So named because it was 100 trail miles out on the ice cap, or 138-150 miles from Thule, and an entire city built beneath the snow for 85-200 residents.
It was located in a 6200 feet high area where winds up to 125 mph and temperatures as low as minus 70F had been recorded.
The camp was opened in 1959 and was officially operated by the Army Polar Research and Development Center from Fort Belvoir.
The Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment (SIPRE) played an important part in its construction and operation until the experiment was discontinued in 1966. (in 1960 SIPRE became part of the Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory or CRREL)
From Thule Air Base, via Camp Tuto, persons took a 3 mile road up the ramps to the ice cap and then went by light (pole cats) or heavy "swings" down the "tractor trail, past Blue Ice Valley and Camp Fist Clench (or Site 2).
These 10-20 ton sleds crept along at 2 miles an hour for the 70 hour travel.
The light swings carried 6 men and took less time to travel to the camp.
The Arctic Engineer Task Force conducted experiments in storage and living conditions and the Army's Transportation Corps conducted frequent experiments with transportation and special Arctic vehicles.
Camp Century was housed in a network of 21 cut and cover trenches that were constructed with Swiss snow millers (called Peter Plows.)
Within the tunnels were placed 30 prefabricated plywood buildings that contained
Research labs
Dormitories (60-125 sq. ft./person)
Mess hall (3200 sq. ft.)
Food storage (700 sq. ft. warm, 1920 sq. ft. cold)
Shop space of 4080 sq. ft. for vehicles, utilities and communications
Nuclear reactor for heat and power (400 tons of piping was used to support the reactor.)
Dispensary
Chapel (in the theater)
Barber shop
Exchange (500 sq. ft.)
Library (672 sq. ft.)
Theater (608 sq. ft.)
Clubs (2272 sq. ft.)
Laundry (450 sq. ft.)
Miscellaneous space (144 sq. ft.)
It had all the conveniences such as, electricity, shower, and kitchens.
The largest of the tunnels was known as "Main Street", was 1100 feet long, 26 feet wide and 28 feet high.
To prevent melting of the tunnel walls, a large air well was drilled 40 feet below the floor of each tunnel and cool air was drawn upward to maintain the tunnels at about 20F.
The buildings were placed 3 feet above the tunnel floors and 4 feet from the walls to prevent heat flow to the snow from the structures, which maintained indoor temperatures of 70F.
Water was obtained from a well in the snow into which steam was injected.
Research at Camp Century included studies of the structural properties of snow and its use in construction, development of transportation equipment, meteorological studies and ice core studies.
It was from a tunnel in Camp Century that a CRREL drill team first reached the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet in 1966 at a depth of over 4,550ft.
In order to penetrate the ice sheet a CRREL research team drilling from one of the covered trenches made two unsuccessful attempts with a thermal drill, which melted the glacial ice.
On the third attempt they substituted an electromechanical drill at 1,755 feet to complete the project .
The project, which had taken nearly three years to complete, was a significant technical accomplishment because of the difficulty of drilling through the shifting and flowing glacial ice cap.
It was a major scientific accomplishment because continuous cores representing more than 120,000 years of climatic history were available for the first time.
Since these cores contained dirt particles and air pockets, which had been incorporated into the glacial ice as it formed from the falling snow, scientists at CRREL and other labs throughout the world, were able to reconstruct the climate for a period of time extending far beyond the recent Ice Age. Camp Century was closed in 1967 due to unexpected rapid flow and movement of the glacial ice.
It is not known how much of the camp was abandoned as twisted wreckage and how much was salvaged, but the nuclear reactor, which powered the camp, was successfully removed and shipped out of the country.
|2009-11-03 14:50:45
matthew riek
- photos from camp century and tuto.
my grandpa who is does not have long to live now told me in 2006 about camp century i have often put aside the thought to look it up and have a chat to him about it, but upon hearing that he doesnt have long and is in another country i felt compelled to look.
a few of you have mentioned wanting pictures of the camps, i myself was just supprised that there was anything at all on the net about these things i thought they would have been classified but supposing how long ago these things occoured it probably doesnt matter.
any way i found this website on a google search; http://www.thuleforum.dk/jon_fresch.htm
it has a few photos you might find intresting.
i hope you all found this a little helpful.
|2009-10-22 05:33:27
roger hale
- chief warrent officer
Jerry Hunt wrote:
I was with the first group to arrive at Camp Century in 1959, we were welcomed by a huge supply dump and told there is camp, build it! At first there were only 18 of us
i arrived in greenland march 1958and spent six months there as a weazel mexchanic. i did eight more tours at camp tutoand finely left in december 1965 . i loved the cold and the great wild open spaces . i spent one summer traveling fron southern greenland up to sounderstron on three weazels .i belwive that waa the summer of 62 .i know that the pm3a wa installed in 1963 and put on line nov 12 1963 which happened to bemy 30th birthday . i would hate to see it all now with all the ice melted awayfrom camp tuto i understand its about 30 miles away now .oh well thats our life chieftwo07
|2009-10-05 20:35:38
Ronald Martin
I would very much appreciate seeing what photos you do have I was stationed at Camp Century during the winter of 1960
|2009-08-20 10:37:32
george ventz
I worked in Camp Tuto during the summer of 1959. I returned during the summer of 1960 to work at Camp Century. I was lucky to get there by helicopter from Camp Tuto. I have lots of photos from Camp Century, including a few of the CBS camera crew doing the TV show. "The City Under the Ice" I was also lucky to meet Walter Cronkite, while working for Capt. Tom Evans at Camp Century. If anyone is interested in getting copies of these photos, please contact me by email. 7/20/09
|2009-08-03 17:10:06
Jeffrey Williams
- Photos of Camp Century
Hello
I just found out about Camp Century and I am totally intrigued by it. I would be very interested in any pictures or information you have about it
thanks
Jeff Williams
|2010-05-18 10:18:45
Cooper, Livingston
Im related to Capt. Tom Evans! he was my grandfather. do you have any pictures of him from Camp Century? if so please email me at crl629@webmail.missouri.edu
|2010-04-11 20:17:55
Paul Girard
Did my time at Century in 64. Your little stories have brought back some memories of happenings 45 years ago. The trip between Tuto and Century on the "Wagon Train". I remember the latrine being in the last car which also contained the generator.I remember the flag posts that marked the trail and the "White Outs". There was a girl behind every tree they said, but finding a tree was tuff.
|2009-09-03 08:56:43
curtis walters
I arrived at Camp Century July 19 1965,Part of a twelve man detachmant of volenters from the 7th Artillery Group Greenland. Our task was to cut the ice away from the roof's and sides of the buildings. Our stay was to be for 15 days, but due to bad weather we stayed for seven more. The commanding officer was Neil B.Prentic Colnel.
|2009-09-03 08:58:03
JAMES E GOUDY
I SPENT 6 MTHS IN THE SUMMER OF 1961 IN CAMP CENTURY.I REALLY ENJOYED READING THE ARTICLE.IT BROUGHT BACK SOME VERY FOND MEMORIES SPENT WITH A BUNCH OF SWELL GUYS. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO REMEMBERS ME. MY EMAIL IS GOUDYJAMES1@AOL.COM
|2009-10-02 16:49:25
Carl Tenhagen
Re. Robert Rollen's request for a movie on the construction of Camp Century. I had a tape of the construction which I gave to the Artic Research Dept. of the Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks that they transfer to DVD. If he contacts them i am sure they will assist in getting copies to him.Carl Tenhagen
|2009-09-03 09:02:40
ecm
Clara: Please contact me about photos and blue prints. Andre Broumas was my uncle and if you would like to sell, I would like to purchase these. Thank you.
pzmoore@bellsouth.net
|2009-10-02 16:21:48
george d ward
l was is camp century working on the installation of the power plant in 1960/61.
Capt. Broumas was my commanding officer.
Also later in Germany l also had the priviledge
of having Capt Broumas for my Commander. lt's
good to hear some familiar names.Thanks.
|2009-09-03 09:03:03
Clara Hutchens
I actually have photographs of Camp Century and copies of the blue prints sent by U.S. Army Polar Research and Development Center. (with accompining signed photos of Andre G. Broumas and Gerald W. Homann in which sent them to my father in 1962. And have been wanting to sell them and wondering if they would be worth anything?
|2009-09-03 09:19:52
Steve Melton
I noticed a reference to mosco molly in Mr. Shepard's entry. I found no information to this name on the web. Is it moscow molly or is this just a phrase used by memebers of the camp?
|2009-09-04 05:59:13
GARY LORE
- Camp century and Moscow Molly
I spent one year as an ordnance supply specialist
going back and forth from Tuto to Camp Century on a light train. And yes Moscow Molly was very real in 1961 breaking in on our radio frequencies with names of our wives, parents or anyone else we cared about with her propaganda to undermine our morale. She had a great deal of success.
|2009-09-03 09:33:27
george shepard
interesting reading about century I was at thule in 1953, when the dew line was under construction. for a different purpose then what they are called now research labs even spoke to mosco molly
|2009-09-03 19:52:08
Robert Rollen
Where can I purchase the DVD called Camp Century 'City Under The Ice'.
|2009-10-02 16:51:01
Kent Nebergall
I'm currently preparing a paper on Camp Century and the Antarctic Snow Cruiser as lessons learned on exploring remote frontiers. This paper will be presented at The Mars Society Conference a week from today in Washington DC. Thanks for finally settling the two issues I didn't have answers for - the date of closure and the status of the reactor. Lessons from these efforts will continue to enlighten those who push into planetary frontiers. We share the goal that these massive efforts not be forgotten.
|2009-09-03 20:03:04
Dale
I am with the R.G. LeTourneau Heritage Center www.longviewtx.com/rglhc and I am researching a vehicle built by R.G. LeTourneau, Inc. that was used to transport supplies to Camp Century in 1959. I would like to contact individuals that saw this vehicle and that may have information and/or pictures of it. You can contact me at theflyingtournapull@hotmail.com.
|2009-09-03 20:04:53
Marguarita
I saw a segment about this camp on A&E yesterday. This was so amazing to me. It was exciting to read the comments of people who were there! What did the unexpected glacial shifts do to cause the closing of the facility? Was anyone hurt? What kind of wreckage resulted? Are there any other camps of this 'hidden' nature? Thanks for this site; it is great!
|1999-11-30 01:00:00
Andrew
It would be amazing to go there today. I'm looking into who it belongs to now. If you can help me find out, e-mail me at ignesandrosNOSPAM@gmail.com
|1999-11-30 01:00:00
Harold
I was part of a group sent to Century in the summer of 66. I was a cook supporting the scientists, who finally drilled all the way through the 'cap' - interesting stuff. We were there to officially close the camp. I thought it strange that we were drinking water melted from ice that formed in the 18th century.
|1999-11-30 01:00:00
Jerry Hunt
I was with the first group to arrive at Camp Century in 1959, we were welcomed by a huge supply dump and told there is camp, build it! At first there were only 18 of us
|2009-09-03 20:07:46
Max d'Estries
I was looking for the status of Camp Century and found it here, thanks. I noticed the reactor was shipped out of the country. Where was it sent and was it ever placed back in service?
