island in late December 1946. On December 30, Aviation Radiomen Wendell K. Hendersin and Fredrick W. Williams and Ensign Maxwell A. Lopez were killed when their PBM Mariner George 1 crashed during a blizzard. The surviving six crewmembers, including Aviation Radioman James H. Robbins and co-pilot William Kearns, were rescued 13 days later.[1] A plaque was later erected at the McMurdo Station research base, honouring the three killed crewmen, and in December 2004, efforts were made to find their bodies.[2] In July 2007, the George One Recovery Team gained the expertise of Lou Sapienza who was a member of the Greenland Expedition Society and has expertise in Cold Weather Recovery. As of October 2007, the families of Hendersin, Williams and Lopez are awaiting a decision from the Pentagon regarding its support of the recovery effort. [3]

The Central Group of ships reached the Bay of Whales on January 15, 1947, where they constructed temporary runways along the glaciers, in a base dubbed Little America IV. Vance N. Woodall died during a "Ship unloading accident" sometime after December 30, 1946.

After the operation ended, a follow-up Operation Windmill returned to the area, citing that a large percentage of the aerial photographs from the earlier mission had been poorly exposed, and needed to be re-shot. Finn Ronne also financed a private operation to the same territory, until 1948.

Killed airman Maxwell A. Lopez had a mountain named in his honour after his death, Mount Lopez on Thurston Island.

Father William Menster served as chaplain during the expedition. He became the first member of the clergy to visit the continent, and in a service in 1947 he consecrated Antarctica.

As with other U.S. Antarctic expeditions, intersted persons were allowed to send letters with enclosed evelopes to the base. Here commemorative cachets were added to their enclosures which were then returned to the senders. These souvenir philatelic covers are readily available at low cost.

Conspiracy theories

Operation Highjump has become a topic among UFO conspiracy theorists, who claim it was a covert US military operation to conquer alleged secret underground Nazi facilities in Antarctica and capture the German Vril flying discs, or Thule mercury-powered spaceship prototypes. This has been the central theme of Robert Doherty's "Area 51" series of novels.

Involved

Eastern Group

commanded by Captain George J. Dufek

Western Group

commanded by Captain Charles A. Bond

Central Group

The aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea also participated, although it was not assigned to any of the groups. Research scientist Paul Siple also contributed to the expedition.

References

"Navy Proudly Ends Its Antarctic Mission; Air National Guard Assumes 160-Year Task." Chicago Tribune; February 22, 1998.

"Antarctic Mayday: The Crash of the George One" Read the story of one of the survivors - James Haskin(Robbie) Robbins. http://www.south-pole.com/p0000153.htm

"Operation Highjump: A Tragedy on Ice" Learn more about Frederick Williams who perished in the crash. http://www.south-pole.com/williams.htm

"Where Hell Freezes Over" by David A. Kearns (son of one of the survivors of the George One crash) Published 2005

See also

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