A
Philatelic Introduction to B.A.E. III: The Postal History
United
States Antarctic Service Expedition 1939-41
by
Joseph
Lynch, Jr., ASPP
Murray Fishler, ASPP
Gary Pierson,ASPP
PART
II: USS BEAR
Type I Cancel
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Type II Cancel
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The
First Trip
USS
BEAR
cancellations can be found documenting most of the important events and
ports-of-call during her time with the U.S.A.S.E.
Once
the USS BEAR cleared Panama in late 1939, she commenced
using her post office, and her first cancels appeared on December 1, 1939
with the wording FIRST DAY / P.O. SERVICE between the killer bars. Listed
below are examples of the different wording used in the cancellation .
. .
Killer
Bar Cancellation Types 1st Trip
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On
January 10, 1940, this cover was mailed from Glendale, CA
to Dunedin, N.Z. where it missed the expedition and it was
forwarded to Valparaiso, Chile, where the American Consulate
backstamped it February 14, 1940. The U.S.M.S. North Star
was scheduled to pick up supplies there to establish East
Base. The North Star carried it to the U.S.S. Bear which it
met near Horseshoe Island, on March 5, 1940. Having finished
establishing West Base, the Bear carried this mail back to
the USA at Philadelphia, PA for the Antarctic winter. On October
13, 1940 she sailed again for West Base and after several
stops arrived there January 10, 1941, one full year to the
day after the cover was mailed. Harold Gilmour, recorder for
West Base, annotated that he received it January 28, 1941.
It seems that the U.S.S. Bear only backstamped incoming mail
when the addressee was not on board. She used her cancel without
wording in the killer bars. |
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When the USS
BEAR cleared the Virginia Capes on November 26, 1939, enroute
to Antarctica, she carried aboard her a twin-motored Barkley-Grow seaplane.
This aircraft was hoisted on and off the ship at various times to perform
reconnaissance and exploratory flights . . .
At least
two of these flights are known to have been documented by covers prepared
and signed by her flight crew. Other flights made by the East Base Condor
aircraft are also known. All these covers appear to have been prepared
by Marine Corps Technical Sergeant Zadik Collier as his signature is very
prominent on all those seen by the writer. Since no flight covers are
known to this writer documenting any of the Condor or Beechcraft operations
at West Base (Little America), it can further be said that Sergeant Collier
was the only person who could be responsible for producing these remarkable
documentary covers, because all seem to emanate from his place of duty.
Further, in most cases, the addressee is the Leatherneck Stamp Exchange
Club in Washington, D.C., "Leatherneck" being a slang expression
for Marine Corps personnel. From all appearances, it seems that one can
safely say that Navymen Ashley C. Snow, Jr., and Earle B. Perce flew the
Barkley-Grow seaplane until East Base was set up on Stonington Island.
Thereafter, they flew the Condor until that base was evacuated in 1941.
Sergeant Collier provided his machinist talents similarly. . .
Zadik Collier produced some
magnificent postal history
Tech
Sergeant Collier (National Archives)
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A Navy
Department press release, dated 21 November 1939, lists a roster of officers
and enlisted men detailed to the United States Antarctic Service Expedition.
Information concerning Sergeant Collier tells us that he "enlisted
in the Marine Corps on January 16, 1926, and his service has largely been
that of aviation machinist with various aviation units in the Marine Corps.
Presently, he is on duty at the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia,
PA, where the aircraft for the Antarctic Service are being overhauled
and prepared for service in the polar regions."
Sergeant
Collier retired from the Corps as a Lt. Colonel in January, 1955. The
writer (Lynch) was fortunate enough to be put in contact with the colonel
by the Public Affairs Office at Quantico, VA, about April of 1982. Unfortunately,
before any productive letter writing could take place, something unforeseen
happened to this 84 year-old ex-Marine, and our correspondence ended abruptly.
Subsequent letters to his place of residence received no reply. Many questions
concerning flight covers, known cachets and his connection with the Leatherneck
Stamp Club which has been presented to this polar veteran remained unanswered.
Getting
back to the covers themselves, we find illustrated below a Collier cover
"carried on an exploratory flight over the snow-covered Antarctic"
on January 14, 1940. . .
A check
of the deck-log of the USS BEAR for that date indicates
that shortly after the vessel moored at the Bay of Whales, the Barkley-Grow
aircraft was hoisted out and after a flight over the sea, made a forced
landing on the ice. Several hours later it was safely hoisted aboard.
The writer believes it can safely be said that this cover documents "the
first flight" made over the continent during the U.S.A.S.E., based
on the deck-log of the USS BEAR.
The eastern
exploratory cruise taken by the USS BEAR departed the base
at Little America on January 19, 1940, which was just five days after
this ship's arrival at the Bay of Whales and had unloaded the necessary
supplies to establish West Base. This was the first of three exploratory
cruises during the expedition. Admiral R. E. Byrd, the commanding officer,
had been prevented from reaching his proposed goal by heavy pack-ice and
unfavorable flight conditions on his two previous expeditions. Now he
was on board the USS BEAR once again to make another attempt
when the ship sailed from the Bay of Whales. The primary purpose of the
eastern exploratory cruise was to determine the delineation of the unexplored
coastline east of the 148th meridian and subsequently four flights were
made in this unknown area.
The first
exploratory flight was made on January 22, 1940 followed by the second
flight on January 23rd. Bad weather then prevented air operations until
the 26th on which two more flights were made. Covers from these flights
are not known at this time but there are some covers / mail known that
relate to this period. A letter from Fred Dustin . . .
. . .
dated January 18 and originating at Little America, said in part, "...In
a few days I leave with Admiral Byrd for an eastern trip to make two or
three exploratory flights. There is no way I can describe this trip to
you at this time as we do not know what we will get into. I was as far
east as Cape Colbeck on the last expedition. However, we hope to get beyond
that." This letter is on 'special' Department of the Interior stationery
printed for the USAS and is signed by F. G. Dustin, fuel engineer. The
January 19 cancel at Little America is the last Bear cancel until
her return to the Bay of Whales on January 30, 1940.
The USS
BEAR, while away from Little America III, had 'Antarctic / Continent'
added to the killer bars in her cancellation . . .
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On
January 27, 1940 the U.S.S. Bear was exploring northeast of the Ruppert
Coast, about 300 miles from Little America. The wording in the killer
bars of her cancel was changed from "Little America" to
"Antarctic Continent". |
Another
cover documents one of the better-known exploratory flights made on February
27, 1940, as the USS BEAR sailed along the coastline. The
documentation places the ship (and flight) at 70°10' S, 94°49'
W, just off Thurston Island and the Eights Coast . . .
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Zadik
Collier was one of the airplane mechanics and a Technical Sergeant
of the US Marine Corps. He came to Antarctica on the U.S.M.S. North
Star. This cover was carried on the three hour exploratory flight,
February 27, 1940. The flight of the Barkley-Grow from the U.S.S.
Bear was along the coast from 90°W to 100°W; it was on this
flight that the Thurston Peninsula was determined to actually be
an island. Admiral Richard E. Byrd was on this flight as an observer.
The printed portion of these covers, created by Zadik Collier, was
incorrect in having the wrong name of the expedition. He typed over
"Byrd Antarctic Expedition III" and the wording "Snow
Cruiser". He then typed in "U.S. ANTARCTIC SERVICE",
which was also not quite correct, along with "BARKLEY-GROW
PLANE".
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Following
the last flight on February 27, the USS BEAR pushed eastward
to a rendezvous with the USS NORTH STAR in Marguerite Bay.
A suitable site for a base was not discovered until a reconnaissance flight
in the afternoon of March 8 by Admiral Byrd, Richard B. Black, chief pilot
Ashley C. Snow and co-pilot and radioman Earl B. Perce. Two islands were
discovered on the north side of Neny Bay and a subsequent landing by boat
on the most northerly of the two, later named Stonington Island, confirmed
its suitability as a base of operations. Due to poor weather, unloading
was postponed until March 11. With all men helping from sunrise to sunset
(12 hours this time of the year), unloading was completed by the evening
of March 20. The next day the two ships sailed from East Base for the
United States. Both ships called at Punta Arenas, Chile. The USS
BEAR then sailed for Boston while the USS NORTH STAR
headed for Seattle.
CONTINUED
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