Mona Lisa Operation In Arctic
Described As Hazardous Mission
By Lt Helen Upson. USN
Mr above the Arctic Circle in
lt»e Cape Lisburne area of the Arc
tic Coast, eight days after the
Fourth of July, the ships of the
-Mona Lisa 1956 Resupply Opera
tion, under command of Lieuten
ant Commander Harold M. James, •
<inaily breached the pack ice to
discharge the last of their cargo of
supplies distributed to military
*«ses from Nanek to (jape'> Lis-'
borne. The voyage, made by a"'
fleet oi ships that included the
tlSSi White Marsh, U$NS; Valen
tine, USNS Cossatot, New 'Zea
land Victory, LST-664 and LST
1072, as well as various types of
landing craft and barges, brought
27,771 tons of supplies and 115,501
barrels of bulk fuel to some of the
most remote shores of the Bering
and Arctic Seas.
The Mona Lisa Operation is a
part of the annual summer re
supply mission that is a joint
Army-Navy operation with Mili
tary Sea Transport Service under
NaVy’1 command providing six of
the cargo ships and the Army pro
viding the lighterage and steve
dores. Lieutenant '■ Commander
James was the Commander of the
fJ
<
THE RENDEZVOUS
7
ships in the operation.
Lieutenant Commander James is
an ex-Kodiak stationed officer hav
ing held the post of Executive Of
ficer here for the Navy’s Military
Sea Transport Service from 1951
1953. This is his sixth summer in
command of Arctic resupply mis
sions since their beginning in 1951
Except for 1950, he has been on
Arctic and Antarctic duty since
1947, having participated in the
Second Navy Antarctic Expedition
of 1947-48.
Lieutenant Commander James’
s’ory of the challenge ot the Arctic
seas, seasoned by years of previous
experience, indicates that even
with modern ships, and with better
than average weather conditions,
such an expedition is filled with
danger and adventure.
To unload tons of cargo in' heavy
surf and storm conditions requires
both skill and courage. At one
t»me fifty-knot winds and the ice
locked bays caused the USS \Vhite
Marsh to part her anchor chain.
Many times beaching was difficult
due to shallow water, high seas
and ice. At such points as Cape
Romanzof extreme difficulty was
encountered because of the lack
of satisfactory charts. HeaVy seas
made refueling operations danger
ous, and loose gravel made it diffi
cult at times to use trucks .and
trailers for hauling cargo on the
beaches. Greatest of all difficulties
were those encountered beyond
Northeast Cape on St. Lawrgnce
Island—the point beyond which
many an ill-fated ship of explora
tion in the past has passed to its
doom. Here strong northerly winds
held ice on the beaches and the
ice pack inshore.
Lieutenant Commander James
said that unfavorable ice condi
tions were encountered through
out most of the operations. From
Cape NeWenhaha nortrh. and from
early June on, there was ice ahead.
For eight days, northerly wpds
swept the Bering .Straits bringing
heavy ice into the Northeast Cape
area. The constant movement of
the pack made disembarking cargo
continuously hazardous. As the
ships moved into Kotzebue Sound
and towards Cape Lisburne, they
met the heavy wall of Arctic ice.
On the Fourth of July, with a re
port that ice conditions were fav
orable, the LfSNS Cossatot •at
tempted to reach Lisburne, but en
countered extreme ice conditions
about forty miles south of Point
Hope. She then moved to the west
searching for the western boun
dary of the pack—but found an
even greater concentration there.
The ship then withdrew. On the
ninth of July another attempt to
break through was made only to
find the barrier impenetrable, so
the ship again turned back.
A break was not made until the
12th of July when, with good leads
opening from Point Hope north
ward, the ships were able to move
within nine miles of Cape Lis
(Continued on Page 9)
Cancer Crusade
Benefit Dance
„Vi *.
Elks Hall Sat. Aiig. 2f,,1956 ,
;:.a
Musk — Entertainment
j-tb CITY DUDES - 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
,, V| . (Courtesy..Beachqqrnbers) ^
■CASINO TRIO ~-'11:30 p ra.
1 (Couftesy C&iAo)
W At ALE ALE - BROTHER & SISTER 12:00 pm.
(Courtesy Mecca Lounge)
21” ZENITft T.V. Given Awjay
COKE BAR
Tickets at door $1.00 per person
1 .1 JV
•. h i >
. .r 'i
George Cornelius
S(: President & Director
Emil Knudsen 1 V
t|‘ Vice-President & Director
,t Orson B. Stillman
Secretary & Director
j* Clint F. Stewart, Jr.
Treasurer & Director
Kodiak Exploration Co., Inc.
Box A-826 Telephone 3053
Kodiak, Alaska
(An AJaskan Corporation)
THE COMPANY IS ENGAGED IN THE BUSINESS OF EXPLORING FOR URANIUM,. COPPER, SOL
VER, TUNGSTEN, GOLD AND OTHER MINERALS OF VALUE Oft KODIAK ISLAND, ALASKA.
THE CORPORATION OWNS FIFTY ONE MINING CLAIMS ON KODIAK ISLAND. SOME CLAIMS
OWNED CONTAIN AGGREGATE ROCK WHICH HAS TESTED FAR ABOVE COMMERCIAL
STANDARDS.
i PUBLIC OFFERING
Two Thousand shares (2000) of common capital stopk at $10.00 per share fully paid and non-as
sessable (may be purchased singly or in a group at the buyers discretion.)
The corporation properties have been examined by the U. S. Geological Survey and the Terri
torial Department of Mines. Properties are now in the exploration stage. Capital will be used for fur
ther development. Buy stock in our corporation and help to develop the natural resources of Kodiak
Island.
NOTE: This announcement is not an offer to sell stock to people who are not residents of Alaska
as the Corporation is governed by Alaskan corporation laws, and non-residents cannot pur
chase stock in the company.
THESE SECURITIES ARE OFFERED AS A SPECULATION
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Henry Neseth
Field Director
Ralph C. Johnson
Director
Robert Von Scheete
Director
Kodiak Exploration Co., Inc.
Box A-826, Kodiak, Alaska
Dear Sirs:
Application Blank
(Fill in the proper space below)
I am interested in purchasing shares of stock in Kodiak Exploration Company.
Please furnish me further information.
Please find enclosed check or money order for
Company at $10.00 per share.
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shares of common stock in your
Address
City (In Alaska)
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