United States Antarctic Service Expedition

The President wanted two bases to be established: East Base, in the vicinity of Charcot Island or Alexander I Land, or on Marguerite Bay if no accessible site could be found on either of the specified islands; and West Base, in the vicinity of King Edward VII Land, but if this proved impossible, a site on the Bay of Whales at or near Little America was to be investigated, and delineation of the continental coast line between the meridians 72 degrees W., and 148 degrees W. In view of the broad scope of the objectives and the unpredictable circumstances that always arise in Antarctica, it is remarkable that most of the objectives set for them were met.

The visionary but ill-fated Antarctic Snow Cruiser, a vehicle having several innovative features, was used by the expedition but it generally failed to operate as hoped for under the difficult conditions and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica.

Aboard the USS Bear was George Washington Gibbs Jr. who became the first African-American to set foot on the continent of Antarctica during the expedition.

Gibbs served as a Mess Attendant 1st Class aboard the USS Bear but also worked as a cook and performed other tasks with the expedition.

536) that such number of gold, silver, and bronze medals—at the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy—be presented to members of the United States Antarctic Expedition of 1939-1941, in recognition of their valuable services to the nation in the field of polar exploration and science.