Cape Hallett is a snow-free area (Antarctic oasis) on the northern tip of theHallett Peninsula on theRoss Sea coast ofVictoria Land,East Antarctica.Cape Adare lies 100 km (62 mi) to the north. Cape Hallet was the site of a former scientific base built for the International Geophysical Year, and also the site of a fatal 1957 aviation accident; a transport aircraft on its way toMcMurdo Station crashed into a mountain.
In 1956, duringOperation Deep Freeze II,USS Arneb was damaged by an ice floe at Cape Hallett.
On 16 October 1958, aDouglas C-124C Globemaster II (52-1017) of theUSAF crashed into a 3200-foot mountain near Cape Hallett Bay while maneuvering, killing 7 of the 13 occupants. The Globemaster was on anairdrop flight fromChristchurch toMcMurdo Station and other navigational errors had occurred prior to the crash.[1]
Hallett Station | |
|---|---|
  Hallett Station Location inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:72°19′06″S170°12′35″E / 72.3182°S 170.2096°E /-72.3182; 170.2096 (Hallett Station) | |
| Established | 1956 (1956) |
| Dismantled | 1973 (1973) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Administration |
| • Body | IGY, United States, New Zealand |
| Active times | All year-round until 1964, every summer until 1975 |
The cape was the location of a joint scientific base, Hallett Station, between the United States and New Zealand during theInternational Geophysical Year of 1957.[citation needed] New ZealanderRobert B. Thomson was scientific leader at the station in 1960. He later became officer-in-charge atWilkes Station in 1962, and deputy leader atScott Base in 1963-64.Thomson Peak, in the Mirabito Range,Victoria Land, was named after him.[2]
Hallett Station was manned permanently until 1964, when there was a major fire, and was then used as a summer only base until 1973. A project has been started toremediate the site by removing hazardous materials such as fuel, and oil stored in several large tanks.[citation needed]
Hallett Station was one of seven bases that the United States built for the IGY, which also includedMcMurdo,Wilkes,Admundsen-Scott,Ellsworth,Byrd, andLittle America. Of these, only McMurdo and Admundsen-Scott are still being operated by 2022.[3]
An area of 74 ha is protected under theAntarctic Treaty System asAntarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No.106 because it contains habitats with a rich and diverse range of plant communities that are the most extensive and representative examples known at the northern end of the latitudinal gradient of Victoria Land and the Ross Sea. Surveys have recorded 18 species oflichens and five species ofmosses, dominated byBryum subrotundifolium. Animals found at the site include, as well as four species ofmites and three ofspringtails,breeding colonies ofsouth polar skuas andAdélie penguins.[4]
A largeAdélie penguin colony occupiesSeabee Hook, on the west side of Hallett Peninsula betweenMoubray Bay andEdisto Inlet. The history of human impact on the colony through the occupation of Hallett Station, and the subsequent closure of the station, together with the availability of reliable historical data on colony population size, make the site unique and ideal for the study of impacts on, and recovery of, the colony after substantial ecosystem disturbance.[4]
72°19′00″S170°16′00″E / 72.3166667°S 170.2666667°E /-72.3166667; 170.2666667
