ABSTRACT

The United States (US) Navy holds distinguished place in the history of man's exploration and investigation of polar regions. Since the days of naval explorer-scientists the role of the Navy evolved to defense related research in the Arctic and logistic support of the US research programs in Antarctica. In 1925, Commander Richard E. Byrd made pioneering flights for the Navy in northwestern Greenland and Ellesmere Island. On May 9, 1926, he flew from Spitsbergen to the North Pole and return in 16 hours establishing the successful use of airplanes in exploration of the arctic. The role of the Navy in the arctic remains different from its support function in the antarctic. The principal objective of its polar research and engineering studies is to acquire multidisciplinary knowledge for surface and submarine vessel capabilities in arctic seas. Research falls into several categories including acoustics, geology and geophysics, environmental prediction, snow, ice and permafrost engineering, polar material systems, and human adaptation to cold.