Riley McMurdo — McMurdo Station Guide | riley-mcmurdo.net
The 1955 founding, Operation Deep Freeze and the growth into the USAP hub.
McMurdo Station was established on 18 December 1955 and opened in 1956 as part of Operation Deep Freeze. That founding placed it at the start of the post-war scientific and logistical push into Antarctica.
The station is named after McMurdo Sound, which honours Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo, a Scottish naval officer and polar explorer. The name ties the site to the maritime exploration history of the Ross Sea region.
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From its Deep Freeze origins, the station grew into the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Its harbour, two airfields and helicopter pads are the infrastructure of that role, connecting the station to resupply ships, aircraft and field camps.
The growth is visible in the modern numbers: approximately 146 buildings, a summer population near 1,100 and an annual pass-through of about 2,300 people.
The station's site on Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island, at 77°50.89' S, 166°40.11' E, places it alongside McMurdo Sound and about 25 miles from Mount Erebus, the world's southernmost active volcano.
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