AAT 2020 Wyatt Earp Expedition 1948 Set of 3 Stamps MUH 

Issue date: 31 March 2020

Departing Melbourne on 8 February 1948, the HMAS Wyatt Earp was Australia’s first sea vessel to voyage to Antarctica following World War II. The HMAS Wyatt Earp was requisitioned from the Australian Navy to undertake the first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE). The key aim of the ANARE expedition was to explore sites for a permanent research base in King George V Land, within the Australian Antarctic Territory, established by the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to the Commonwealth government in 1933. Scientific work would be conducted in several fields, coordinated by Senior Scientific Officer Dr Phillip Law.

While extreme weather and pack ice prevented the Wyatt Earp from reaching the Antarctic continent, the Vought Kingfisher floatplane, transported on the deck of the Wyatt Earp, undertook aerial surveying. Scientific observations and recordings were made, thereby securing the future of Australia’s research program. However, the 1948 expedition demonstrated that, despite that Wyatt Earp’s polar record, the ship was too small and underpowered for its role as an Antarctic research vessel.

The stamps and minisheet have been illustrated and engraved by Norwegian artist Martin Mörck, and printed using a combination of traditional intaglio techniques and offset printing.