OPERATION DEEPFREEZE: Rare Private Photos of an Antarctic Expedition with Admiral Byrd

This is an introduction to a series of private photos shot in 1955 by my grandmother’s brother (my great uncle). Now nearly 90 years old, he traveled to Antarctica with the United States Navy on the USS Arneb for Operation DeepFreeze, with the infamous Rear Admiral Richard Byrd.

If you know anything about Admiral Byrd and his stories, his trips to the poles, and the strange circumstances surrounding these missions - or hold any interest in Antarctica - these amazing full-color photos taken nearly 65 years ago will be of great entertainment to you.

The seal of Operation DeepFreeze (actual original photo)

I’ll begin with his intro, as told by himself.

“Operation DeepFreeze 1 was the first of several trips to setup and maintain a group of bases on Antarctica, for the 1957 -1958 international geophysical year. Rear Admiral Richard Byrd was in charge of the operation. Rear Admiral George J. Dufek was commander of Task Force 43. The USS Arneb (AKA-56) participated as the Flag Ship for Task Force 43.”

Byrd (hand raised) shaking hands with Dufek, the Arneb’s Captain before departure

He also mentioned the following:

“There was much more to the mission than pictured here.... but my pictures were confined to the Arneb, and immediate surroundings.”

I have some truly amazing photos to share with you all. They’re superb quality, and tell an amazing story of the journey to this mysterious land. If you’re interested in seeing more of the photos, please give this an upvote and a follow me. I’ll post some more of this journey tomorrow. I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

There is probably nobody else in the world who is still alive and has any other photos available of this mission. My grandmother’s brother was a skilled photographer by hobby, and had an excellent camera for this point in time - which will be apparent throughout this series. If you’re not familiar with who Rear Admiral Richard Byrd is, I suggest you familiarize yourself. This is quite the story.

.......to be continued

(all photos used are sourced from and credited to my great uncle, L. Miller)