Cape Denison
Encyclopedia
Cape Denison is a rocky point at the head of Commonwealth Bay
in Antarctica. It was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
(1911–14) under Douglas Mawson
, who named it for Sir Hugh Denison of Sydney, a patron of the expedition. The cape was the site of the expedition's main base.
to be brought to Antarctica (in 1912) was stationed at Cape Denison, although it never took to the air on the continent because it was damaged before being shipped there. The aircraft, a Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane
(the first aircraft type to be built by Vickers
) was used briefly as a "propeller driven snow tractor" and then abandoned, as the pistons seized up due to the cold.
The remains of the fuselage are probably still buried under the ice near Mawsons Huts. The ice is 3m deep and the remains are about 30m from the edge of the harbour. An attempt will be made in December 2010 to excavate the site – a similar excavation in 2008 nearby did not find any remains, but since then more sophisticated equipment (magnetometer, ground penetrating radar, metal detector, differential gps, ice drilling) has been used and a more precise position found.
Commonwealth Bay
Commonwealth Bay is an open bay about 48 km wide at the entrance between Point Alden and Cape Gray in Antarctica. It was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Douglas Mawson, who established the main base of the expedition at Cape Denison at the head of the bay...
in Antarctica. It was discovered in 1912 by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition
Australasian Antarctic Expedition
The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was an Australasian scientific team that explored part of Antarctica between 1911 and 1914. It was led by the Australian geologist Douglas Mawson, who was knighted for his achievements in leading the expedition. In 1910 he began to plan an expedition to chart...
(1911–14) under Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson, OBE, FRS, FAA was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer and Academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton, Mawson was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.-Early work:He was appointed geologist to an...
, who named it for Sir Hugh Denison of Sydney, a patron of the expedition. The cape was the site of the expedition's main base.
First aeroplane in Antarctica
The first aeroplaneAir-tractor sledge
Sir Douglas Mawson's air-tractor sledge was a converted fixed-wing aircraft taken on the 1911–14 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, the first plane to be taken to the Antarctic. Expedition leader Douglas Mawson had planned to use the Vickers R.E.P...
to be brought to Antarctica (in 1912) was stationed at Cape Denison, although it never took to the air on the continent because it was damaged before being shipped there. The aircraft, a Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane
Vickers R.E.P. Type Monoplane
-References:* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0 85177 815 1.* ". Flight, 15 April 1911, p. 336.* . Flight, 29 July 1911, p. 663....
(the first aircraft type to be built by Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
) was used briefly as a "propeller driven snow tractor" and then abandoned, as the pistons seized up due to the cold.
Relic found on 1 January 2010
On New Year's Day, 2010, the carpenter of the latest expedition to Cape Denison came across small (150mm) pieces of the fuselage tubing in the harbour at a very low tide (January 2010 was a month with a 'blue moon'). The pieces found were cut from the final section of the airframe and constituted the fittings for the rudder. An attempt was made by Mawsons team to fabricate a metal ice rudder. This device replaced the original rudder (which did not work at the low speeds attained by the air tractor). The original rudder is preserved in Mawsons Hut at Cape Denison, while the ice rudder is in the Antarctic Division at Hobart, Tasmania.The remains of the fuselage are probably still buried under the ice near Mawsons Huts. The ice is 3m deep and the remains are about 30m from the edge of the harbour. An attempt will be made in December 2010 to excavate the site – a similar excavation in 2008 nearby did not find any remains, but since then more sophisticated equipment (magnetometer, ground penetrating radar, metal detector, differential gps, ice drilling) has been used and a more precise position found.