50-588: (Redirected from MacMurdo ) McMurdo is a surname, as well as a name given to many places in Antarctica, including: Places in Antarctica [ edit ] McMurdo Station , a station at the southern tip of Ross Island in Antarctica South Pole Traverse , also known as the McMurdo – South Pole highway McMurdo Sound , a sound lying at the junction of
100-483: A branch of the National Science Foundation . The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,500 residents, and serves as one of three year-round United States Antarctic science facilities. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station first pass through McMurdo. McMurdo Station continues to operate as the hub for American activities on
150-556: A crater in the Mare Australe quadrangle of Mars Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title McMurdo . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McMurdo_(disambiguation)&oldid=969430892 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
200-468: A few months had its signal received as far as the US east coast. AFAN had changed frequencies several times in subsequent years. The station continued broadcasting on shortwave into the 1980s when it dropped shortwave while continuing FM transmission. For a time, McMurdo had Antarctica's only television station, AFAN-TV, running vintage programs provided by the military. Broadcasts started on November 9, 1973, with
250-417: A few times every year, often as early as May, and sometimes even as early as April, and very rarely above 0 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded at McMurdo was 10.8 °C on December 21, 1987. There is enough snowmelt in summer that a few species of moss and lichen can grow. Starting in 1963, McMurdo played host to one of the only two shortwave broadcast stations in Antarctica. From sign-on to 1971,
300-665: A hardwood box with dovetail joints . McClintock and later searchers found relics, graves and human remains of the Franklin crew on Beechey Island , King William Island and the northern coast of the Canadian mainland. In 2014, the Victoria Strait Expedition found two items on Hat Island , in the Queen Maud Gulf , near King William Island ; part of a boat-launching davit bearing the stamps of two Royal Navy broad arrows, and
350-466: A mix of US programs and interviews with visitors and scientists, as well as a daily news and weather service. The station's equipment was susceptible to "electronic burping" from the diesel generators that provide electricity in the outpost. The station was profiled in a 1975 article in TV Guide magazine, where the station broadcast in the summer months, known by staff as "the season" (November to February),
400-475: A polar ice cap climate ( Köppen EF ). However, in the warmest months (December and January) the monthly average high temperature may occasionally rise above freezing. The place is protected from cold waves from the interior of Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains , so temperatures below −40° are rare, compared to more exposed places like Neumayer Station , which usually gets those temperatures
450-472: A proprietary, non-replaceable part critical to battery storage reduced the power generation of the turbines by 66% by 2019. Between 1962 and 1963, 28 Arcas sounding rockets were launched from McMurdo Station. McMurdo Station stands about two miles (3 km) from Scott Base , the New Zealand science station, and all of Ross Island lies within a sector claimed by New Zealand. Criticism has been leveled at
500-500: A rally. As of 2007 , McMurdo Station was Antarctica's largest community and a functional, modern-day science station, including a harbor , three airfields (two seasonal), a heliport and more than 100 buildings, including the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center . The station is also home to the continent's two ATMs , both provided by Wells Fargo Bank . The work done at McMurdo Station primarily focuses on science , but most of
550-454: A wooden object, possibly a plug for a deck hawse , the iron pipe through which the ship's chain cable would descend into the chain locker below. The expedition located one of Franklin's ships, preserved in reasonably good condition. The wreck lies at the bottom of the eastern portion of Queen Maud Gulf, west of O'Reilly Island and has been confirmed to be that of Erebus . In 2016, a well-preserved ship matching Terror ' s description
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#1732941650118600-459: Is about 45 cm × 60 cm (18 in × 24 in) in size, and is secured to a large vertical rock halfway up the west side of Observation Hill , at the former site of the PM-3A nuclear power reactor at McMurdo Station. The inscription details the achievements of Antarctica's first nuclear power plant. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 85), following a proposal by
650-603: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is an American Antarctic research station on the southern tip of Ross Island , which is in the New Zealand –claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program (USAP),
700-574: The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961. The first scientific diving protocols were established before 1960 and the first diving operations were documented in November 1961. On March 3, 1962, the U.S. Navy activated the PM-3A nuclear power plant at the station. The unit was prefabricated in modules to facilitate transport and assembly. Engineers designed
750-522: The North Pole ; ultimately a futile endeavour. During his voyages, Crozier became a close friend and confidant of the explorer James Clark Ross . He was elected to become a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1827, after conducting valuable astronomical and magnetic studies on his three expeditions with Parry. He was appointed to the frigate HMS Stag in 1831, and served off
800-562: The Northwest Passage in 1821. He served as midshipman on Parry's HMS Fury , which was accompanied by Captain Lyon's HMS Hecla . He returned to the North with Parry a second time in 1824, this time on Hecla . The journey resulted in the sinking of Fury off Somerset Island . Crozier was promoted to lieutenant in 1826, and a year later, he once more joined Parry in his attempt to reach
850-619: The Royal Navy and joined HMS Hamadryad in June 1810. In 1812, he served on HMS Briton and visited Pitcairn Island in 1814, where he met the last surviving mutineers from HMS Bounty . In 1817, he received his certificate as mate; in 1818, he served on HMS Doterel during a trip to the Cape of Good Hope . Crozier joined Captain William Parry 's second Arctic expedition to traverse
900-569: The Antarctic continent in the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror . Crozier commanded Terror , and was appointed to the rank of captain in 1841. Erebus and Terror returned in 1843, having made the most significant penetration of the Antarctic pack ice and discovered large parts of the continent—including the Ross Sea and Ross Island , Mount Erebus and the Ross Ice Shelf . Crozier
950-441: The Antarctic continent. By road, McMurdo is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from New Zealand 's smaller Scott Base . The station takes its name from its geographic location on McMurdo Sound , named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo of British ship HMS Terror . The Terror , commanded by Irish explorer Francis Crozier , along with expedition flagship Erebus under command of English Explorer James Clark Ross , first charted
1000-708: The End of the World reports on the life and culture of McMurdo Station from the point-of-view of residents. Anthony Powell's 2013 documentary Antarctica: A Year on Ice provides time-lapse photography of Antarctica intertwined with personal accounts from residents of McMurdo Station and of the adjacent Scott Base over the course of a year. An annual sealift by cargo ships as part of Operation Deep Freeze delivers 8 million U.S. gallons (6.6 million imperial gallons/42 million liters) of fuel and 11 million pounds (5 million kg) of supplies and equipment for McMurdo residents. The ships, operated by
1050-453: The IGY, it became the center for US scientific as well as logistical activities in Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty , subsequently signed by over forty-five governments, regulates intergovernmental relations with respect to Antarctica and governs the conduct of daily life at McMurdo for United States Antarctic Program (USAP) participants. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called
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#17329416501181100-671: The Ross Sea McMurdo Ice Shelf , a portion of the Ross Ice Shelf McMurdo Dry Valleys , a row of valleys in Victoria Land Surname [ edit ] Alex McMurdo , Scottish footballer Archibald McMurdo (1812–1894), British naval officer, has many places in Antarctica named after him Margaret McMurdo (born 1954), Australian judge Wendy McMurdo (born 1962), British artist Other uses [ edit ] McMurdo (crater) ,
1150-533: The U.S. Military Sealift Command , are crewed by civilian mariners. Cargo may range from mail, construction materials, trucks, tractors, dry and frozen food, to scientific instruments. U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers break a ship channel through ice-clogged McMurdo Sound in order for supply ships to reach Winter Quarters Bay at McMurdo. Additional supplies and personnel are flown into nearby Williams Field from Christchurch in New Zealand. With all months having an average temperature below freezing, McMurdo features
1200-500: The U.S. Navy Seabees , was initially designated Naval Air Facility McMurdo . On November 28, 1957, Admiral George J. Dufek visited McMurdo with a U.S. congressional delegation for a change-of-command ceremony. McMurdo Station was the center of United States logistical operations during the International Geophysical Year , an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. After
1250-635: The US. Voice communications within the station are conducted via VHF radio. Testing of the Starlink service began in September 2022, with a second terminal providing connectivity for the Allan Hills field camp brought in November 2022. The Starlink test ran from January to March of 2023, when it was shut off indefinitely to analyze test data. McMurdo has the world's most southerly harbor. A multitude of on- and off-road vehicles transport people and cargo around
1300-495: The United States to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting . Facilities at the station include: Once a year around New Year's Day Icestock , the most southern music festival is organized, with performers being from the station and Scott Base . Francis Crozier Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier FRS FRAS ( / ˈ k r oʊ ʒ ər / ; 17 October 1796 – disappeared 26 April 1848)
1350-502: The area in 1841. The British explorer Robert Falcon Scott established a base camp close to this spot in 1902 and built a cabin there that was named Discovery Hut . It still stands as a historic monument near the water's edge on Hut Point at McMurdo Station. The volcanic rock of the site is the southernmost bare ground accessible by ship in the world. The United States officially opened its first station at McMurdo on February 16, 1956, as part of Operation Deep Freeze . The base, built by
1400-598: The base regarding its construction projects, particularly the McMurdo-(Amundsen-Scott) South Pole highway . McMurdo Station has attempted to improve environmental management and waste removal in order to adhere to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty , signed on October 4, 1991, which entered into force on January 14, 1998. This agreement prevents development and provides for
1450-500: The callsign was KMSA, from then on it was changed to WASA (W A ntarctic S upport A ctivities), later changing to AFAN in 1975. As KMSA, the station broadcast in the same building as the bowling alley, the barber shop and the retail store. A part of the vinyl collection reportedly came from Vietnam, believing to have been played by Adrian Cronauer 's show in Saigon. In a 1997 interview to The Antarctic Sun , Cronauer denied these claims and
1500-454: The chairman of Banbridge Council, and several Arctic historians, including Michael Smith and Russell Potter . A memorial to Sir John Franklin and his men was erected by order of Parliament in 1858, in the Painted Hall of London's Greenwich Hospital . It was moved to Greenwich Royal Naval College 's chapel in 1937, and was re-erected in the entrance of the former college in late 2009. At
1550-564: The coast of Portugal during the Liberal Wars , the country's civil war. Crozier joined Clark Ross as second-in-command of HMS Cove in 1835, to assist in the search for 12 lost British whaling ships in the Arctic. Crozier was appointed to the rank of commander in 1837. In 1839, Crozier again joined James Clark Ross on the Ross expedition , as second-in-command of a four-year voyage to explore
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1600-409: The components to weigh no more than 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) each and to measure no more than 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) by 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m). A single core no larger than an oil drum served as the heart of the nuclear reactor . These size and weight restrictions aimed to allow delivery of the reactor in an LC-130 Hercules aircraft, but
1650-431: The components were delivered by ship. The reactor generated 1.8 MW of electrical power and reportedly replaced the need for 1,500 US gallons (5,700 L) of oil daily. Engineers applied the reactor's power, for instance, in producing steam for the salt-water distillation plant. As a result of continuing safety issues (hairline cracks in the reactor and water leaks), the U.S. Army Nuclear Power Program decommissioned
1700-509: The eleventh of thirteen children, and the fifth son of solicitor George Crozier, who named him after his friend Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira . Crozier attended school locally in Banbridge, with his brothers William and Thomas, and lived with his family in Avonmore House which his father had built in 1792, in the centre of Banbridge. At the age of 13, Crozier volunteered for
1750-413: The ice from 1989 to 2006. A hyperbaric chamber is available for support of polar diving operations. McMurdo Station briefly gained global notice when an anti-war protest took place on February 15, 2003. During the rally, about 50 scientists and station personnel gathered to protest against the coming invasion of Iraq by the United States. McMurdo Station was the only Antarctic location to hold such
1800-607: The loss of all 129 crewmen in mysterious circumstances. Many places in the Arctic and Antarctic are named after him. He, with James Clark Ross and Richard Moody , was also responsible for selecting the location of the capital of the Falkland Islands , Port Stanley , in 1843. Francis Crozier was born in Banbridge , County Down , in Ulster , the northern province in Ireland . He was
1850-411: The only season where Antarctica was (at the time) open to aircraft. In the mid-90s, a cable network was installed. By 1998, shortly after the launch of new AFN television services the year before, the traditional AFN network was broadcast over cable channel 2 (the channel that would soon become AFN Prime), NewSports (the current AFN News and AFN Sports) was on channel 11 and Spectrum (current AFN Spectrum)
1900-461: The other expedition members remained a mystery until 1859, when a note written by Crozier and James Fitzjames , captain of the Erebus , was discovered on King William Island during an expedition led by Francis McClintock . Dated 25 April 1848, the note indicated that the ships—stuck in thick pack ice—had been abandoned. Nine officers, including Sir John Franklin, and 15 crewmen had died. Also stated
1950-486: The plant in 1972. Conventional diesel generators replaced the nuclear power station, with several 500 kilowatts (670 hp) diesel generators in a central powerhouse providing electric power. A conventionally fueled water-desalination plant provided fresh water. Three Enercon E-33 (330 kW each) wind turbines were deployed in 2009 to power McMurdo and New Zealand's Scott Base, reducing diesel consumption by 11% or 463,000 liters per year. The subsequent failure of
2000-425: The protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution , fauna and flora , environmental impact assessments , waste management , and protected areas . It prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific ones. A new waste-treatment facility was built at McMurdo in 2003. Scientific diving operations continue with 10,859 dives having been conducted under
2050-460: The residents (approximately 1,000 in the summer and around 250 in the winter) are not scientists, but station personnel who provide support for operations, logistics, information technology, construction, and maintenance. Scientists and other personnel at McMurdo are participants in the USAP, which coordinates research and operational support in the region. Werner Herzog 's 2007 documentary Encounters at
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2100-437: The service of thanksgiving on 29 October 2009, polar travellers and descendants of the expedition's crew celebrated their contributions. Geographical features named after Crozier include: Francis Crozier appears as a character and the primary narrator of the 2007 best-selling novel, The Terror by Dan Simmons , a fictionalized account of Franklin's lost expedition, as well as the 2018 television adaptation , where Crozier
2150-639: The station area, including Ivan the Terra Bus (a pun on Ivan the Terrible ). There is a road from McMurdo to the New Zealand Scott Base and South Pole, the South Pole Traverse . McMurdo station is serviced seasonally from Christchurch Airport about 3,920 kilometres (2,440 mi) away by air, with C-17 Globemaster and Lockheed LC-130 , by three airports: The Richard E. Byrd Historic Monument
2200-468: The vinyl collection was apparently destroyed. The station—AFAN McMurdo—initially operated on AM 600 and had a power of 50 W, but by 1974, it transmitted with a power of 1 kilowatt on the shortwave frequency of 6,012 kHz and became a target for shortwave radio listening to hobbyists around the world because of its rarity. The station was picked up by DX for the first time in New Zealand in July 1974, and within
2250-558: Was an Irish officer of the Royal Navy and polar explorer who participated in six expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic . In 1843, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society for his scientific work during his expeditions. Later, he was second-in-command to Sir John Franklin and captain of HMS Terror during the Franklin expedition to discover the Northwest Passage , which ended with
2300-650: Was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, in recognition of his outstanding work on magnetism. In 1845, Crozier joined Captain Sir John Franklin as captain of the Terror on the Franklin expedition to traverse the last unnavigated section of the Northwest Passage . Crozier himself was offered the command of the expedition, but, with "characteristic modesty", he deferred to Franklin. After Franklin's death in June ;1847, Crozier took over. His fate and those of
2350-455: Was erected at McMurdo in 1965. It includes a bronze bust on black marble , 150 cm × 60 cm (5 ft × 2 ft) square, on a wooden platform, bearing inscriptions describing the polar exploration achievements of Richard E. Byrd . It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 54), following a proposal by the United States to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting . The bronze Nuclear Power Plant Plaque
2400-598: Was located in Terror Bay , off the southern coast of King William Island. The exploration of the wrecks continues. In January 2008, Crozier's home town of Banbridge hosted a memorial event, which included a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at the Church of the Holy Trinity, which was attended by more than a hundred descendants of Crozier and other officers of Franklin's lost expedition and those who searched for it, along with
2450-553: Was on channel 13. McMurdo Station receives both Internet and voice communications by satellite communications via the Optus D1 satellite and relayed to Sydney, Australia. A satellite dish at Black Island provides 20 Mbit/s Internet connectivity and voice communications. Voice communications are tied into the United States Antarctic Program headquarters in Centennial, Colorado , providing inbound and outbound calls to McMurdo from
2500-490: Was their intention, on 26 April, to set out on foot for Back's Great Fish River on the Canadian mainland. Inuit rumours collected between 1852 and 1858 indicate that Crozier and one other expedition member might have been seen in the Baker Lake area, about 400 km (250 mi) to the south, where, in 1948, Farley Mowat found "a very ancient cairn, not of normal Eskimo construction", inside which were fragments of
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