Dome Top Removal

This morning December 18th, 2009 at approximately 5am the top section of the old south pole station dome was removed. A single crane make the pick after a team removed a ring of panels and rivets holding the frame together.

The top section that was removed has been requested to be saved for the Navy SeaBees museum in Southern, CA. Originally the section to be removed was going to be larger. However, the maneuver would have required two cranes at alow angle this was too great a risk to attempt. The SeaBees were the people that built the dome in 1975. According to a USAP informational handout, the dome was only supposed to be used for 10 years. 34 years later it is finally on its way down.

A small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch this icons first section be removed. For many the event is a powerful one. It signals the end of an era. Many people here had spent long winters being sheltered under the dome.