Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd Monument - Central Dunedin
Details:
On the east edge of the park.
A bronze bust on a marble pedestal of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd overlooking the port city of Dunedin, from which the late explorer sailed on his first Antarctic expedition. Given to the city by the National Geographic Society, the bust was unveiled in Unity Park on October 31, 1967, by the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand, the Honorable John F. Henning. On the front side of the pedestal, a bronze plaque on the half-ton, black-granite base commemorates Admiral Byrd's antarctic achievements. A map on the back of the pedestal could also be seen featuring Dunedin.
On a pedestal near the statue is a bronze medallion depicting the relationship of Dunedin to Little America. Like the bust at McMurdo Station, the Dunedin bust is a partial copy of a full-length statue on the "Avenue of Heroes" in Washington, D.C. The only other such copy is in the National Geographic Society's Washington headquarters.
Memorials to Byrd can be found in two cities in New Zealand (Wellington and Dunedin). Apparently, the bust of Byrd is identical to the one at McMurdo station. Byrd used New Zealand as his departure point for several of his Antarctic flights. In 1928 Rear Admiral Richard Byrd sailed to Antarctica from Dunedin. This was the first expedition to explore Antarctica by air.
Source of information: www.southpolestation.com, hazelthenut.jimdofree.com, military-history.fandom.com
Source of photos: www.southpolestation.com, waymarking.com
Monument Text:
RICHARD EVELYN BYRD
REAR ADMIRAL UNITED STATES NAVY
OCTOBER 25, 1888 – MARCH 11, 1957
FROM DUNEDIN ON DECEMBER 2, 1928,
SAILED THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND
THE ELEANOR BOLLING TO CARRY TO
ANTARCTICA UNDER ADMIRAL BYRD’S
COMMAND THE FIRST EXPEDITION TO
EXPLORE THE FROZEN CONTINENT
BY AIR. UNDER THE VALIANT LEADER-
SHIP OF THE “ADMIRAL OF THE ENDS
OF THE EARTH,” FIVE ANTARCTIC
EXPEDITIONS 1928 – 1957, REVEALED
THE SECRETS OF HALF THE GREAT
WHITE CONTINENT.
THIS MONUMENT IS PRESENTED TO
THE CITY OF DUNEDIN BY THE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY.
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
United States Navy
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