U.S. Navy, 1947–1966 On 17 January 1947,
Burton Island, loaded with supplies, steamed from
San Diego to the
Ross Sea,
Antarctica where she met with units of TF 68 on the first Antarctica Development project,
Operation Highjump. After returning from Antarctica,
Burton Island departed 25 July 1947 for the
Point Barrow expedition to
Alaska. From April 1948 to December 1956,
Burton Island participated in 19 Arctic and Alaskan cruises, including
Operation Windmill. During
Operation Windmill in the Antarctic,
Burton Island was the flagship of
Gerald L. Ketchum, commander of Task Force 39. Duties on the cruises varied including, supply activities,
helicopter reconnaissance of ice flows, scientific surveys, underwater demolition surveys, and convoy exercises. In March 1949,
Burton Island was redesignated
AGB-1. In February 1958,
Burton Island assisted
Sōya, which had become iced in near
Antarctica carrying a replacement crew of Japanese geophysical researchers. A helicopter carried out the original crew, stranded at the Japanese base at
Showa Station, but was forced to leave 15 dogs behind, including
Taro and Jiro, who survived an Antarctic winter without human accompaniment. One prominent excursion was with the submarines
USS Seadragon (SSN-584) and
USS Skate (SSN-578) in 1962, in which torpedoes were tested underneath the
polar ice pack after the two submarines had rendezvoused at the North Pole. ,
Antarctica, 29 December 1965.
US Coast Guard, 1966–1978 On 15 December 1966, the U.S. Navy transferred the vessel, along with all of its icebreakers, to the United States Coast Guard and it was renumbered
WAGB-283. After its transfer,
Burton Island was stationed at
Long Beach, California and used for icebreaking operations. Starting in 1967 through 1978,
Burton Island went on eight different Deep Freeze operations to the Antarctic. In the operations,
Burton Island was responsible for creating and maintaining aids to navigation, clearing channels through the ice for supply vessels, laying cables, delivering and dispatching the U.S. Mail at remote stations and vessels, search and rescue, fisheries patrol, law enforcement, and giving dental and medical treatment at remote Native Alaskan communities. In addition to
Deep Freeze operations,
Burton Island served as a floating platform for scientific surveys and research around Alaska and other isolated polar areas.
Burton Island also conducted numerous search and rescue missions. From October 1967 to April 1968 she participated in
Operation Deep Freeze 1968. From October 1968 to April 1969 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1969. From November 1969 to April 1970 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1970 and her accompanying icebreaker
USCGC Edisto (WAGB-284) was disabled. From November 1970 to April 1971 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1971 and again her accompanying icebreaker
USCGC Staten Island (WAGB-278) was disabled. From August to September 1971 she conducted an oceanographic survey along the
Alaska North Slope. From February to March 1972 she conducted a scientific survey in
Cook Inlet, Alaska. From November 1972 to April 1973 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1973. From June to July 1973 she conducted oceanographic research in Alaskan waters. From November 1974 to April 1975 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1975. From 13 November 1975 to 26 February 1976 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1976. From July to September 1976 she deployed to the Arctic. From 9 November 1976 to 7 April 1977 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1977. During that deployment in December 1976, she carried out numerous search-and-rescue missions at
Wellington, New Zealand, following a torrential downpour. From 9 July 1977 to 8 September 1977 she undertook a cruise to the
Arctic Ocean, during which time her crew constructed several radar navigation towers along the north coast of Alaska and conducted gravity surveys of the Arctic Ocean. From 20 November 1977 to 1 April 1978 she participated in Operation Deep Freeze 1978. From mid-1977 to 9 May 1978 she was stationed at Naval Supply Center Oakland in
Oakland, California and used for icebreaking.
Decommissioning and sale She was decommissioned on 9 May 1978. An excerpt from a Maritime Administration letter dated 21 November 1995 indicates her ultimate fate: The Maritime Administration sold the vessel by auction under PD-X-1033 dtd. 17 August 1980. The vessel was awarded to Levin Metals Corporation,
San Jose, California on 7 October 1980, under contract No. MA-9868 for $261,000.00 The "Burton Island" was scrapped as of 28 April 1982. ==Notes==