Land cruiser Admiral Byrd (13 photos) Bashny.Net

This story happened exactly 70 years ago, and in Europe it really did not notice: was already the Second World War. And the end of the unique Antarctic terrain vehicle the size of a cruiser was sad he ... drowned. And maybe, by the way, and drowned. But now back to the bygone days has been around because the design of the car giant applied technology, which today has just introduced.



light went out, flashed the first shots of the old chronicles: in 1934, in the icy wilderness of Antarctica intrepid polar explorer Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd doom awaits death in a hut, cut off from all over the world a terrible bad weather, what in these places, at the South Pole, it happens regularly. Again and again his friend and assistant professor Thomas Poulter is trying to break through to the admiral 123 miles on snowmobiles tractors. And finally, the third attempt crowned with success, although the forces rescuers and saved almost gone. End credits.

It was in 1934, Poulter and decided to create a specialized vehicle to travel to the North Pole, which would not be afraid of any snowstorms or 80 degrees of frost, nor treacherous bottomless crack, covered with a thin layer of frozen snow (firn). The engine and the crew had to be protected from the weather and cold, and people - to have enough space for a long time (weeks or months) stay in the car, the car itself must be much longer than the width of the middle cleft, otherwise fail.



Poulter was a typical American, it is not only the physicist, but also resourceful businessman. Anyway, he convinced Congress that such Snow Cruiser («Snow Cruiser") to build not only possible, but necessary, and will cost the whole thing into some $ 150 000, which also will give private investors. Poulter requested from the government only anything: pay the costs of the expedition itself, and redeployment of Leviathan to Antarctica and back.

Priority project IMPERIALISM

Construction Snow Cruiser began August 8, 1939 at the Chicago plant Pullmann, and all for the construction, testing and delivery to the port ... took 11 weeks! October 24 cruiser was almost ready. Anyway, so, what would your throttle down for 17 00 miles to Boston to be loaded onto the vessel North Star («Polar Star"). He was late by 15 November - and all the next unique expedition of Admiral Byrd fell to. Just imagine: on the highway bright red 34-ton monster length of 17 meters, a height of 4, 9 meters and a width of 6 meters.



The car was red, so that it was clearly visible in Antarctica



November 1, 1939. Rare color photo: "Battlestar" enters Ohio

We had to block off traffic and disperse crowds of curious, just to throw a huge three-meter wheel.







Wherever dropped in Antarctic Snow Cruiser on the way to Boston, everywhere he invariably greeted enthusiastic crowds

This run and became the only sea trials Snow Cruiser, and played a trick on him in Antarctica. Snow proved quite unlike the properties of the pavement.

Supertechnologies century ago

How to rotate a wheel diameter of three meters? Had nothing to think about summarizing each propeller shaft - all arrangements had to be hidden inside the body, so they can be repaired without leaving the cold. In addition, all four wheels for maneuverability could be rotated, so that the "cruiser" could go with the surface of the snow, not only forwards or backwards, but at an angle.



The creators used diesel-electric scheme: two engines of 150 hp. p. rotating rotors of two generators, and wheel is driven by the built-in each (enough space) electric motors for 75 liters. p. You would think that for such a colossus silenok clearly not enough? But the designers somehow so not shown elk, but in vain ... However, on the highway Snow Cruiser already developed 48 km / h. And why would he more? Motors and so get extremely voracious, well at least that large tanks could take 9463 liters of diesel oil (this should be enough for 8,000 kilometers). And by the way, inside the monster crew of five and Labrador Navi could live off-line for a year - the food and the heat would be enough. Another feature of the "cruiser" - retractable 1, 2 meter wheel: it was necessary, in particular, to overcome the wide crevices.



That's how the cruiser had to overcome the crack width to 15 feet: rear wheel bearing down on her nose with the front wheels retracted. Then drawn back and the front, on the contrary, produced and exported the car "to the other side." The procedure consisted of 20 operations in the absence of computer time consuming.



Betray the expectations

January 12 "Polar Star" anchored in the Gulf whale. And to Cruiser could leave the board, from heavy timber was built a special ramp that when unloading began to fall apart, so that only the skill Poulter, who was sitting behind the wheel at the right time gave full throttle, allowed the monster to move down to a safe ice.



We will not describe all the vicissitudes of unloading Snow Cruiser in Antarctica, except to say that the wheels of heavy machinery, plunges into the snow more than 0, 9 meters, began helplessly to scroll, and the engine overheats. Snow, unlike asphalt, prominaetsya and the wheels all the time found themselves in a hole and leave it lacked power. The only possibility to pass at least 148 kilometers turned out ... reversing (thanks to the "right" weight distribution fore and aft, as well as the profile of the bottom and overhangs).





The cruiser had to cross the entire length and breadth of Antarctica (see. Arrows), but was able to drive almost fifty kilometers - from the base of Little America («Little America") to the first turn of the route, and then reversing.

However, the existence in the cozy cabins near the warm diesel was very comfortable, and the cruiser stood on the moors as a base for polar explorers. Scientists expedition even had a small series of scientific experiments. Then it snowed, and only a long bamboo pole gave place "underground" camp.
Then the war pushed the polar research into the background, and only in 1958, scientists from the International Organization IGY established the exact location of "Cruiser", went to Antarctica and dug up the car, looked and left.
We can only guess what happened after that with extraordinary vehicle. Approximate its location is known, but the Snow Cruiser nobody never found. And, perhaps, and not looking.
According to one version, the car was on the ice floe, got her into the sea and drowned. Another more intriguing to Americans option - it is possible hit "Battlestar" in the hands of the Soviet Union, and the car was taken to explore in Siberia. Anyway, as some newspapers wrote that time. Which, of course, is highly unlikely, because when exporting Russian Machines had to face the same challenges as the members of the expedition from the United States. •