Antarctic Snow Cruiser

The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed

Antarctic Snow Cruiser
(1937–39) under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended
to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States
Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41).[1] The Snow
Cruiser was also known as "The Penguin," "Penguin 1" or
"Turtle"[2] in some published material.

Poulter had been second in command of Byrd's Second

Antarctic Expedition, launched in 1934. From his time in
the Antarctic, Poulter had devised several innovative
features. The massive Snow Cruiser generally failed to
operate as hoped under the difficult conditions (the tires, The Antarctic Snow Cruiser and its crew
notably smooth to avoid becoming snow encrusted, did not (from left: C. W. Griffith, diesel mechanic;
grip the ice) and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. Dr. Franklin Alton Wade, commander;
Rediscovered under a deep layer of snow in 1958, it later sergeant Felix L. Ferranto, radio operator;
disappeared again due to shifting ice conditions. Its Theodore Argyres Petras, pilot)
whereabouts have been unknown since then. Overview
Manufacturer Armour Institute of
History Technology
Also called The Penguin, Penguin 1,
Turtle
Design and construction
Production 1937–1939
On April 29, 1939, Poulter and The Research Foundation
of the Armour Institute of Technology showed the plans to Model years 1939
officials in Washington, D.C. The foundation would Assembly United States: Chicago,
finance the Antarctic Snow cruiser with an estimate of Illinois
$150,000[3] and oversee the construction, and lend the Designer Thomas Poulter
vehicle to the United States Antarctic Service. Work began Body and chassis
on August 8, 1939, and lasted for 11 weeks. On October
Class Class 9
24, 1939, the vehicle was fired up for the first time at the
Pullman Company just south of Chicago and began the Layout Longitudinal front-engine,
1,640 km (1,020 mi) journey to the Boston Army Wharf. four-wheel drive
During the trip, a damaged steering system caused the Powertrain
vehicle to drive off a small bridge on the Lincoln Highway Engine Two 11.0 L (672 cu in)
and into a stream near the town of Gomer in Ohio, where Cummins H-6 diesel
it remained for three days. When the cruiser entered engines
Electric motor Four 56kW electric motors
Power output 112 kW (152 PS) each
Dimensions
Boston, it caused one of the biggest traffic jams at the Length 669 in (17.0 m)
time.[4] It soon after departed for Antarctica on November Width 239 in (6.1 m)
15, 1939, aboard the USCGC North Star.
Height Wheels extended: 192 in
(4.9 m)
Arrival in the Antarctic Wheels retracted: 144 in
(3.7 m)
The Snow Cruiser arrived at Little America in the Bay of
Whales, Antarctica with United States Antarctic Service Curb weight 75,000 lb (34,000 kg)
Expedition in early January 1940 and experienced many
problems. It was necessary to construct a ramp from
timber to unload the vehicle. As the vehicle was unloaded
from the ship, one of the wheels broke through the
ramp.[5] The crew cheered when Poulter powered the
vehicle free from the ramp but the cheers fell silent when
the vehicle failed to move through the snow and ice. The
large, smooth, treadless tires were originally designed for
a large swamp vehicle; they spun freely and provided
very little forward movement, sinking as much as 3 feet
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser emerging from its
(0.91 m) into the snow. The crew attached the two spare
winter berth in 1940
tires to the front wheels of the vehicle and installed chains
on the rear wheels, but were unable to overcome the lack
of traction. The crew later found that the tires produced
more traction when driven backwards. The longest trek
was 92 miles (148 km) – driven completely in reverse.
On January 24, 1940, Poulter returned to the United
States, leaving Dr. Franklin Alton Wade in charge of a
partial crew, which included Theodore Argyres Petras,
the pilot of the Snow Cruiser's plane, US Navy sergeant
Felix L. Ferranto, the radio operator, and C. W. Griffith,
the diesel mechanic of the vehicle. The crew conducted
seismologic experiments, cosmic-ray measurements, and
ice core sampling while living in the snow- and timber- Radio operator Sergeant Felix Ferranto, using a
torch to thaw the wheel motors of the Antarctic
covered Snow Cruiser. Funding for the project was
Snow Cruiser (August 23, 1940)
canceled as the focus in the United States became World
War II.

Rediscovery and final fate

During Operation Highjump in late 1946, an expedition team found the vehicle and discovered it needed
only air in the tires and some servicing to make it operational.

In 1958, an international expedition uncovered the snow cruiser at Little America III using a bulldozer.[6] It
was covered by 23 feet (7.0 m) of snow and a long bamboo pole marked its position.[6] They were able to
excavate to the bottom of the wheels and accurately measure the amount of snowfall since it was
abandoned. Inside, the vehicle was exactly as the crew had left it, with papers, magazines, and cigarettes
scattered all around.
Later expeditions reported no trace of the vehicle. Although there was some unsubstantiated speculation that
the (traction-less) Snow Cruiser was taken by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the vehicle most likely
is either at the bottom of the Southern Ocean or buried deep under snow and ice.[1] Antarctic ice is in
constant motion and the ice shelf is constantly moving out to sea. In 1963, a large chunk of the Ross Ice
Shelf broke off and drifted away; the break occurred right through Little America.[7] It is not known on
which side of the ice shelf the Snow Cruiser was located.

Major features
The cruiser was able to carry a biplane, which could land and take
off on ice.[8][9][10][11] The interior of the cruiser was laid out as a
mobile habitat able to support a team of explorers for an extended
trip.

Major features included:

Wheels and tires retracted into housings where they

were heated by engine exhaust gases. This was to
prevent low-temperature cracking of the natural rubber
compound.
Long front and rear overhangs on the body were to assist
Cutaway diagram [8]
with crossing crevasses up to 15 feet (4.6 m) wide. The
front wheels were to be retracted so the front could be
pushed across the crevasse. The front wheels were then
to be extended (and the rear wheels retracted) to pull the vehicle the rest of the way across.
This process required a complicated, 20-step procedure.
A pad on top of the vehicle was designed to hold a small aircraft (a 5-passenger Beechcraft
Model 17 Staggerwing biplane). A winch would pull the aircraft into place. The plane was to
be used to conduct aerial surveys.
Engine coolant circulated through the entire cabin for heating. The heating system was very
efficient and the crew reported that they needed only light blankets when sleeping.
Excess electrical power could be stored in batteries for running lights and equipment when
the engine was not running.
The diesel-electric drive train allowed for smaller engines and more space for the crew, due
to the elimination of large mechanical drive components throughout the vehicle. This is
 possibly the first application of a diesel-electric powertrain in a four-wheeled vehicle of this
size; this design is now common in large modern mining trucks.

Vehicle details
Specifications[5]
Attribute Description

Length 55 feet 9 inches (17.0 metres)

Width 19 feet 11 inches (6.06 meters)

Wheels retracted: 12 feet (3.7 meters)

Height
Wheels extended: 16 feet (4.9 meters)

Weight (loaded) 75,000 lb (34,000 kg)

Range 5,000 miles (8,000 km)

Maximum Speed 30 mph (48 km/h)

Self-Sufficiency 1 year under the most extreme conditions

Fuel Capacity 2,500 US gallons (9,500 litres) stored under the floor

Additional Fuel
1,000 US gallons (3,800 litres) stored on the roof, to be used by the plane
Capacity

Crew Size 5 people

Estimated Cost $300,000 ($6.6 million today)

control cabin, machine shop, combination kitchen/darkroom, fuel storage, food storage,
Cabin Compartments
two spare tires
 Powertrain[5]
Attribute Description
Configuration Diesel-Electric Hybrid (2 diesel engines, 2 generators, 4 electric motors)

Diesel Engine Manufacturer and

Cummins H-6 engine
Model

150 horsepower (110 kW) @ 1800 rpm – 300 horsepower (220 kW) total
Diesel Engine Power Rating
combined power for 2 engines
Diesel Engine Configuration 6-cylinder inline; naturally aspirated

Diesel Engine Displacement 672 cubic inches (11.01 litres)

Diesel Engine Bore and Stroke 47⁄8 in (120 mm) bore x 6 in (150 mm) stroke
Electric Generators General Electric

Electric Drive Motor

General Electric
Manufacturer

Electric Drive Motor Power 75 horsepower (56 kW) – 300 horsepower (220 kW) total combined power for 4
Rating motors
Tire Manufacturer Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

120 in (3,000 mm) outer diameter x 66 in (1,700 mm) inner diameter x 33.5 in
Tire Dimensions
(850 mm) width

See also
United States Antarctic Program
Snowcat
Snow coach
Kharkovchanka
YS-1 Army Sno-Train

References
1. Marvin, Ronald I. Jr.; Society, Wyandot County Archaeological and Historical (August 24,
2015). A Brief History of Wyandot County, Ohio (https://books.google.com/books?id=fJhoCg
AAQBAJ&pg=PA82). Arcadia Publishing. pp. 81–82. ISBN 978-1-62585-535-0.
2. "The Eagle & the Turtle" (http://www.joeld.net/snowcruiser/wings_feb_1980.html) Archived (h
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090314053937/http://www.joeld.net/snowcruiser/wings_feb_19
80.html) March 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Wings magazine. February, 1980.
3. Kelly, Kate (January 11, 2022). "Antarctic Snow Cruiser by Pullman" (https://americacomesal
ive.com/antarctic-snow-cruiser-by-pullman/). America Comes Alive. Retrieved February 17,
2022.
4. "Pullman History Site – Image 21305" (https://www.pullman-museum.org/pshs/pshsCompou
ndObjectWebPage.php?collection=pshs&pointer=21305&root=21306). www.pullman-
museum.org. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
5. Taylor, Alan. "The Antarctic Snow Cruiser – The Atlantic" (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/
2015/06/the-antarctic-snow-cruiser/396617/). www.theatlantic.com. Retrieved January 14,
2022.
6. Antarctic Journal of the United States (https://books.google.com/books?id=EgqL6GVfnNIC&
pg=RA1-PA6). National Science Foundation, Division of Polar Programs. 1985. p. 6.
 7. Scambos, Ted; Novak (2005). "On the Current Location of the Byrd "Snow Cruiser" and
Other Artifacts from Little America I, II, III and Framheim". Polar Geography. 29 (4): 237–252.
doi:10.1080/789610142 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F789610142). S2CID 128811407 (https://
api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:128811407).
8. There's a Massive Antarctic Exploration Vehicle Lost Somewhere at the Bottom of the World.
Last seen in 1958, it was designed to travel 5000 miles and self-sustain for an entire year. (ht
tps://www.thedrive.com/news/33433/theres-a-massive-antarctic-exploration-vehicle-lost-som
ewhere-at-the-bottom-of-the-world), BY PETER HOLDERITH MAY 12, 2020.
9. The Antarctic Snow Cruiser (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/06/the-antarctic-snow-cr
uiser/396617/), ALAN TAYLOR JUNE 23, 2015, artlantic.com.
10. What Happened To The Antarctic Snow Cruiser? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW0eZ
RoQ86g) video by Mustard channel on YouTube.
11. The Antarctic Snow Cruiser—Updated (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/01/the-antarc
tic-snow-cruiser-updated/424851/), ALAN TAYLOR JANUARY 20, 2016, theatlantic.com

External links
LIFE Magazine (1939 October 30) article and cross-section (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=_EEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=google&pg=PA34) of the Antarctic Snow Cruiser
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser (https://web.archive.org/web/20070226065911/http://www.joeld.
net/snowcruiser/snowcruiser.html)
Snow cruiser history (https://web.archive.org/web/20061205103239/http://www.joeld.net/sno
wcruiser/snowhist.html)
Reprint of article (https://web.archive.org/web/20091217053906/http://www.thule.org/snowcr
uiser.html) from Invention & Technology Magazine
The Antarctic Edsel (https://web.archive.org/web/20070129102944/http://antarcticsun.usap.g
ov/oldissues99-2000/99_1024/byrdflop.html) by Bob Hanes
"Planting The Stars And Stripes In The Antarctic" (https://books.google.com/books?id=QywD
AAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1933+plane+%22Popular+Science%22&pg=PA63)
from Popular Science
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser (https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/06/the-antarctic-snow-cr
uiser/396617/)

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