The ELEANOR BOLLING The selection of the CHELSEA, later renamed the ELEANOR BOLLING , was a choice for which Byrd received much criticism. She would be the first ship with a metal hull to risk a full-blown exploration venture into the ice pack of Antarctica. Despite the criticism, prior experience of the steel-hulled Norwegian whalers C.A. LARSEN and SIR JAMES CLARK ROSS, making seasonal passages to and from the Ross Sea without incident, only reassured Byrd. Besides, she was cheap, available and suitable for the job which Byrd had planned for her. Without aviation, need for a second ship would have been doubtful. She was not much larger than the CITY OF NEW YORK but she was a freighter capable of hauling 800 tons of cargo. Her top speed? Nine knots! She was put into drydock where she underwent extensive repairs, primarily in strengthening her hull against the inevitable blows from the ice pack. The cost of purchasing the two ships and outfitting them was approximately $285,000. The work was done, at cost, by William Todd at the Todd Ship Yard. Under the command of Captain Gustav Brown, the ELEANOR BOLLING put out from Norfolk, Virginia, on September 25, 1928, with 300 tons of supplies and 28 men. The dog drivers and 94 dogs with 40 tons of dog biscuit were taken aboard the SIR JAMES CLARK ROSS at Norfolk, Virginia. The greater speed of this whale ship meant less danger to the dogs while crossing the tropics. The aircraft, aviation personnel, gasoline, oil and 100 tons of supplies were also shipped out of Norfolk on the C.A. LARSEN. Commander Byrd boarded the C.A. LARSEN at San Pedro, California, from where she departed on October 10, 1928.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 04:43:47 +0000
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