Saturday, January 24, 2015

Antarctic Action (Not Really)

WED 24 JAN 1940
Interior Department motorship North Star (U.S. Antarctic Service) departs Bay of Whales, Antarctica for Valparaiso, Chile, for additional supplies and equipment to establish East Base. Construction of West Base commences immediately at the site chosen that lies at 78°29'06"S, 163°50'10"W, two miles from the edge of the ice barrier and five miles northeast of the site of Little America I and Little America II, the previous Byrd expedition bases. Until the main building is completed for habitation, the men live in regulation army tents (see 11 February).

Gunboat Erie (PG-50) joins destroyer J. Fred Talbott (DD-247) at Wreck Bay, Galapagos Islands, to assist U.S. tuna boat City of San Diego. The gunboat takes on board the craft's chief engineer (pneumonia) and sails the following day for Balboa, where the man will be transferred ashore for medical attention.

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