Breaking the ice: carving out a new career
Australian Maritime College
Nov 15 2013
Katrina Beams’ mother can’t believe her little girl in frilly socks has gone on to punch through ice in Antarctica.
Ms Beams, 35, still struggles to believe it herself, having never expected she would one day be at the helm of Australia’s Antarctic flagship.
As third mate on the Aurora Australis, Ms Beams spends eight hours a day navigating the 3911-tonne research and resupply ship through ice up to 1.23 metres thick.
She has also acted as a safety officer on the ship which, according to the federal government’s Antarctic division, can roll up to 45 degrees in big swells, making the angle of the deck steeper than any street in the country.
“It’s a big responsibility, you have up to 140 people on board, and their lives, and a very expensive ship, are in your control,” Ms Beams said.
She said the unpredictable nature of the job, and the harsh environment she navigated, meant she was always learning.
“Understanding the differences in the ice takes a lot of time – you need to know about areas of pressure, thickness and the weather conditions and what impact they’ll have on the ice,” she said.
“You have to choose the best route by seeing where the ice is likely to be thinnest. The ship has a flatter hull, meaning you literally come up on to the ice and break it out. If you’re in the lower hull it sounds like metal on metal, or fingers on a chalkboard.”
Ms Beams said there were a lot of positives working on the Aurora Australis.
“I only have to work half a year because I get one day off for every day I work, and I get to go to places anyone else would spend thousands of dollars to see,” Ms Beams said.
“The first time I saw Antarctica it was just amazing, and it still is amazing, every minute – especially because it’s daylight all the time, you can look out the porthole and see so much change in the landscape, 24 hours a day.”