COAST GUARD COMPLETES MISSION
TO NORTH POLE
October 29, 2007
Monday AM
BARROW, Alaska - The Coast Guard successfully reached the North
Pole Thursday as a test of its ability to operate in the Arctic
region.
The 1,100 mile flight aboard
a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane originated in Barrow at
8:30 a.m., and reached the North Pole at 12:32 p.m., AST. As
the airplane headed north the sun rose off the aircraft's right
side, but then descended below the horizon as the airplane reached
higher latitudes. The sun rose again as the aircraft headed toward
Barrow.
Lieutenant Tommy Wallin,
aircraft commander, left, and lieutenant Bill Sportsman, copilot,
nod to each other as they cross the North Pole Thursday. The
flight was more than 1,100 miles one way from Barrow and took
more than eight hours.
Official U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kurt
Fredrickson
Although the inside of the aircraft was kept at a comfortable
temperature for the 21 passengers and crew, temperatures outside
reached -40 degrees. To navigate the crew relied on GPS navigation,
as magnetic compasses had a fluctuating variation of more than
70 degrees.
The 21 passengers and
crew of Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane 1703 stand for a
group photo after successfully reaching the North Pole Thursday.
The airplane and crew are from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.
Official U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Kurt
Fredrickson
As the aircraft crossed and circled 90 degrees north longitude
157 degrees west latitude, the North Pole, it briefly traveled
into Friday before returning to Thursday. Before departing for
Barrow the aircraft circled the pole and passed through every
time zone, briefly making it the fastest moving object on the
planet.
Coast Guard history in the
Arctic dates back to the 1860s when the first Lighthouse Service
Tender was deployed to the region. Thursdays trip to the North
Pole was the first time the Coast Guard has reached 90 degrees
north in a C-130 exclusively for the purpose of Arctic Domain
Awareness.
Related news:
COAST GUARD CONDUCTING FIRST NORTH
POLE FLIGHT - The U.S.
Coast Guard announced a C-130 departed Barrow, Alaska today to
fly 1,183 miles to the North Pole as part of an increase in Arctic
orientation flights. The crew, which will include a representative
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and
the Barrow community, will assess changes in maritime activity
in the region as recently observed climate changes provide greater
access to the Arctic. - More...
Source of News:
United States Coast Guard
www.uscg.mil
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