From the 1993/94 Orient Lines Marco Polo brochure...
McMurdo Station
During the austral summer months, the U.S. McMurdo Station is virtually a
city and most interesting to visit. Overlooked by volcanic Mount Erebus, it
is the largest research facility in Antarctica, with over 850 scientists.
There is lots of activity, with helicopters flying in and out day and night --
quite a change from the tranquility we have experienced up to now. Here at
McMurdo we will be at our southernmost point, only 736 miles from the South
Pole.
From the 1994 Orient Lines Grand Antarctic Circumnavigation brochure...
Of the many highlights in Antarctica, perhaps the most spectacular is the
opportunity to cruise the Ross Ice Shelf. The largest of Antarctica's
shelves, this floating platform rises high above the water and stretches
almost 110 miles long. From the face of the shelf, huge chunks of ice
occasionally splinter off and large tabular icebergs float gently eastward
with the southerly ocean currents.
This is as far south as a ship can sail, and from the decks of the Marco Polo
you will see the sprawling complex that is the U.S. station known as McMurdo.
More of a logistics hub than a research station, McMurdo provides support to
almost all of the Ross Sea research and scientific communities. During the
short-lived Antarctic summer, over 1200 people reside at McMurdo but as the
last flight leaves for Christchurch in late February, this number dwindles to
about 180 who continue to man the base during the long, Antarctic winter.
Research done at McMurdo includes marine and terrestrial biology, biomedical
studies, geology and geophysics, glaciology and glacial geology, meteorology
and upper atmosphere physics.
Return to the itinerary or the
ports of call...