For the historians in the
bunch, a
table showing OIC's as I have them listed, based on cover signings and upon information received
from former naval personnel who were part of the unit or had direct
knowledge of the staff assigned. Updated September 2009.
There has
been some discussion in the mailing list as to when the last
actual personnel departed Nukey Poo. One other clue might be
that Captain Henry Church, Master of the USNS Maumee, T-AO
149, posted
philatelic covers from his vessel, from 17038 Branch for Operation Deep Freeze
1976, using the PM-3A penguin cachet and some 1-line markings
from that vessel. I have not seen any further marking or
cachets from 1976 forward, so I think that marked the end as far as
philatelic documentation went. Beginning during Operation Deep
Freeze '73, the unit was being dismantled/decommissioned, and it appears it
was finally decommissioned in 1980. There could have been private mail
of course (non-philatelic), but no more cacheted mail, to my
knowledge.
If
you have better information about the decommissioning, please e-mail me. I have recently
received some very helpful information from a former plant superintendent at
PM-3A, and I have posted some additional data at the Polar Philately Yahoo
Group for those that have more interest. Look under the files
section, for a Word 2000 document entitled "PM-3A". You have
to be a member of the Yahoo group to access the data. If you are not a
member and would like the document for research, or for your personal
records, please e-mail
me.
Special thanks to CWO3 Jon Wylie, CEC, USN, Ret., Bill Bushall,
Lee Larson, HMCS, USN, Ret.,
Arthur Tate and MSG Ronald E. Violette, USA, Ret., for their contributions to my PM-3A information
and research.
Some background
information about PM-3A came from the U.S. Navy publication entitled "History
of the PM-3A Nuclear Power Plant McMurdo Station, Antarctica",
publication Number NEESA 6-001, published by the Naval Energy and
Environmental Support Activity, Port Hueneme, CA 93043. (Public
Domain document)
Concerns raised about
radiation exposure from PM-3A. Did you serve there?
Bibliography
of sources about PM-3A Nuclear Concerns: