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Phaeton Missions
Northwest Passage mission team


MISSION PERSONNEL:

Dr. David West Reynolds, Ph.D
Mission Commander

Capt. Matt Bliss
First Officer

Alex Ivanov
Lead Photographer

Hugh Williams,P.E.
Engineer


Northwest Passage

Phaeton Journeys Into Arctic Aboard Icebreaker


Phaeton Polar Team emblem

October 30, 2007--The Phaeton Ice Corps arctic field team carried out a successful mission to the Northwest Passage aboard the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent, after reaching the settlement of Resolute at almost 75 degrees north. "Thanks to the extraordinary support afforded us by Capt. Klebert and his first-class crew, we were able to accomplish much more than we expected," says Phaeton mission leader Dr. David West Reynolds. "We were able to take advantage of several locations en route for special helicopter photography and shore party landings. The Louis also put in at Terror Bay so that we could visit the graves of the Franklin expedition, which was a sobering experience."

Reynolds says he was impressed with the territory, and with the vessel that carried the Phaeton team through the Canadian archipelago. "The Arctic delivered a full measure of its spectacle and beauty, from sea ice to fantastic solar phenomena, and we pressed ourselves to explore and experience every bit of it that we could." The Phaeton team even shot video from a vantage point on the helicopter's skid. "Aboard the icebreaker," Reynolds continues, "my team and I studied and photo-documented the vessel from stem to stern, from the bow compartments to the engine room, thanks to the help of Chief Engineer Mark Cusack and his staff. Our study greatly deepened our appreciation for this world-class ship, which rightly carries the title 'Queen of the fleet' in the Canadian Coast Guard."

The Ice Corps team members are all now returned home, but the mission is not over. The final phase has just begun, in which the experience will be translated into communications and reports for print, video, and online media, as well as lecture presentations. "We are loaded down with imagery, footage, and information. Alex [Ivanov, the mission's lead photographer] did an incredible job with the primary stills alone. We will be busy processing and organizing all this material over the next couple of weeks," says Reynolds. Expanded coverage on this web site is planned, and Dr. Reynolds will prepare an illustrated lecture for public talks. [Ed. note--Dr. Reynolds' first Arctic lecture is scheduled at the University of Michigan, for March 27, 2008. Icebreaker lecture details]

"The Northwest Passage is fascinating from a historical standpoint," Reynolds says, "but of course today there is special interest in the global warming issue and the light which the dramatic Passage developments shed on the debates. However, in my opinion the strategic and geopolitical implications of an open Arctic are at least as interesting, and potentially just as significant."

UPDATE Jan. 26, 2008: New images added to the Gallery (at right). Full captions offer an account of the Phaeton journey through the Arctic.



DWR shooting video from inside helicpter as it flies past
Helicopter scouting

Broken ice in strait
Broken floes in Bellott Strait

Icebreaker on open water
Open Water in Northwest Passage

Zodiac landing craft
Shore party transfer

Matt with radio in Arctic Bay
Summoning landing craft


Saluting graves on Terror Bay

Desert-like seas with unformed ice
Strange seas of unformed ice

Brilliant solar phenomenon display
Solar phenomenon



Northwest Passage Preparations
Mission announcement


 

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