On WYATT EARP and heading for the first time to the Antarctic are LEUT Richard Cullen, PO Bruce Berman, AB Glen College, LS Cameron Griffiths and PO David Jacklin: AB Yuri Ramsey, NIU.

The Royal Australian Navy's Detached Survey Unit is preparing for a deployment to Mawson Station in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

It will head off in the Federation Year.

The three-person team is part of the Navy's Australian Hydrographic Office located in Wollongong.

The team comprising LEUT Richard Cullen, PO David Jacklin and AB Glen College, who with two additional technical support staff, are going to survey shipping routes and the approaches to Australia's Antarctic research stations.

This is a vital task as it ensues that ships can navigate safely through hazardous waters.

The team will be taking with them, their survey vessel, an 8.5 metre purpose built boat called 'Wyatt Earp'.

The 'Wyatt Earp', named after an American exploration ship of the early 1900's will be transported south by the Russian ship MV 'Polar Byrd' .

On completion of the survey will be transported back to Australia by the MV 'Aurora Australis'.

The survey team is accustomed to going to diversely climatic locations.

In last three months of 1999, the team was sent to hot and steamy East Timor to support INTERFET operations.

It was last in Antarctica in 1998.

Although travelling to Antarctica in the summer, the temperatures will still be 20-30 degrees below zero.