Fletcher's Ice Island
Encyclopedia
Fletcher's Ice Island or T-3 was an iceberg
discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O. Fletcher
. Between 1952 and 1978 it was used as a manned scientific
research station
that included huts, a power plant, and a runway for wheeled aircraft
. The iceberg was a thick tabular sheet of glacial ice that drifted throughout the central Arctic Ocean in a clockwise direction. First inhabited in 1952 as an arctic weather report station
, it was abandoned in 1954 but reinhabited on two subsequent occasions. The station was inhabited mainly by scientists along with a few military crewmen and was resupplied during its existence primarily by military planes operating from Barrow, Alaska
. The iceberg was later occupied by the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, and served as a base of operations for the Navy's arctic research projects such as sea bottom and ocean swell studies, seismographic activities, metrological studies and other classified projects under the direction of the Department of Defense
. Before the era of satellites, the research station on T-3 had been a valuable site for measurements of the atmosphere in the Arctic
.
, the iceberg T-3 was a very large tabular iceberg. This 7 by 3 mile kidney-shaped iceberg was discovered near the North Pole
by researchers studying the Arctic
haze during the spring and summer. Although the thickness of the iceberg was 125 feet and it weighed over seven billion tons, it rose only ten feet above the surrounding ice packs and was virtually indistinguishable from the pack ice at any distance.
The temporary station consisting of insulated huts was first assembled by the U.S. Military, and by the end of May, 1957, a 1500-meter-long runway and most of the station's 26 Jamesway
huts had been completed, allowing the commencing of scientific operations. A team of scientists led by Alfred P. Crary arrived later and performed numerous scientific investigations including hydrographic
measurements, seismic soundings, and meteorological observations. In general, 25- to 30-man military crews and scientists manned the camp at any one time.
The resupply was mostly operated during the winter period while the runway was suitable for aircraft landing. This also indicated operating during the most severe weather conditions, such as very low ceilings and prevailing reduced visibility. Accurate weather forecasting was not available until much later, due to the absence of reporting stations and the distance to travel over remote arctic wastes. Winds in excess of 45 knots and temperatures below minus 30° Fahrenheit had also been recorded at both stations during resupply operations. Resupply for T-3 was hampered by a mix of varying obstacles. Due to the iceberg's constantly moving location, resupply had to be operated from two air bases Point Barrow, Alaska and Thule Air Base
, Greenland
. At that time, flights were conducted without navigational aids, and the aircraft landing on the constantly moving iceberg T-3 was performed solely by dead reckoning
and celestial
grid navigation, which was often hampered by long periods of twilight
which prevented celestial observation. Also, because the nearest alternate air bases were 475 miles (764.4 km) away, potential in-flight emergencies could result in fatal outcomes. In this regard, pilots and their crews had to calculate cargo and fuel loads precisely to insure not only a safe landing but also a safe return from the iceberg.
were being implemented on daily basis. During the reconnaissance flights, several large icebergs were discovered, and the following year of 1952, the Alaska Air Command established a project in order to establish a weather station on one of the icebergs and conduct geophysical and oceanographic research. Joseph O. Fletcher
, who was the Commanding Officer of a U.S. Air Force weather squadron stationed in the Arctic right after the World War II, was placed in charge of the entire project.
In March 1952, Thule Air Base
sent C-47 aircraft to T-3, and several research stations were installed on the iceberg's flat surface. The stations were abandoned in May 1954, when the weather observations were deemed redundant, but were reoccupied from April to September 1955. In April 1957, the station "ALPHA" was installed on the iceberg, which was the first long-term scientific base in the Arctic operated by a Western country. However, at the time of its establishment, the Soviets had already operated six drifting iceberg stations of this kind.
In April 1958, several large crackings were observed around the ALPHA, and the station was forced to relocate itself 2 km away from its original location. In August 1958, after the US Submarine USS Skate
made a visit to the station ALPHA, the surrounding ice ground began cracking and ridging again, so the station was finally abandoned in November 1958. However, the U.S. Department of Defense still had interest in continuing research in the Arctic. In April 1959, another scientific station named "CHARLIE" (also named as ALPHA II) was established by the Alaska Air Command with assistance from the Navy's Arctic Research Laboratory. Scientific research activity was conducted from June 1959 to January 1960. When the ice floe cracked and shortened the runway sufficiently to terminate aircraft resupply operations, station CHARLIE had to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, on 7 March 1957, with several 42 feet (12.8 m) commercial house trailers, the Northeast Air Command
established a station called "BRAVO" on the iceberg. The reoccupied T-3 continued to drift off the northern Canadian coastline, eventually arriving Alaska
waters by July 1959, where air support responsibilities were transferred to Alaskan bases. In May 1960, the ice island drifted aground at near Wainwright, Alaska
, terminating several geophysical research programs. The following year in October, the station was abandoned again, but the site was left intact for possible future use. As U.S. Navy was still eager to continue Arctic
based operations, the Arctic Research Laboratory planned to install a new station to replace the former station CHARLIE. However, this intention was balked at the costs required to charter a C-47 for the installation. Instead, following September an icebreaker USS Burton Island (AGB-1) was employed to transport the equipment, and the Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station I (known as ARLIS I) was constructed in under 40 hours. Although ARLIS I was designed to support eight scientists and four technical personnel, the station never achieved a full potential. As the iceberg drifted westward, small aircraft(Cessna 180
) were employed for resupplying the station. However, upon approaching the range limit of these aircraft, the station was evacuated in March 1961.
A more permanent drifting ice station was desired for the second Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station (ARLIS II), but with T-3 grounded, a tentative site on an ice floe was selected. However, during its deployment in May 1961 the ice ground began breaking up in large scale, and the Navy found another 3.5 by 1.5 mile iceberg north of Point Barrow
. In next 22 days, with C-47 Skytrain
, all of the equipment to outfit the 14 prefabricated buildings was transported to the newly discovered iceberg. Scientific operations restarted in 23 May 1961 and continued all the way into 11 May 1965. Resupply of ARLIS II during the first year was carried out by airdrops from large aircraft such as Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar and C-47 Skytrain
, and also by the icebreaker USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
twice in the summer.
Between 1962 and 1964, as the iceberg drifted farther north, away from Barrow
and across the Arctic Ocean
, resupply from Alaska
became a difficult operation. While station ARLIS II was drifting away from Barrow, the iceberg T-3 was rediscovered in February 1962 over 100 miles north of where it had been previously observed. The Arctic Research Laboratory reoccupied the iceberg, refurbished the abandoned buildings, and re-established the station which previously served as a second drifting station and a fuel depot for the flights to the station ARLIS II. In December 1963, the station ARLIS II reached the most northern point of its journey and eventually drifted out through the Fram Strait
with the East Greenland Current
. During this period, supply operations was proceeded by Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland
.
After 47 months and 18 days of continuous operation, ARLIS II was evacuated in May 1965 by the icebreaker USCGC Edisto (WAGB-284)
. The station hosted 14 different research projects, including 337 personnel. Upon completion of major restoration of ARLIS II, a full occupation of T-3 by the Arctic Research Laboratory was initiated in September 1965. And by this time, the iceberg had completely circled the Beaufort Gyre
. Meanwhile, while the ARLIS II and T-3 ice stations were occupied, the Arctic Research Laboratory established two temporary drift stations northeast of Barrow
primarily for scientific studies of telluric
currents, geomagnetic variation, micropulsations, and aurora
. ARLIS III was established in 10 February 1964 and was evacuated in 16 May 1964, while ARLIS IV operated between February and May 1965. The station remained active until 1 Oct 1974, and it was last visited in 1979. After being satellite-monitored for over 30 years, the iceberg eventually drifted through the Fram Strait
in 1983.
monitoring had been employed to keep track of the iceberg T-3 since it was abandoned, but meteorologists had lost track of it in the fall of 1982. A request was made to the NOAA flight research team to keep an eye out for T-3.
On July 3, 1983, the Associated Press
reported U.S. scientists had rediscovered the iceberg after it had been missing for six months. Dave Turner, an experienced NOAA pilot who was one of the last persons to observe T-3, reported that the ice floe was found about 150 miles from the North Pole
. T-3 was easily spotted, as its surface was distinctly decorated by remaining structures of a C-47 aircraft wrecked years before. At the time of discovery, the iceberg was about one-third of its original thickness. It is estimated that sometime after July 1983, the iceberg eventually worked its way to the outside of the Arctic
ice pack, where it caught a southern current, drifting off into the Atlantic Ocean
and finally melted away.
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O. Fletcher
Joseph O. Fletcher
Joseph Otis Fletcher was an American Air Force pilot and polar explorer.-Biography:Born outside of Ryegate, Montana, the family moved to Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Fletcher started studying at the University of Oklahoma and then continued his studies in meteorology at the MIT. After...
. Between 1952 and 1978 it was used as a manned scientific
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
research station
Research station
A research station is a station built for the purpose of conducting scientific research. Research station sites might include outer space and oceans. Many nations have research stations in Antarctica; Showa Station, Halley and Troll are examples...
that included huts, a power plant, and a runway for wheeled aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. The iceberg was a thick tabular sheet of glacial ice that drifted throughout the central Arctic Ocean in a clockwise direction. First inhabited in 1952 as an arctic weather report station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, it was abandoned in 1954 but reinhabited on two subsequent occasions. The station was inhabited mainly by scientists along with a few military crewmen and was resupplied during its existence primarily by military planes operating from Barrow, Alaska
Barrow, Alaska
Barrow is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one of the northernmost cities in the world and is the northernmost city in the United States of America, with nearby Point Barrow being the nation's northernmost point. Barrow's population was 4,212 at the...
. The iceberg was later occupied by the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory, and served as a base of operations for the Navy's arctic research projects such as sea bottom and ocean swell studies, seismographic activities, metrological studies and other classified projects under the direction of the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. Before the era of satellites, the research station on T-3 had been a valuable site for measurements of the atmosphere in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
.
Overview
Produced by the northern coast of Ellesmere IslandEllesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, the iceberg T-3 was a very large tabular iceberg. This 7 by 3 mile kidney-shaped iceberg was discovered near the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
by researchers studying the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
haze during the spring and summer. Although the thickness of the iceberg was 125 feet and it weighed over seven billion tons, it rose only ten feet above the surrounding ice packs and was virtually indistinguishable from the pack ice at any distance.
The temporary station consisting of insulated huts was first assembled by the U.S. Military, and by the end of May, 1957, a 1500-meter-long runway and most of the station's 26 Jamesway
Jamesway
Jamesway was a chain of discount department stores based in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was founded in 1961 with a store in Jamestown, New York, and at its peak operated 138 stores in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions....
huts had been completed, allowing the commencing of scientific operations. A team of scientists led by Alfred P. Crary arrived later and performed numerous scientific investigations including hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
measurements, seismic soundings, and meteorological observations. In general, 25- to 30-man military crews and scientists manned the camp at any one time.
The resupply was mostly operated during the winter period while the runway was suitable for aircraft landing. This also indicated operating during the most severe weather conditions, such as very low ceilings and prevailing reduced visibility. Accurate weather forecasting was not available until much later, due to the absence of reporting stations and the distance to travel over remote arctic wastes. Winds in excess of 45 knots and temperatures below minus 30° Fahrenheit had also been recorded at both stations during resupply operations. Resupply for T-3 was hampered by a mix of varying obstacles. Due to the iceberg's constantly moving location, resupply had to be operated from two air bases Point Barrow, Alaska and Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. At that time, flights were conducted without navigational aids, and the aircraft landing on the constantly moving iceberg T-3 was performed solely by dead reckoning
Dead reckoning
In navigation, dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position by using a previously determined position, or fix, and advancing that position based upon known or estimated speeds over elapsed time, and course...
and celestial
Celestial navigation
Celestial navigation, also known as astronavigation, is a position fixing technique that has evolved over several thousand years to help sailors cross oceans without having to rely on estimated calculations, or dead reckoning, to know their position...
grid navigation, which was often hampered by long periods of twilight
Twilight
Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise or between sunset and dusk, during which sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The sun itself is not directly visible because it is below...
which prevented celestial observation. Also, because the nearest alternate air bases were 475 miles (764.4 km) away, potential in-flight emergencies could result in fatal outcomes. In this regard, pilots and their crews had to calculate cargo and fuel loads precisely to insure not only a safe landing but also a safe return from the iceberg.
History 1946–1965
Iceberg T-3 had once been reported to have identified during the World War II, but there are several conflicting reports in regard to when the iceberg was actually "discovered". Concerned about Soviet postwar activities in the Arctic, the U.S. Air Force initiated B-29 reconnaissance flights over the Arctic region beginning in 1946, and, by 1951, the reconnaissance trips to the North PoleNorth Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
were being implemented on daily basis. During the reconnaissance flights, several large icebergs were discovered, and the following year of 1952, the Alaska Air Command established a project in order to establish a weather station on one of the icebergs and conduct geophysical and oceanographic research. Joseph O. Fletcher
Joseph O. Fletcher
Joseph Otis Fletcher was an American Air Force pilot and polar explorer.-Biography:Born outside of Ryegate, Montana, the family moved to Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Fletcher started studying at the University of Oklahoma and then continued his studies in meteorology at the MIT. After...
, who was the Commanding Officer of a U.S. Air Force weather squadron stationed in the Arctic right after the World War II, was placed in charge of the entire project.
In March 1952, Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
sent C-47 aircraft to T-3, and several research stations were installed on the iceberg's flat surface. The stations were abandoned in May 1954, when the weather observations were deemed redundant, but were reoccupied from April to September 1955. In April 1957, the station "ALPHA" was installed on the iceberg, which was the first long-term scientific base in the Arctic operated by a Western country. However, at the time of its establishment, the Soviets had already operated six drifting iceberg stations of this kind.
In April 1958, several large crackings were observed around the ALPHA, and the station was forced to relocate itself 2 km away from its original location. In August 1958, after the US Submarine USS Skate
USS Skate
Three submarines of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Skate, named for a type of ray.*The first Skate was an F-class that sank in March 1915 off Pearl Harbor....
made a visit to the station ALPHA, the surrounding ice ground began cracking and ridging again, so the station was finally abandoned in November 1958. However, the U.S. Department of Defense still had interest in continuing research in the Arctic. In April 1959, another scientific station named "CHARLIE" (also named as ALPHA II) was established by the Alaska Air Command with assistance from the Navy's Arctic Research Laboratory. Scientific research activity was conducted from June 1959 to January 1960. When the ice floe cracked and shortened the runway sufficiently to terminate aircraft resupply operations, station CHARLIE had to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, on 7 March 1957, with several 42 feet (12.8 m) commercial house trailers, the Northeast Air Command
Northeast Air Command
The Northeast Air Command was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United States established during World War II in Northeast Canada,...
established a station called "BRAVO" on the iceberg. The reoccupied T-3 continued to drift off the northern Canadian coastline, eventually arriving Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
waters by July 1959, where air support responsibilities were transferred to Alaskan bases. In May 1960, the ice island drifted aground at near Wainwright, Alaska
Wainwright, Alaska
Wainwright or Ulguniq or Kuuk is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 546, making it the third largest city in the North Slope Borough. The community was named after Wainwright Lagoon, which in turn was named an officer under Capt. F.W....
, terminating several geophysical research programs. The following year in October, the station was abandoned again, but the site was left intact for possible future use. As U.S. Navy was still eager to continue Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
based operations, the Arctic Research Laboratory planned to install a new station to replace the former station CHARLIE. However, this intention was balked at the costs required to charter a C-47 for the installation. Instead, following September an icebreaker USS Burton Island (AGB-1) was employed to transport the equipment, and the Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station I (known as ARLIS I) was constructed in under 40 hours. Although ARLIS I was designed to support eight scientists and four technical personnel, the station never achieved a full potential. As the iceberg drifted westward, small aircraft(Cessna 180
Cessna 180
The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as bush...
) were employed for resupplying the station. However, upon approaching the range limit of these aircraft, the station was evacuated in March 1961.
A more permanent drifting ice station was desired for the second Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station (ARLIS II), but with T-3 grounded, a tentative site on an ice floe was selected. However, during its deployment in May 1961 the ice ground began breaking up in large scale, and the Navy found another 3.5 by 1.5 mile iceberg north of Point Barrow
Point Barrow
Point Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska, northeast of Barrow. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States, at...
. In next 22 days, with C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, all of the equipment to outfit the 14 prefabricated buildings was transported to the newly discovered iceberg. Scientific operations restarted in 23 May 1961 and continued all the way into 11 May 1965. Resupply of ARLIS II during the first year was carried out by airdrops from large aircraft such as Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar and C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, and also by the icebreaker USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278)
USCGC Staten Island was a United States Coast Guard . Laid down on 9 June 1942 and launched on 28 December 1942, the ship was commissioned on 26 February 1944, and almost immediately afterward transferred to the Soviet Union, under the Lend Lease program, under the name Severny Veter, which...
twice in the summer.
Between 1962 and 1964, as the iceberg drifted farther north, away from Barrow
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
and across the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, resupply from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
became a difficult operation. While station ARLIS II was drifting away from Barrow, the iceberg T-3 was rediscovered in February 1962 over 100 miles north of where it had been previously observed. The Arctic Research Laboratory reoccupied the iceberg, refurbished the abandoned buildings, and re-established the station which previously served as a second drifting station and a fuel depot for the flights to the station ARLIS II. In December 1963, the station ARLIS II reached the most northern point of its journey and eventually drifted out through the Fram Strait
Fram Strait
The Fram Strait is a passage from the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea, between Greenland and Spitsbergen. It is named after the Norwegian ship Fram. The Fram Strait is the major connection between the Arctic Ocean and the world ocean....
with the East Greenland Current
East Greenland Current
The East Greenland Current is a cold, low salinity current that extends from Fram Strait to Cape Farewell . The current is located off the eastern coast of Greenland along the Greenland continental margin. The current cuts through the Nordic Seas and through the Denmark Strait...
. During this period, supply operations was proceeded by Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
After 47 months and 18 days of continuous operation, ARLIS II was evacuated in May 1965 by the icebreaker USCGC Edisto (WAGB-284)
USCGC Edisto (WAGB-284)
The USS Edisto was a in the service of the United States Navy which was later transferred to the United States Coast Guard as USCGC Edisto ...
. The station hosted 14 different research projects, including 337 personnel. Upon completion of major restoration of ARLIS II, a full occupation of T-3 by the Arctic Research Laboratory was initiated in September 1965. And by this time, the iceberg had completely circled the Beaufort Gyre
Beaufort Gyre
The Beaufort Gyre is a wind driven ocean current located in the Arctic Ocean. The gyre contains both ice and water. It accumulates fresh water by the process of melting the ice floating on the surface of the water.-Studies:...
. Meanwhile, while the ARLIS II and T-3 ice stations were occupied, the Arctic Research Laboratory established two temporary drift stations northeast of Barrow
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
primarily for scientific studies of telluric
Telluric
Telluric may refer to several things related to the Earth:*Telluric planet, an Earth-like planet primarily composed of silicate rocks*Telluric current, a natural electrical current in the Earth's crust...
currents, geomagnetic variation, micropulsations, and aurora
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
. ARLIS III was established in 10 February 1964 and was evacuated in 16 May 1964, while ARLIS IV operated between February and May 1965. The station remained active until 1 Oct 1974, and it was last visited in 1979. After being satellite-monitored for over 30 years, the iceberg eventually drifted through the Fram Strait
Fram Strait
The Fram Strait is a passage from the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea and Norwegian Sea, between Greenland and Spitsbergen. It is named after the Norwegian ship Fram. The Fram Strait is the major connection between the Arctic Ocean and the world ocean....
in 1983.
Eventuality
SatelliteSatellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
monitoring had been employed to keep track of the iceberg T-3 since it was abandoned, but meteorologists had lost track of it in the fall of 1982. A request was made to the NOAA flight research team to keep an eye out for T-3.
On July 3, 1983, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported U.S. scientists had rediscovered the iceberg after it had been missing for six months. Dave Turner, an experienced NOAA pilot who was one of the last persons to observe T-3, reported that the ice floe was found about 150 miles from the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. T-3 was easily spotted, as its surface was distinctly decorated by remaining structures of a C-47 aircraft wrecked years before. At the time of discovery, the iceberg was about one-third of its original thickness. It is estimated that sometime after July 1983, the iceberg eventually worked its way to the outside of the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
ice pack, where it caught a southern current, drifting off into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and finally melted away.