McMurdo Heavy Equipment Yard by Ella Derbyshire

Nikon D80's

Here is the parking lot outside the McMurdo Vehicle Maintenance Facility. You will notice that McMurdo has quite a variety of large vehicles.

McMurdo is the largest of the American Antarctic Stations. It is a travel hub for scientists and support personnel who deploy to Antarctica from Christchurch, New Zealand, which is 850 miles north of here. McMurdo is also the primary resupply center for South Pole and for most Antarctic field research camps.

Vehicles such as these are needed to support research efforts in Antarctica. The overland traverse, which brings fuel and supplies across Antarctica to South Pole and to remote field camps, uses rugged tractors and trailers that require a good deal of TLC in Antarctica's cold climate. Large vehicles are a common sight when we offload cargo from ships and planes. They are used in construction projects and for maintaining the road system on Ross Island. Forklifts and trucks maneuver crates and boxes into storage and are used to load cargo onto LC-130's bound for the Pole. The fleet of large vehicles keeps the folks in the VMF busy with preventative maintenance and repairs.

Look around a bit, and you will see some of our vehicles, some evidence of scientific research in progress, and you will even see some art.

The 56 images of this panorama were photographed with a Nikon D80 and stitched with Autopano Pro.