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Stretch D8's in Antarctica

AllDodge

AllDodge

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D6 Merv said:
and more; last ones the dump ! :eek: yep set adrift to go splash, a D4; dump was all cleared up sometime after 84 afaik.View attachment 119456View attachment 119457View attachment 119458View attachment 119459
Click to expand...

I was on the USCGC Ice Breaker Burton (WAGB 283) Island for operation deep freeze in 1976. We went to Mcmurdo Sound and Point Barrow Alaska leading in and out tankers and cargo ships for the bases resupply. In this pic I can see how the ice is going away. There was next to none of the dirt showing when I was there. Hate the cold but would love to go back and see the ice one more time
 
AllDodge

AllDodge

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Probably wasn't a new pic, she was sold for scrape in April 1982. They DECOM'ed her in May of 1978, I left for another location in 1977. Commissioned 1966
BurtonIsland_1_sm.jpg
The ship was to go thru DECOM in in 1976 but had to keep her going because the Polar class Breakers (Start and Sea) were not ready yet. The Polar breakers need a lot of work for retrofit which keeps being postponed by congress. They either need to retrofit or replace
 
old-iron-habit

old-iron-habit

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Anybody know anything about the early warning station that was at Cold Bay, AK that was shut down about 1970. I'm fairly sure it was located above the Arctic Circle. My oldest brother was stationed there in the Air Force when it was abandoned and he claims after pushing everything into the sea that they couldn't easily send back, they set the throttles and sent the Cat and a forklift to a watery grave. He's is not machine inclined and has no idea what model the crawler was, only that it looked like new yet. Most of the base was carved under the ice. Only had 80 men in its heyday.
 
AllDodge

AllDodge

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Never heard anything about it, there have been rumors about such things but never found any facts. After working with the DoD for 28 years I can say there is all kinds of things that could be proven later and I would not be surprised. That said Cold Bay AK is in the Aleutian island south of AK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Bay,_Alaska
 
old-iron-habit

old-iron-habit

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I asked my brother about this again this morning. I was mistaken about it being at Cold Bay. They were managed and supported out of Cold Bay but the actual post was located somewhere about 500 miles north of the Aleutian Islands. He said they had a ice runway that typically had to be cleared for plane arrivals.
 
C

catman13

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there are 3 stretch d8 on anarticauction.com
if some one wants 1 or 2 now your chance
 
L

lantraxco

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Unless you had a museum, or a fetish for working on ice, what would you do with them? Would be nice to see them preserved though.....
 
Desertwheeler

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It's cool to see one going to a museum the other to a collector!
 
TrentNz

TrentNz

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They'd still be great as a LGP unit. and they'd have great traction so you never know they may have use elsewhere.
 
old-iron-habit

old-iron-habit

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The stretch D8 named Mary Ann will be at the Santa Margarita (CA) Memorial day show showing off her stuff and working as she always did. The show runs over Memorial Day weekend. Also old trains, battle tanks, antique military machines and equipment, and old warbirds are flying in for the show. Going to be a huge show. Lots of cats and cable scrapers and also a 660 will be working the cut. Lots of equipment already being moved in to behind the locked site. There is a website but I am not savey enough to post a link.

There was actually three stretch D8s that came back recently. Mary Ann went to a good friend and collector, Colleen is going to the Navy museum on the base where the auction was held, and Pam is unofficially reported to be going back to Peoria, presumably for the Cat museum that is being designed along with the new world headquarters.
 
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D6 Merv

D6 Merv

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Glad to hear they have all gone to good homes. Is 31years since I last touched and saw them on that funny cold white stuff :beatsmeD8 lgp 2.jpg Pam
 
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Garrie Denny

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That's all it would be,a story like peter-pan, Machine out the back of a plane. Where was Santa when all this was going on ????????????????
 
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