Operation Deep Freeze was a series of scientific expeditions to Antarctica in 1955-56. The impetus behind these expeditions was the International Geophysical Year 1957-58. It was a collaboration effort between forty nations to carry out earth science studies from the North Pole to the South Pole and at points in between. Their goal: to advance world knowledge of Antarctic hydrography weather systems, glacial movements, and marine life. The U.S. Navy was charged with supporting the U.S. scientists for their portion of the IGY studies.

From a Yeoman (F) in WWI to a contemporary aviator, this exhibition features works of art from the Navy Art Collection that depict female Navy military personnel. Women have had a continuous and growing presence in the U.S. Navy throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. Whenever international or domestic events dictated the need, the Navy expanded its opportunities for women to serve.

During World War II, illustrator and advertising artist McClelland Barclay lent his talents to the Navy's New York Recruiting Office, creating some of the war's most recognizable images for recruiting posters. He also volunteered to go to the front line and painted dozens of portraits of officers and enlisted men. Included in this exhibit are his previously unpublished "Heroes of the South Seas" sketches.