A part of a seamless weekly collection on Alaska historical past by native historian David Reamer. Have a query about Anchorage or Alaska historical past or an thought for a future article? Go to the shape on the backside of this story.

On Aug. 14, 1946, a routine forty sixth Strategic Picture Reconnaissance Squadron flight took off from Ladd Area, what’s now Fort Wainwright, exterior Fairbanks. The B-29 turned north towards the Arctic, passing over land after which sea ice as they left Alaska of their wake. Almost 300 miles north of Level Barrow, the crew noticed one thing odd, what seemed to be a big and beforehand undocumented landmass. The invention of a roughly 200-square-mile object shocked the pilots, their superiors, and their superiors’ superiors. The knowledge was swiftly categorized, and the seeming island grew to become generally known as Goal 1 or T-1. When a follow-up flight discovered the island had moved, the reality was revealed. T-1 was an enormous iceberg, flat and floating within the Arctic Ocean currents.

In 1950, Air Power Lt. Col. Joseph O. Fletcher (1920-2008) was commander of the 58th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron at Eielson Air Power Base. The Arctic ice islands, particularly their scientific and strategic potential, captivated him. The Arctic Ocean was nonetheless largely a thriller then, and within the early days of the Chilly Conflict, a possible weak level in American protection. As such, he satisfied the Air Power to provoke Mission Icicle, establishing a climate and analysis station on an ice island. The acceptable candidate, T-3, was recognized in late July 1950.

Maybe probably the most notable of the Arctic ice islands, T-3, was an enormous chunk of historic lake ice damaged off an Ellesmere Island glacier. Formed like a kidney and 11 miles throughout at its longest level, T-3 grew to become extra generally generally known as Fletcher’s Ice Island. Scientists lived on the iceberg intermittently over the subsequent two and a half a long time, gathering precious and irreplaceable information whereas much less formally testing themselves towards the frigid circumstances and excessive isolation.

Fletcher was properly conscious that his proposal was primarily based extra on goals and ambition than proof. So, he and a number of other mission members examined each piece of kit in a trial camp constructed on the frozen Chena River close to Ladd Area. For a number of weeks, Fletcher and his males lived, labored, and slept on the ice, whereas additionally keeping off locals curious in regards to the odd tenting journey. Although exhausting, the experiment was important to their success on the ice island, particularly as they realized heavier sleeping luggage and clothes have been wanted.

Lastly, in March 1952, a C-47 fitted with each skis and wheels made the primary touchdown on Fletcher’s Ice Island. That far north, with out landmarks, the navigators relied on the solar and stars to information their means. Along with the issue of discovering and touchdown on a transferring goal, the pilots didn’t know the depth of the snow cowl or what it is likely to be beneath. 3 times they touched down however lifted off once more to flee tough ice. On the fourth try, they efficiently landed although the skis immediately froze to the bottom.

Photographer George Silk was the primary individual out the door, leaping into snow as much as his knees. Kaare Rodahl, a Norwegian doctor, physiologist, and member of the unique analysis group, wrote of the primary publicity to the island. “As we slowly opened the door to go away the aircraft, a biting wind hit us within the face. We judged the temperature to be beneath minus 60 levels Fahrenheit … We have been vastly shocked on the depth of the snow — as much as 4 ft in some locations.”

After unloading a number of thousand kilos of substances, the primary of many shipments, the boys settled into their easy lodgings. Inside a few months, there can be a number of cozy Jamesway huts, primarily insulated Quonset huts higher designed for excessive chilly. When the station was accomplished, there was a cleared runway and shocking conveniences like a washer, dryer, and electrical mixer, plus leisure from a report participant. However for these first few days, they slept in easy double-walled tents and doubled sleeping luggage. Their kerosene froze within the evening, and so they woke with frost lining their faces and luggage.

The photographer, Silk, didn’t make it even so far as that first evening. Knowledgeable that he can be trapped on the ice island for the subsequent 30 days, he dumped out the sweet and whisky in his gear bag and boarded the aircraft. Fletcher, nevertheless, spent the subsequent three months on his island.

Fletcher’s Ice Island was not the one American drifting ice station. There have been different analysis services but in addition a number of listening posts, generally as little as a shed on a smaller floe the place lonely brokers tried to seize Soviet transmissions. The Soviet Union had its personal ice island stations, with the same mixture of analysis and espionage priorities.

One of many extra outstanding Soviet ice islands was NORTH-67, which the Soviet authorities claimed was solely targeted on scientific research of the Arctic. In April 1967, an American resupply airplane certain for Fletcher’s Ice Island from Alaska landed at NORTH-67. The Soviet station was then virtually precisely on its flight path from Level Barrow, and the scientists on board have been naturally curious. The Russians, in flip, welcomed the guests and the transient interlude from the monotonous, austere life on the ice island. As a part of the pleasant celebration, the scientists exchanged presents. The People supplied 5 instances of beer and 20 cartons of cigarettes. The Russian hosts reciprocated with greater than 50 kilos of purple caviar, a case of frozen fish, and a number of other smaller gadgets, together with some well-received on the spot espresso.

In 1967, Newsweek journal described Fletcher’s Ice Island as “the most important cut price the U.S. Navy has ever recognized” because it “didn’t value a cent to construct.” The identical article additionally described it as “unsinkable.” Whereas the ice wouldn’t sink, it did crack, erode, and soften. In 1954, the island was an estimated 132 to 135 ft thick on the base website. Six years later, that quantity was right down to 114 ft. In 1960, the ice island ran aground new Wainwright and didn’t break away till early 1962. Throughout this time, scientists on the ice island famous in depth melting on the floor. Drilling checks in 1964 revealed an ice thickness of 99 ft lined with two to 4 ft of snow.

Oversight of the ice island was finally transferred from the Air Power to the Navy, however the mission remained the identical, to study extra in regards to the mysterious Arctic. At its peak, greater than 40 scientists and engineers have been stationed at Fletcher’s Ice Island, engaged in a various vary of organic, geophysical, and meteorological research. A few of the information collected there’s nonetheless used immediately, functionally irreplaceable given the myriad difficulties of analysis to date north.

In 1974, the analysis station was deserted however not earlier than a tragedy. No doorways or cupboards have been locked on the island, as there was nowhere to go. On July 16, 1970, Mario Escamilla accused fellow scientist Donald Leavitt of stealing his selfmade raisin wine, actually a prized possession. The argument grew heated, and Escamilla left to retrieve a rifle. On his means again, he was stopped by station supervisor Bennie Lightsey. The rifle unintentionally fired, killing Lightsey.

The dying raised a captivating and, heretofore, largely unexamined challenge of jurisdiction. Although primarily staffed by People, the ice island spent most of its existence in worldwide waters. In reality, the island was often nearer to Canada than america, which led to some diplomatic friction. Nobody was positive whether or not to deal with the ice island like territory, ship, or one thing new. On this case, the Canadian authorities waived any jurisdiction.

Leavitt, a longtime alcoholic, had attacked ice island coworkers with a cleaver on not less than three events to get to their alcohol. In different phrases, the rifle might need been wanted for self-defense. Escamilla had turned the security off and pointed it towards Lightsey, however the rifle was faulty. Escamilla was initially convicted of involuntary manslaughter however was cleared of all costs on enchantment.

Over the course of its American occupation, Fletcher’s Ice Island made three giant loops between the North Pole and Alaska, drifting at a median pace of about 1.2 miles a day. People final visited the island in 1979. By then, the iceberg had damaged freed from its sample, transferring east and south. In 1983, it was freed from the Arctic ice pack and headed in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean, previous the jap coast of Greenland. There, it simply melted away.

Key sources:

Brewer, Max C. “The Soviet Drifting ice Station, NORTH-67.” Arctic 20, no. 4 (1967): 263-265.

Buck, Beaumont M. “Ice Drilling in Fletcher’s Ice Island (T-3) with a Transportable Mechanical Drill.” Arctic 18, no. 1 (1965): 51-54.

Crary, A. P., R. D. Cotell, and T. F. Sexton. “Preliminary Report on Scientific Work on ‘Fletcher’s Ice Island,’ T3.” Arctic 5, no. 4 (1952): 211-223.

Murkowski, Carol. “Ice Island No Longer a Scientific Platform.” Anchorage Instances, January 2, 1984, D-6.

Rodahl, Kaare. “Ice Islands within the Arctic.” Scientific American, December 1954, 40-45.

Rodahl, Kaare. North: The Nature and Drama of the Polar World. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1953.

Ruppel, C. D., A. H. Lachenbruch, D. R. Hutchinson, R. J. Munroe, and D. C. Mosher. “Warmth Stream within the Western Arctic Ocean (Amerasian Basin).” Journal of Geophysical Analysis, Strong Earth Vol. 124, p. 1-26; 2019.

Smith, David D. “Sequential Improvement of Floor Morphology on Fletcher’s Ice Island, T-3.” In Proceedings of the First Worldwide Symposium on Arctic Geology Quantity 2, Calgary, Canada, 1960, 896-914. Toronto: College of Toronto Press, 1961.

United States v. Mario Jaime Escamilla, 467 F.second 341 (4th Circuit 1972).