The United States has had a permanent presence in Antarctica since the mid-1950s. For almost as long, it has had a philatelic program established where folks can send covers to the US research stations, have them franked, and returned. This follows the precedent set by the United Kingdom and its research stations in Antarctica.
I asked my kids if they could give me three interesting facts about Antarctica – here’s their list of facts:
- A phenomenon called “blood falls” – a waterfall but red due to the presence of iron (and oxygen) in glacier melt.
- Biggest desert in the world.
- Penguins, whales, fish, and seals live there. Penguins sit on their babies to keep them warm.
- 120 scientists are there, studying.
- There are bacteria in Antarctica’s snow which can make it turn red, yellow, or grey in color.
- It is at the bottom of the earth.
- Most of the frozen parts of Antarctica are made of seawater.
- The continent expands because it is made of ice.
- Antarctica is cold because doesn’t get a lot of sun.
We sent covers to the year-round US research stations, and the USCG icebreaker and USAF Wing which supply them. As the covers come back, I’ll quiz my kids and see what they come up with.
McMurdo Station
The first cover to reach us was from McMurdo Station. From the looks of it, the cover was franked by the United States Air Force (USAF) – this makes sense as McMurdo has a few USAF-managed airfields nearby. No cachets on the envelope, though.
Maybe we’ll see if the cover from the other Amundsen-Scott in a month or two – its re-supply window has just opened.
Palmer Station
Hey kids, what do they study here?
Orcas!
Penguins.
Seals.
Interesting Links
brr – A blog about the quotidian in Antarctica; brr’s post on postal mail.
The World’s Southernmost Post Office
Life on Research Icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer
Philatelic Mail & Logistics
USPS delivers mail via the Armed Forces Post Office (APO) to McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott. Since the stations are integrated with the domestic USPS system, a standard first-class US stamp may be used for incoming and outgoing postage. For incoming mail, APO collects mail in Christchurch, New Zealand, and will airlift flat mail (read: letters) to Antarctica to an airfield near McMurdo. This service is handled by the United States Air Force. Mail destined for Amundsen-Scott is airlifted from McMurdo during the Austral summer; flight schedules are such that there may be cargo and people going to and fro several times a day or perhaps once a day, weather and staffing depending. For both stations, during the Austral winter, mail delivery is ceased. Flight suspension varies: McMurdo – on the Antarctic peninsula – has flights suspended between mid-May and mid-August; Amundsen-Scott – at the center of the continent – is isolated between February and early-October. Thus, the window for sending philatelic mail is relatively short; NSF advises prior to 15 October.
APO services are not available for Palmer Station; it is supplied by the Chilean Air Force through their Base Aérea Chabunco, Punta Arenas. Since this is the case, US International stamps must be used for mail to and from the station. At Punta Arenas, mail is pooled in a Free Economic Zone (a warehouse) specifically for materials destined for Antarctica. This warehouse is managed by AGUNSA (Agencias Universales S.A.).
For Palmer Station, in particular, I recently discovered that there is a domestic forwarding address through the Antarctic Support Contract that manages mail handling for Palmer Station and research vessels in support of the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) operating in Antarctic waters; supposedly domestic postage for mail to and from the station will work – we’ll see. ASC ships all correspondence to the warehouse in Punta Arenas.
The USAP-chartered research vessels RV Nathaniel B. Palmer and RV Laurence M. Gould have their mail forwarded to Punta Arenas; it is advised to have a buffer of two weeks prior to their port visit at Punta Arenas for the vessel to get their mail.
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There are a couple of US field stations in Antarctica, and as of this writing, I have not learned if they participate in a philatelic mail program – probably not. NOAA is silent on the matter regarding their station.
An NSF informational page alludes to postal clerks usually doing the franking of philatelic mail over the winter months, thus it could take up to a year for covers to get back to the sender if philatelic mail arrives at McMurdo or Amundsen-Scott at the tail end of the Austral winter. Palmer’s processes are a mystery to me.
Receiving a cover from the United States Coast Guard supply ship is a long shot. I hope the 109th Airlift Wind humors me.
| Addresses |
|---|
| Philatelic Mail Clerk McMurdo Station, Antarctica PSC 469 APO AP 96599-1035 UNITED STATES (perhaps incorrect address; lacks box and zip as found in post-2018 information. although cover received) |
| Philatelic Mail Clerk McMurdo Station, Antarctica PSC 769 Box 700 APO AP 96599-9998 UNITED STATES |
| Philatelic Mail Clerk Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica PSC 468 Box 400 APO AP 96598 UNITED STATES (perhaps incorrect address; lacks zip+5 as found in post-2018 information) |
| Philatelic Mail Clerk Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica PSC 468 Box 400 APO AP 96598-0001 UNITED STATES |
| Philatelic Mail Clerk Palmer Station, Antarctica c/o AGUNSA Deposito Franco Antartico P.O. Box 60-D Punta Arenas CHILE |
| Philatelic Mail Clerk Palmer Station c/o Antarctic Support Contract 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial, CO 80112-3938 UNITED STATES |
| COMMANDING OFFICER USCGC POLAR STAR (WAGB-10) FPO, AP 96698-3920 (perhaps incorrect; official ship site does not include FPO for contact) |
| Public Affairs Officer USCGC POLAR STAR (WAGB-10) 1519 Alaskan Way South Seattle, WA 98134 |
| Public Affairs 109th Airlift Wing, NYANG 1 Air National Guard Road Scotia, NY 12302-9752 |
| RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer ℅ Antarctic Support Contract 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial, CO 80112-3938 |
| ARSV Laurence M. Gould ℅ Antarctic Support Contract 7400 S. Tucson Way Centennial, CO 80112-3938 |