Richard Blackburn Black

Richard Blackburn "Dick" Black (born August 10, 1902 in Grand Forks , North Dakota , † August 11, 1992 in Bethesda , Maryland ) was an American polar explorer . He took part in the second (1933-1935) and third Antarctic expedition (1939-1941) under the direction of Richard Evelyn Byrd .

Life

Black was the younger brother of Mary Louise Black (later married Menschel, 1895-1966) and the only son of the boiler maker George Edgar Black (1859-1936) and his wife Mary Emeline Hogue Black (1867-1948). After graduating from the University of North Dakota, he held the position of civil engineer in the public sector . Between 1926 and 1927 he took part in the world tour on the cruise ship Rijndam . In 1928 he married Ruth Carolyn Schlaberg (1906–1934), whom he had met while studying, and moved with her to Oakland , California .

Black was part of the team of the second Antarctic expedition (1933-1935) under the direction of the US polar explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd . On January 22, 1934, while traveling on the Bear of Oakland to the target area, he received the news that his wife, after whom Mount Ruth is named today, had died of a rare brain disease. In 1937 Black married his second wife, Aviza Johnson (1907-1997). In the same year he was instrumental in the preparation of Howland Island for Amelia Earhart's round-the-world flight in Hawaii . It was he who received Earhart's last radio message before it went missing over the Pacific .

With the rank of Commander in the United States Navy Reserve , Black planned his own expedition to Antarctica. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt convinced him to instead take part in the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939-1941) led by Byrd . On this expedition, Black acted as station commander of the East Base on Stonington Island in Marguerite Bay west of the Antarctic Peninsula . In addition, on December 30, 1940, he led the reconnaissance flight that led to the discovery of the Black Coast named after him in the east of the Palmerland . Black returned from the expedition on May 5, 1941, on board the Aconcagua to New York City .

In August 1941, he enlisted in the United States Navy for active service. On December 7th of the same year he was present at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his war missions in the Battle of the Gilbert Islands off Tarawa and the Battle of Saipan . After the war, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration in Hawaii and served as a civilian in the Korean War .

As chief of staff at Operation Deep Freeze , he was again responsible for research work in the Antarctic between 1955 and August 15, 1957. He retired from active service in 1962 with the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He died of complications from cancer the day after his 90th birthday in 1992 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery .

literature

• John Stewart: Antarctica - An Encyclopedia . Vol. 1, McFarland & Co., Jefferson and London 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-3590-6 , p. 169 (English)

Web links

• Richard Blackburn Black , information and photos at usas1939.org (English)
• Richard Blackburn Black , information on the Arlington National Cemetery homepage
• J. Y. Smith: Adm. Richard Black, 90, this. Obituary in The Washington Post, August 12, 1992