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Dangerous Crossings: The First Modern Polar Expedition, 1925 - Hardcover

 
9781557501875: Dangerous Crossings: The First Modern Polar Expedition, 1925
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Examines how naval aviator Richard Byrd, explorer Donald MacMillan, and Zenith Radio founder Eugene McDonald successfully launched the first polar expedition using aviation and short-wave radio.

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From Publishers Weekly:
An American expedition that left the coast of Maine in June 1925, skirted the Canadian coast, then headed for Greenland and points farther north, this lesser known voyage was undertaken to map the yet unexplored polar sea above Canada; whether there was an actual landmass there was still unclear. The focus of professors Bryant and Cones, coauthors of the standard history of Zenith Radio Corp., is on technology; the voyage was the first to use aircraft and shortwave radio, with the specific goal of enhancing success. Leader Donald B. MacMillan commanded the naval contingent; Navy Lt.-Comdr. Richard E. Byrd, who would later go on to Antarctica, was one of the fliers, clashing frequently with MacMillan and apparently spending years afterward amplifying his own contributions to the trip. Eugene F. McDonald Jr., second in command and an associate of Peary's, was at the time owner of the small Zenith Radio company. He voluntarily gave the expedition a number of shortwave radio sets that proved to be invaluable for communication in the land of the midnight sun. (McDonald's own humility is contrasted with radioman John L. Reinartz's devious behavior during the trip.) Perfect Storm-like moments, a lack of supplies, some conflict with Danish officials in Greenland, nascent corporate development and the extraordinary bravery of the personnel involved make this an unusually rich exploration narrative. But frequently intrusive source materialsAdiaries, logs, period accountsAslow things down. This history won't do much on its own beyond the academic market, but it's ripe for a screenwriter's judicious condensation and extrapolation. 31 b&w photos and 5 maps. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist:
A specialized but valuable history of the first polar expedition to use both aircraft for extending observation and short-wave radio for around-the-clock communications. The organizers were arctic explorer Donald B. Macmillan, a friend of Perry's and a survivor of four years of isolation in Greenland, and Eugene F. McDonald, founder of Zenith Radio. They took two ships, three single-engine Loening amphibious planes, a motley crew including Richard E. Byrd and several navy pilots, and enough supplies to make both ships nearly founder on the way north. Once off Greenland, the expedition survived arctic weather and dishonest radio operators, established new flying and radio-communication records, and laid the foundations for modern polar exploration. The Loenings failed to kill anyone only because of miraculous airmanship and maintenance; McDonald's financial, moral, and personal courage should make modern "venture capitalists" blush; and Byrd managed to overclaim for himself and get into fights with everybody else. This expedition, usually just a chapter in large histories of arctic exploration, always deserved fuller coverage. Now it has it. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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  • PublisherNaval Inst Pr
  • Publication date2000
  • ISBN 10 1557501874
  • ISBN 13 9781557501875
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages206
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