The United States has maintained a continuous presence in Antarctica, conducting scientific research without asserting any territorial claims. The U.S. first established its presence on the continent in 1928 when Richard Byrd led an expedition. Since then, the U.S. has engaged in scientific studies relating to climate, geology, and biology, with permanent research stations supporting year-round operations.
History United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was a scientific and surveying expedition commissioned by the United States government to explore and chart the Pacific Ocean. The expedition explored Hampton Roads, Madeira, Rio de Janeiro, Tierra del Fuego, Valparaíso, Callao, Tahiti, Samoa, Sydney, Antarctica, Fiji, and the Hawaiian Islands.
The USS Flying Fish reached 70° latitude on 22 March 1839, in an area approximately north of what is now Thurston Island, near Cape Flying Fish and the Walker Mountains. The squadron later reunited with the USS Peacock in Valparaíso on May 10; however, the USS Sea Gull was reported missing. On June 6, the squadron arrived at San Lorenzo, off Callao, for repairs and resupply, while Charles Wilkes dispatched the USS Relief back to the United States on June 21. Departing South America on July 12, the expedition reached Reao in the Tuamotu Archipelago on August 13 and arrived in Tahiti on September 11, before departing on October 10.
The expedition continued its journey, visiting Samoa and New South Wales. In December 1839, the squadron set sail from Sydney into the Southern Ocean. On 16 January 1840, Henry Eld and William Reynolds, aboard the Peacock, sighted Eld Peak and Reynolds Peak along the George V Coast, marking what they believed to be the Antarctic continent. Three days later, on January 19, Reynolds identified Cape Hudson. On January 25, the USS Vincennes observed mountains behind the Cook Ice Shelf and later documented similar peaks at Piner Bay on January 30.
By February 12, the expedition had charted of Antarctic coastline, covering a region from 30' E. to 112° 16' 12"E. Wilkes formally declared that they had "discovered the Antarctic Continent." The area, later named Wilkes Land, includes Claire Land, Banzare Land, Sabrina Land, Budd Land, and Knox Land. In total, the expedition mapped approximately of Antarctic coastline, reaching as far west as 105° E, near the edge of Queen Mary Land, before turning northward on February 21.
Richard Byrd's expeditions (1928–1930, 1933-1934)
First Antarctic expedition (1928–1930) In 1928, Richard Byrd launched his first Antarctic expedition, utilizing two ships and three airplanes. His flagship, City of New York, was a former Norwegian sealing ship previously known as Samson, which some claimed was near the Titanic during its sinking. The second vessel, Eleanor Bolling, was named after Byrd's mother. The expedition's aircraft included a Ford Trimotor, Floyd Bennett, piloted by Dean Smith and named after Byrd's late colleague; a Fairchild FC-2W2, Stars and Stripes, now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center; and a Fokker Super Universal monoplane, Virginia, named after Byrd's home state. The team established "Little America", a base camp on the Ross Ice Shelf, and conducted scientific surveys using snowshoes, dog sleds, snowmobiles, and airplanes. To inspire youth engagement in polar exploration, Byrd selected 19-year-old Boy Scout Paul Allman Siple for the expedition. Siple later earned a doctorate and became the only person, aside from Byrd himself, to participate in all five of Byrd's Antarctic missions.
Throughout the summer, the expedition conducted photographic surveys and geological studies while maintaining constant radio communication with the outside world. After their first winter, their expeditions were resumed, and on 28 November 1929, the first flight to the South Pole and back was launched. Byrd, accompanied by pilot Bernt Balchen, co-pilot and radioman Harold June, and photographer Ashley McKinley, flew the Floyd Bennett on an 18-hour and 41-minute round-trip journey. The crew faced challenges in gaining sufficient altitude and were forced to jettison empty fuel tanks and emergency supplies to clear the Polar Plateau, but they ultimately succeeded in reaching the South Pole.
In November 1929, Byrd led a privately financed expedition and became the first to successfully fly over the South Pole. He was a strong proponent of using ski-equipped aircraft, despite the significant operational, logistical, and maintenance challenges they presented, which required the establishment of substantial onshore bases to support their use.
As a result of his achievement, Byrd was promoted to rear admiral by a special act of Congress on December 21, 1929. At 41 years old, he became the youngest person to hold this rank in U.S. Navy history.U.S. Navy Register, 1930. Byrd was one of only four individuals, including Admiral David Dixon Porter, Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Donald Baxter MacMillan, and Rear Admiral Frederic R. Harris, to be promoted directly to rear admiral without first serving as a captain.
After another summer of exploration, the expedition returned to North America on 18 June 1930. Unlike the 1926 flight, this expedition was awarded the gold medal of the American Geographical Society. Byrd's journey was also documented in the 1930 film With Byrd at the South Pole.
Byrd, now an internationally recognized polar explorer and aviator, served as Honorary National President of Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society in the social sciences, from 1931 to 1935. To symbolize the pursuit of knowledge and discovery, he carried the society's flag during his first Antarctic expedition.
To secure funding and build political and public support for his expeditions, Byrd maintained close relationships with influential figures, including President Franklin Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Vincent Astor. In recognition of their support, he named various geographic features in Antarctica after them.
Second Antarctic expedition (1933-1934)
During his second expedition in the Antarctic summer of 1933–1934 (winter in the Northern Hemisphere), Byrd spent five months alone at Advance Base, a remote meteorological station. He nearly perished from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a poorly ventilated stove. After detecting unusual radio transmissions from Byrd, his team at base camp attempted multiple rescue missions, initially hindered by darkness, heavy snow, and mechanical failures. Eventually, Thomas Poulter, E. J. Demas, and Amory Waite reached Advance Base and found Byrd in poor health. They remained with him until October 12, when an aircraft evacuated Byrd and Poulter, while the others returned to base camp using a tractor. Byrd later recounted the ordeal in his autobiography Alone.Byrd, 1938, Byrd Autobiography
During the Antarctic summer, daylight was prolonged, with evenings in twilight. Inside the expedition headquarters, Byrd marked the passage of time on a large wall calendar.Byrd, 1938, Byrd Autobiography, p. 81 A CBS radio station, KFZ, was established aboard the expedition's base camp ship, Bear of Oakland, broadcasting The Adventures of Admiral Byrd via shortwave to Buenos Aires and then relayed to New York.TheAdmiral Byrd Broadcasts The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 5. Sponsored by General Foods, the broadcasts aired on Saturday nights at 10:00 pm and reached #16 on the Hooper rating for the 1933-34 broadcast season, reaching an average audience of 19.1 million.
Byrd's expedition inspired a 1933 U.S. commemorative stamp issued by the Post Office, which helped raise funds for the mission. The Post Office collaborated with the expedition to sell philatelic covers, which were serviced at a temporary U.S. postal station established at Little America on October 6, 1933. Each piece of mail required at least one Byrd II 3-cent stamp, along with 53 cents in postage. Approximately 150,000 pieces of mail passed through the Antarctic post office between 1933 and 1934. Charles F. Anderson, a representative of the Postmaster General, was assigned to oversee the postal operations at Little America.Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Byrd Antarctic Expedition IIUnited States Postal Service, bulletin, 2004
In late 1938, Byrd visited Hamburg and was invited to join the 1938–1939 German "Neuschwabenland" Antarctic Expedition but declined. At the time, Germany was not at war with the United States, though Adolf Hitler had been serving as Führer since 1934 and would invade Poland the following year.
United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941)
The United States Antarctic Service Expedition was a government-sponsored research expedition to Antarctica, jointly supported by the United States Navy, the Department of the State, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of the Treasury. While primarily funded by the U.S. government, the expedition also received additional support through donations and contributions from private citizens, corporations, and institutions.
Richard Byrd contributed numerous supplies to the expedition, including the Bear of Oakland, which was commissioned as USS Bear (AG-29) on 11 September 1939. A second vessel, the USMS North Star, a 1,434-ton wooden ice ship built for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was provided by the Department of the Interior.
The expedition, consisting of 125 men, departed from the United States aboard two ships. Participants were primarily drawn from military ranks, civilian government agencies, and scientific institutions, with some volunteers employed by the Department of the Interior for $10 per month, which included food and clothing. Of the expedition members, 59 men, initially divided into three groups, wintered in Antarctica.
The objectives of the expedition were outlined in an order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt dated 25 November 1939. The plan called for establishing two bases: East Base, near Charcot Island, Alexander I Land, or Marguerite Bay if necessary, and West Base, near King Edward VII Land or, if infeasible, at the Bay of Whales near Little America. Additionally, the expedition aimed to map the continental coastline between the 72°W and 148°W meridians. Despite the challenges of Antarctic exploration, most of the expedition's objectives were successfully achieved.
The team also brought an M2A2 Light Tank and a T3E4 Carrier for testing in polar conditions. While both vehicles performed well, their weight made them impractical for the terrain, leading to their abandonment. The expedition also deployed the Antarctic Snow Cruiser, an ambitious but unsuccessful vehicle designed for polar exploration. Featuring several innovative elements, it struggled to function effectively in the harsh Antarctic conditions and was eventually abandoned. Rediscovered in 1958, it is now believed to have been lost when the ice floe it rested on broke off and melted.
Among the expedition's crew was George Washington Gibbs Jr., the first African American to set foot on Antarctica. Serving as a Mess Attendant 1st Class aboard USS Bear, he also worked as a cook and assisted with various expedition tasks.
Due to rising international tensions, it was deemed prudent to evacuate the two bases rather than relieve the current personnel with new teams. The hope was that the bases might one day be reoccupied, so an abundance of equipment and supplies was left behind as the two ships departed from West Base on 1 February 1941. The evacuation of East Base was completed by March 22, and both ships left immediately afterward. The USMS North Star arrived in Boston on May 5, followed by the USS Bear on May 18.