Number One Observatory Circle. A book by Charles Denyer.
Category: general-history
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Snow, Ice and Permafrost, Research Establishment (SIPRE) Org Chart
This chart was found on SIPRE Report 15 dated September 1953.
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SIPRE – Snow, Ice and Permafrost, Research Establishment
SIPRE began in United States Army Corps of Engineer in 1949. Their job was to “conduct basic and applied research in snow, ice and frozen ground.” As we became more entrenched in establishing a solid presence in Greenland, snow, ice ,and frozen ground research became critical to establishing logistics in and around the region. Researchers within SIPRE heavily participated in developing Camp Century, Greenland.
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What am I reading? January 28, 2021
“Exploring Greenland: Cold War Science and Technology on Ice (Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology,” 1st ed. 2016 Edition, by Ronald E. Doel (Editor), Kristine C. Harper (Editor), Matthias Heymann (Editor).
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U.S. Army Polar Research & Development Center (PR&DC) lighter
Camp Tuto and Camp Century housed service members from the U.S. Army Polar Research & Development Center. Writing a book on the R.G. LeTourneau Overland Trains has taught me a great deal about how the United States pushed boundaries to learn about their new Arctic operating environment.
When I find relics like this on the internet, I tend to latch on and buy them. Aside from being ridiculously small, this Vulcan lighter captures a small, but distinguished piece of time.
The light logo says “Scientiae Servimus” on the bottom of the logo – meaning Scientists that Serve.
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What am I reading? January 14, 2021
“The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future” by Jon Gertner. The author has successfully captured my interest with the book. It starts out in the late 1800’s with Nansen’s exploration of Greenland. It took me 2 days to reach Chapter 6, Thule.
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What am I reading: January 12, 2021
John Lewis Gaddis “On Grand Strategy.” UPDATE: 15Jan21: I had a difficult time getting into this book. Moving on…
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25 Years at Thule Air Base, Greenland Mug
I purchased this 25 years at Thule Air Base, Greenland mug at eBay. The mug shows the Air Base and Mount Dundas in the background.
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Transval Electronics Corporation contract for BARCs
In 1961, Transval Electronics Corporation (TEC) was contracted by the U.S. Army (USAR) to develop a vehicle that could solve a major problem. The USAR needed a vehicle that could be dropped off of a ship carrying heavy equipment, float, navigate to the shore, and drive up the beach. TEC developed the Barge Resupply Cargo Vehicle, or BARC.
The six BARCs were built for the Army Transportation Corps. These vehicles weigh 100 tons and designed to carry 60 tons. In an emergency, they could carry their own weight. Each 9 foot tall wheel was driven by a 200hp diesel engine. Two marine propellers provide drive for the craft within water. The BARC was 62.5 feet long, 26.5 feet wide, and 19 feet high.
TEC developed other cargo carrying capabilities for the USAR, which will be expanded upon in my Overland Trains book, due out mid to late 2021.
Overland Trains 