Historical data: Table of OIC's at McMurdo Station PM-3A

Officer(s) in Charge, PM-3A

Naval Nuclear Power Detachment McMurdo

The first cover from "Nukey-Poo" I have is from 1967, but I am sure there were philatelic documentations prior to that. I always appreciate contributions of updated information! The following is from the list of Officers in Charge (OIC) PM-3A, from the official record published in 1982 of the personnel listing. Comments and footnotes reflect any other information received; in some instances reports I have been given by other naval personnel stationed there do not necessarily stand in exact agreement with the official record, and I have noted the "official" report of the OIC first, placing those names in bold type, and reports of other names secondly. Some of the names I have been given may have been summer crews, so that may account for the apparent discrepancy.

Deep Freeze Year	Officer in Charge/AOIC	Rank	Attached to:	Autograph on File?
1956-61	N/A ***
1962	T.J.Mitchell	LT	CEC, Crew 1	No
1963	R.P. Cope	LT	CEC, Crew 2	No
1964	Charles E. Fegley III @	LT	CEC, Crew 3	No
1965	W.G. Shafer	LCDR	CEC, Crew 4	No
1966	T.L. Boennighausen	LT	CEC, Crew 5	No
1967	L.K. Donovan	LCDR	CEC, Crew 6	Yes
1968	A.D. Kohler, Jr. Jim Kurtz ** (J.P. Kurtz) @	LCDR LT	CEC, Crew 7 CEC	No No
1969	Jim Kurtz ** R.R. Reynolds	LCDR LCDR	USN, Crew 8	Yes Yes
1970	R.R. Reynolds	LCDR	USN, Crew 9	Yes
1971	Albert A. Arcuni	LCDR	USN, Crew 10	Yes
1972	L.R. Bohning (sp?) Also given as J.R. Bohning; appears to be a typographical error	LCDR	CEC, Crew 11	Yes
1973	Jerry L. Schloredt (SEE NOTE) Tom C. Crane	LCDR LCDR	CECS CEC Crew 12	Yes No
1974	Richard Cox, AOIC (SEE NOTE) Tom C. Crane, OIC Jon W. Wylie, Plant Supt. *	UTCM LCDR CWO3	USN, Crew 13 CEC CEC	Yes No No
1975	John V. Filson $	LT	CEC	Yes
1976	John V. Filson	LT	CEC	Yes
1977	C. A. Johannesmeyer	LCDR	CEC	No
1978	C.A. Johannesmeyer	LCDR	CEC	No
1979	M.E. Foster $ W.A. Morrison	LT LTJG	CEC CEC	No
1980	DECOMMISSIONED

NOTE: DF '73 marked the start of the decommissioning with Crew 12; they defueled the reactor and began disassembly. DF '74 was the last winter-over crew. Names logged after DF '74 were noted as being part of the decommissioning crews as summer support functions only. As time allows, I will develop a separate table with the decommissioning crew OICs. PM-3A was staffed by Naval Seabees and Hospital Corpsman (HC), which clarifies an earlier misconception that HMCS might have been a foreign component. In fact, that designation is for Hospital Corpsman, Senior Chief Petty Officer. #

* Per a direct contact from Mr. Wylie, CWO3, CEC, USN, Ret., He reports Crane as being the OIC in 1974 and Wylie was the Plant Superintendent. Wylie was actually the one who signed and processed Philatelic mail that season... (for which we polar philatelists are very grateful!) I appreciate Mr. Wylie taking the time to write and update the record.

** Per information received from Mr. Arthur Tate, member of the winter-over crew that year (October 1968 to November 1969).

*** 1956-80, updated missing data per records from Billy-Ace Baker, USN, Retired.

$ Names updated by information from Bill Bushall, member of summer support 70-71, Winter-over 72-73.

# Per information from Lee Larson, HMCS, USN, (Ret.)

@ Per information received from Ronald E. Violette, MSG USA (Ret.), there were four Army personnel attached to each crew. He was attached 1964-1965 and 1968-1969, and he was one of two US Army personnel at PM3A who wintered-over twice.

I have posted a MS Word 2000 document at the Polar Philately Yahoo Groups page. It is a compilation that Wylie sent me, which is very detailed, and comes directly from data from Port Hueneme Naval Support Activity. It lists the plant superintendents for all years, as well as the DECOM crews. Thanks to all the contributors, present and future!

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