Introduction
The Journey South
Into the Ice
Icecliff Landing
Arrival at Base
Life on Base
Huskies
Wildlife
Sledging Trips
Relief of Base
Photo Gallery
Early Exploration
Contact and Links


Further South

South of the Falkland Islands lies the mighty Southern Ocean and the notorious Drake Passage, one of the roughest seas in the world, and named after Francis Drake who was the first to navigate it after his trip through the Straights of Magellan in 1578. Icebegs and whales were sighted and temperatures dropped fast en route to South Georgia .
  Whaling station on South Georgia   Gritvyken in South Georgia   Whaling station on South Georgia

South Georgia had, in the past, been a base for whaling operations in the Antarctic, but by the 1960's the whaling stations were nothing more than ghostly reminders of their earlier trade. The island is probably most famous for the legendary landing and survival of Ernest Shackleton after his epic escape from Elephant Island in 1916 and is also his final resting place following his death from a heart attack on board ship at South Georgia on a later expedition in 1922.
Shackleton's memorial above Gritvyken Shackleton's grave on South Georgia Plaque on Shackleton's grave
  Shackleton's memorial above Gritvyken Shackleton's grave in the whaler's graveyard on South Georgia

 Plaque on Shackleton's grave
 

Glacier edge

Spectacular scenery on the voyage down the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsular with frequent heavy pack ice and the John Biscoe constantly changing course to follow open leads through the ice.

Antarctic peninsular - Lemaire channel

Tabular iceberg

Biscoe in pack ice

Several of the BAS bases were relieved on the journey southwards from South Georgia but the re-supply of the southernmost bases would only be possible during a few short months of the Antarctic summer, when the sea was free from its permanent winter ice.
  Antarctic coastline Biscoe at Deception Island Antarctic coastline
  Antarctic coastline   Biscoe at Deception Island Antarctic coastline



All photographs are scans from personally owned slides