INDIAN NAVY’S FIRST ANTARCTICA EXPEDITION TO SOUTH POLE 2006–07

Introduction

Antarctica is the ultimate destination in terms of human endeavor in the fields of exploration and adventure. This vast shelf of ice is a cold desert that contains nearly 90 % of the world’s ice and most of the planet’s fresh water reserves.

On 14 Dec 1911, the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, followed by Robert Scott of UK, in 1912. However, during the return passage, Scott and his team died in a heroic battle of survival against the weather. Since then, many have ventured to Antarctica in a quest to leave their footprints on the South Pole, or 90 degree South. By and large, the expeditions and sustained deployments to Antarctica have been scientific in nature, covering a variety of fields, such as to study the ice shelf, life forms, continental drifts, meteorology, hydrology, marine biology, oil and geological explorations etc. The continent is populated by about 2500 people during the summer and less than 1000 during the winter. Presently 18 countries maintain “all year round” bases in various parts of the continent. The USA maintains a base, called Amundsen-Scott, exactly on top of the South Pole.

The polar ice cap gradually ascends to an altitude of 2900 m at the South Pole. The entire terrain is constantly lashed by severe winds, blizzards and freezing temperatures. A ski traverse to the South Pole offers one of the greatest adventure challenges in the world. No Indian team has ever undertaken such an expedition till date.

Ski Traverse Over the Ice Cap to South Pole.Indian Navy would undertake an expedition involving cross country ski traverse of about 180 km from the “last degree”, i.e. 89 deg South, to the South Pole. This expedition would be undertaken during Nov 06 – Jan 07, i.e. during the “summer” of this region, when the temperature / weather conditions would be at their best.

Unlike the residents of the various scientific bases in Antarctica, who largely remain inside their modern shelters, the Indian Navy’s expedition would be exposed to the extremes of the Antarctic weather and some of the world’s most hostile terrains over prolonged duration. The severity of the task would call for the highest standards of physical fitness, mental and moral strength, determination, courage, endurance, a never say die spirit and, above all, a perfect teamwork. Thus, this expedition would involve all the laudable attributes that are required to be developed amongst men in uniform. This expedition would unfurl the flags of India and the Indian Navy at the final frontier of adventure activity that challenges the human spirit of courage and survival.

The Indian Navy Mountaineering Team climbed Mt Everest from the dreaded North face in May 2004, thereby achieving the ultimate challenge in extreme mountaineering. It is now ready to take on another extreme challenge, that of ski traverse to the South Pole. It would indeed be a daunting expedition and may well achieve records heralding Indian Navy into the forefronts of the adventure world.

Target Records

The proposed expedition to the South Pole would attempt to achieve the following records: -

(a) First Indian expedition to Antarctica.

(b) First All Navy team in the world to Ski traverse to South Pole.

Route and Duration

Expedition Route. Map showing the expedition route is placed at enclosure-II. The team would be flagged off from New Delhi and fly to Santiago (Chile). Thereafter, the team would proceed to Punta Arenas, which is a port town of Chile, from where most of the flights to Antarctica are operated. From Punta Arenas, the team would fly to the Last Degree (89 deg South) and then undertake a ski traverse of about 180 Km to the South Pole, to reach the Amundsen-Scott Base (USA). The team may stay at the base for a few days, if acceptable to the Base authorities, before returning to Punta Arenas by air.

Duration

South Pole is generally attempted during the “southern summer”, i.e. Nov – Jan. The Indian Navy expedition is proposed to be undertaken from Nov 06 – Jan 07. The overall duration, from Punta Arenas to South Pole and back to Punta Arenas, is expected to require 25 days.

Weather

Over and above everything else, the extreme weather makes an Antarctica expedition unique and fraught with great danger. The average “summer” temperature is minus 30 degrees Celsius and winds of 30 – 40 knots are constant factors. It may be appreciated that such high winds result in the already low temperatures being further aggravated due to the “wind chill factor”. Hence, the weather will play a very important role in the success of the expedition. Hence, arrangements will be made for obtaining the maximum possible daily weather data / predictions, from various agencies that are specialized in this field. Such inputs will also be obtained from the Amundsen-Scott base of the USA at the South Pole.

Summary

The proposed expedition would be a befitting tribute to the glorious past of the Indian Navy’s adventure related activities, and it would further catapult the Navy and the country to the ultimate shores of the adventure world.