Interview of John P. Strider by Brian Shoemaker

• Main Author: Strider, John P.
• Other Authors: Shoemaker, Brian
• Format: Audio
• Language: English
• Published: Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program 2007
• Subjects: Aeronautics > Polar regions > Interviews; Arctic regions > Discovery and exploration > Interviews; Polar regions > Discovery and exploration > Interviews; Antarctica > Discovery and exploration > Interviews; Strider; John P. > Interviews; Operation Deepfreeze (1955-1956); Arctic; New Zealand; South Pole; Byrd; McMurdo Station; Siple; Petty; Christchurch; Kinnear; Swadener; Kolp; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/28581

Key Names Bevilaqua, Charlie, p. 12 Byrd, Admiral Richard, pp. 17-19, 43, 103-04 Condit, Father John, Catholic chaplain, p. 74 Cordiner, Capt. Douglas A., pp. 29-30, 42-43, 45-46, 87, 90-92 Cumbie, William, radioman, pp. 30, 43, 47 Dufek, Admiral George, pp. 1, 42-47, 72-76 Ebbe, Gordon, pp. 17-18, 20-21 Eller, Major, pp. 51, 65 Hardigan, Bill, p. 72 Hawks, Trigger, Chief of Staff for Admiral Dufek, pp. 42-45, 58 Kinnear, Gus, p. 101 Kolp, Colonel, pp. 18, 21 Pomerantz, Martin, Chief Scientist, pp. 83-86 Shinn, Ed, pilot, pp. 1, 29, 42-44, 53, 56, 72, 75-78, 81 Siple, Paul, pp. 78-79 Smittle, Burt, Hospital Corpsman, p. 73 Swadener, John, navigator, pp. 43, 46-47, 58 Threse, Pat, p. 72 Ward, Ed, p. 5 The media can be accessed at the links below. Audio Part 1: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/John_Strider_1.mp3 Audio Part 2: http://streaming.osu.edu/knowledgebank/byrd/oral_history/John_Strider_2.mp3 Chief Petty Officer, John Strider, USN, served as a member of Operations Deep Freeze I and II in Antarctica in 1955-1957. Among other accomplishments, he made the first landing since 1912 at the South Pole on 30 October, 1956. He was accompanied on this historic flight by Gus Shinn, Admiral George Dufek and several others. Strider had enlisted in the Navy in 1948, and became qualified as a mechanic on several types of aircraft. He had volunteered for Deep Freeze I because he wanted “a chance to go somewhere. And Lord, it was.” He was assigned as an Assistant Engineer on a flight crew aboard an R5D. He and his crew flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, and from there they reached Antarctica aboard the icebreaker Wyandot. Strider arrived with his crew at McMurdo Station about mid-October, 1955. There was little equipment on hand at the base to service the aircraft. The men had “fly away” kits on the planes, and tool boxes. Engines required some pre-heating; once Strider had to improvise the means for changing the engine on an aircraft. The squadron had only two R5Ds; the four R4Ds were ...