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Victoria University Antarctic Research End-of-Season Report 1995-96: VUWAE 40

17 - 18 January

17 - 18 January.

The NZAP party positioned itself with the D5 (kept 3 km back from off-load point), Kassbohrer PB 170 and two skidoos at the ice edge. Two more reconnaissance flights were made with Zucchelli and the ITALICA's captain in the early afternoon as the ship had to penetrate about 8 km of pack. The weather remained warm and calm for the whole period and the ITALICA finally manoeuvred into the off-load point at 2130 hours. The sea ice here was 1.3m thick and weakly structured. Throughout the operation a very close eye was kept on it and care was taken to keep the heavier loads under tension on the ship's crane until the sea ice had 'taken up the load'.

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The off-load began at 2300 hours and was successfully completed six hours later at 0500 hours. The Italians provided three Kassbohrer PBs (one 270 and two 330s) which were invaluable and made for a very quick operation. Apart from a large semi-circular crack in the sea ice along about half of the ship's side, probably caused by the earlier stress of the drill rig (17.5 tonnes), the whole off-load and traverse operation was uneventful. The Italians had returned to the ship by 0830 hours after leaving all the loads spread out on the sea ice just to the south of CR. Each sledge was then positioned by the D5 at the transition and then winched across using the D6, a safe and successful operation that was completed by noon.