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Richard Evelyn Byrd
25th October 1888, Winchester, Virginia - 11th March 1957, Boston, Massachusetts
Interesting Trivia:
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He received (not just in his position as a naval officer) quite a few decorations, medals of honor and awards; for such things as his achievements, his bravery and for saving people’s lives
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He also became an “honorably Scout”, a special honor given to him by the Boy Scouts of America
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There are several schools, ships and even places in the Antarctic and on the moon named after him
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Claimed to have flown over the North Pole by plane in 1926
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Institute of Polar Research renamed Byrd Polar Research Center in 1987
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Is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
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In 1918, he got his flying wings as a Naval Aviator
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He pioneered the technique of night-time landings of sea planes
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Lobbied for pay raise for military personnel
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He was present when the Japanese surrendered
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Married to: Marie Donaldson Ames, 4 children
His Story:
He was a US Navy officer, graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1912. After an accident he left the Navy, but returned to the Navy as a Naval Air Force Commander.
The interest for polar exploration stems from childhood, but it was not until in his adulthood that he could make a reality out of his dream. In 1924, he was appointed navigator for a transpolar flight from Alaska to Spitzbergen. Unfortunately, the flight did not take place. Reason enough for him to try other ways and he joined a National Geographic Society sponsored expedition in 1925.
He was able to organize an expedition on his own, albeit the finances had to come from himself and some generous contributors, to the Arctic. His aim was to fly over the North Pole.
In May 1926, he and his pilot Floyd Bennett flew over Greenland and the North Pole in a Fokker F-VII Tri-motor plane called the Josephine Ford. This was never achieved before. It has since then been greatly doubted if he really achieved the flight over the North Pole, and it is believed that the plane had to turn back about 150 miles short of the pole. Later, it was speculated that this particular plane was not able to make that journey, due to its speed. And his own diary, released in 1996, gave information that what he stated officially and what he wrote down differed greatly. Both he and his pilot talked about not reaching the North Pole in private conversations in later years. But anyway, for his accomplishment, he received the US Medals of Honor.
Whatever the case may be, if he flew over the North Pole or not, his contributions as a navigational aviator were huge. He pioneered technology that proved to be vital for modern polar exploration. Because of his popularity he was able to raise large amounts for his exploits.
He also flew non-stop from New York to Paris (although he had to land on the coast of Normandy due to bad weather). Unfortunately, Charles Lindbergh had beaten him to the title of being the first one to achieve this.
He never lost his love for the Poles and in 1928, he went on his first Antarctica expedition. On the Ross Ice Shelf they constructed a base camp and they conducted various scientific research, took photographs etc. In 1929, he and two others flew a plane which was named after his first pilot Floyd Bennett (who had died earlier that year) to the South Pole and back. It was a dangerous trip, but they made it in 18 hours and 41 minutes and it earned him the gold medal of the American Geographical Society. Now Byrd was well and truly forever in the history books !
When World War II broke out, he served in the US Navy, but mostly as a consultant to the US Navy.
He undertook a total of 5 Antarctic expeditions, the last one the year before he died. He had been invited to join another expedition, this time organised by Germany, but he did not want to go. Finally he got finances from the government for his third expedition, but he could not finish this as he was called back to the States to serve in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
His second-last expedition, which was called Operation Highjump, was also the biggest ever undertaken. It was also an expedition which raised many questions and speculations. There were a total of 15 ships, 17 planes and over 4000 people involved. Strangely enough, without ever explaining why, the expedition was abruptly halted in February 1947. But by that time, ten new mountain ranges were recorded, together with arial explorations of an area half the size of the United States.
He continued to serve the nation as an Officer in Charge of the US Antarctic Programs and at the time of his death in 1957, had risen to the rank of Admiral.
Te Papa Whale exhibition in Washington, DC