Antarctic Command

Finn Ronne, a legendary name in Antarctic exploration, was chosen by the United States Navy to command the Ellsworth Station during the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year expedition to the bottom of the world. As Ronne prepared for the trip which would place him and thirty-eight men of mixed civilian and military status in a situation demanding great physical and mental stamina, he ran into the typical shortcomings and red tape of a government-sponsored expedition. Only when it was too late was it apparent that too much attention had been placed on materiel and not enough on personnel. Antarctic Command provides an engrossing account of the bravery and weakness of men under tension, men stripped of civilization, men who discover that the twentieth century has sheathed them from physical danger only to expose them to the tortures of nervous emotional chaos. This is the saga of thirty-nine men living under rigorous, disturbing conditions and isolated for months in a white hell of subzero weather in seemingly endless night. Antarctic Command tells of the breathtaking sea trip as the expedition approached the South Pole through the tempestuous waters off the Straits of Magellan and into the jamming ice of the Weddell Sea. It relates the frustration of setting up camp in a race against the oncoming ferocity of the Antarctic winter. It tells of extravagance and laziness interlaced with gallantry and wisdom. The exhilarating beauties of the Antarctic come to life as Captain Ronne records the swirling magnificence of the phenomenal Aurora Australis, the vast stretches of white wilderness pocked with death traps, the glee of the penguin, and the constant terror of the killer whale lurking in the ice pack. He cites the productive work of the men of the expedition and their contributions to scientific knowledge which will benefit mankind for years to come. The greatest enemy to the success of this scientific expedition came from within the minds of the men themselves. Ronne reports the ever-growing tensions of men in isolation, the human frictions which feed on indolence, the petty jealousies growing into dangerous disciplinary situations. This study of the inter-relationships of men in extreme conditions of stress and isolation is a valuable extension of our knowledge of the subject.