This book is included in the Self Reliance Transportation section.
FOREWORD. The interest of the United States Navy in polar navigation dates back over a century, to the voyage of the United States Exploring Expedition under Lt. Charles Wilkes, in 1838^2, which made landfalls at several points along the Antarctic continent. In 1855 the U.S.S. Vincennes, Commander John Rodgers, explored and charted the Arctic Ocean beyond Bering Strait. Meanwhile, in 1850-51, the Advance and Resolute under Lt. E. J. de Haven, were engaged in a search for the missing British Arctic explorer. Sir John Franklin, and in 1853 the Advance was sent out again under Passed Asst. Surg. E. K, Kane. In 1855 the Release and Arctic, commanded by Lt. H. J. Hartstene, went to the relief of Dr. Kane in the Arctic. Capt. C. F. Hall's third voyage in search of Franklin was made under naval auspices in 1871 in the Polaris and the Tigress and Juniata were fitted out with naval crews to go to his rescue in 1873. The increasing interest in the Arctic brought about by the Franklin relief expeditions led to the commissioning of the Jeannette as a naval vessel in 1879 to explore beyond Bering Strait under Lt. G. W. de Long. The revenue cutter Corwin cruised in search of the Jeannette in 1880, as did the U.S.S. Rodgers and U.S.S. Alliance in the two following years. In 1884 a naval expedition under Commander Winfield S. Schley, comprising the Thetis, Bear, and Alert, rescued the survivors of the Greely expedition in Greenland waters. Except to mention that the North Pole was attained by Commander Robert E. Peary of the Civil Engineering Corps in 1909, and that the first man to fly over both Poles was Rear Adm. R. E. Byrd, USN (Ret.), later naval operations in Polar waters need not be touched on here. This publication has been prepared in an effort to make available the accumulated experience of past expeditions in a form convenient for use by present-day Polar expeditions, whether operating for military, commercial, or scientific purposes. It should be used in conjunction with the Sailing Directions for the appropriate coasts, of which the following have been issued by the Hydrographic Office H. O. Pub. No.— Sailing Directions for— 75. East Greenland and Iceland. 76. Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. 77. Northern Canada. 136. Northwest and North Coasts of Norway. 138. Antarctica. H. O. Pub. No. 550, Ice Atlas of the Northern Hemisphere, should also be consulted for detailed information on monthly ice conditions in the Arctic. Most recent expeditions which have spent only late spring, summer, and early fall months in the polar regions have reported some surprise at the relatively mild temperatures encountered. Long summer daylight and the heat- buffering properties of sea water combine to produce conditions far better than those experienced by the mariner operating out of Boston, Mass., or Portland, Maine, in winter. A. HOBBS, Captain, U. S. Navy, {Ret.) Hydrographer. Table of Contents Foreword Bibliography Chapter 1. Formation and Growth of Sea Ice Cause of Freezing; Influence of Salinity; The Growing Process; Rate of Growth; Comparison of Arctic and Antarctic Ice; Paleocrystic Ice. Chapter 2. Classification and Description of Ice Icebergs; Sea Ice. Chapter 3. Evaporation, Melting, and Break-up Heating Agents; Evaporation; Melting; Stages of Disintegration. Chapter 4. Physical and Chemical Properties of Ice Strength and Hardness; Thermal Properties; Specific Gravity; Salinity. Chapter 5. Movement and Drift of Ice Factors Producing Translation and Differential Motion; Hummocking; Regrouping of Ice; Laws Governing Drift. Chapter 6. Vessels for Operating in Ice Wooden Ships; Icebreakers; Cargo Ships; Submarines; LST's; Vessels for Alaskan and Canadian Waters. Chapter 7. Preparing a Vessel for Ice Operations Fitting-out Ship; Boats; Preparations En Route to Polar Regions. Chapter 8. Operations in Polar Waters Shipboard Precautions; Anchoring; Mooring and Unloading; Water Supplies; Damage and Repairs. Chapter 9. Handling an Unescorted Vessel in Ice Entry Into Ice; Working Through Ice; Speed of Advance; Hazards in the Ice; Release of a Vessel; Precautions Against Being Beset; Precautions When Beset; Operating Boats and Seaplanes. Chapter 10. Operating an Icebreaker Propellers; Performance; Operating in Ice; Anchoring; Explosives; Engineering Procedures. Chapter 11. Convoying in Ice Types of Convoy; Distance between Ships; Course and Speed of Convoy; Conducting through Ice; Towing in Ice; Breaking Out Ships; Convoy Signals. Chapter 12. Navigating in Polar Regions Signs of Proximity of Ice; Signs of Open Water; Abnormal Refraction; Piloting; Fixing Positions; Magnetic Compass; Dead Reckoning; Radar in Ice; Sonar in Ice. Appendix A. A Proposed Ice Dock. Index End of Preview.
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