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Richard Evelyn Byrd

 Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr., USN (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was a naval officer who specialized in feats of exploration. He was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights, in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. Byrd claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach the North Pole and the South Pole by air. His South Pole claim is generally supported by a consensus of those who have examined the evidence. Byrd was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for heroism given by the United States. Jako první přeletěl dne 9. května 1926 letadlem severní pól. Jen několik dní po něm — 12. května — uskutečnil přelet pólu i Roald Amundsen s Američanem Ellsworthem a Italem Umbertem Nobilem. Roku 1929 pak Byrd vykonal první let nad jižním pólem. Roku 1928 zahájil své jihopolární výpravy, neboť byl přesvědčen, že Antarktida je souvislá pevnina. Objevil při nich mnoho neznámých území a pohoří. Tyto výpravy přinesly cenné poznatky meteorologické a glaciologické. V letech 1946 až 1947 stál v čele největší polární výpravy v dějinách. Byrd patřil k průkopníkům leteckého průzkumu polárních oblastí a zejména jeho antarktické výpravy znamenaly velký přínos k poznání šestého světadílu.

Dílo:

  • Skyward. New York 1928.
  • Little America. New York 1930. v čes. překladu: S Byrdem na jižní točnu. Praha 1931.
  • Discovery. The story of the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition. New York 1935.
  • Exploring with Byrd. New York 1937.
  • Alone. New York 1938. v čes. překladu: Sám a sám. Praha 1940, 1966, 1975.

File:Byrd Memorial.jpg

The stones that make up the internal wall are from Antarctica. Author: from Brett Taylor,  Wellington, New Zealand

Medal of Honor citation:

Rank and organization: Commander, United States Navy. Born: October 25, 1888, Winchester, Va. Appointed from: Virginia. Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with gold star, Distinguished Flying Cross.

Citation:

For distinguishing himself conspicuously by courage and intrepidity at the risk of his life, in demonstrating that it is possible for aircraft to travel in continuous flight from a now inhabited portion of the earth over the North Pole and return.

Partial List of Medals Awarded to Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN:

  • Medal of Honor (1926) (Rare Tiffany Cross version)
  • Navy Cross
  • Navy Distinguished Service Medal with Gold Star
  • Legion of Merit with Gold Star
  • Distinguished Flying Cross (1926)
  • Navy Commendation Medal
  • Lifesaving Medal (1914)
  • Victory Medal (1918)
  • Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal, issued in gold (1928–1930)
  • 2nd Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal (1933–1935)
  • United States Antarctic Expedition Medal (1939–1941)
  • American Campaign Medal (1943)
  • Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal (1942)
  • European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
  • World War Two Victory Medal (1945)
  • Antarctica Service Medal, posthumously awarded (1960)

File:Fokker FVIIa3m wiki.jpg

Fokker FVIIa / 3M Richard E. Byrd North Pole Plane

File:Lt com byrd and aircraft.jpg

U.S. Navy Lt. Com. Richard E. Byrd in front of a Vought VE–7 Bluebird seaplane.

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09158, Expeditionsschiff Byrds.jpg

Zdroj: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Evelyn_Byrd

Richard Evelyn Byrd

 

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