Cumberland Bay and Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove (Grytviken)

Grytviken (Swedish for 'Pot Cove'; Grytvika/Grytviken in Norwegian) is the principal settlement in the United Kingdom territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named by a 1902 Swedish surveyor who found old English pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a bay (King Edward Cove) within a bay (Cumberland East Bay). The site is very sheltered, provides a substantial area of flat land suitable for building on, and has a good supply of fresh water. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 508 KB) Satellite image of central South Georgia Island: Cumberland Bay; Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove (Grytviken); Allardyce Range with the summit Mt. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x750, 508 KB) Satellite image of central South Georgia Island: Cumberland Bay; Thatcher Peninsula with King Edward Cove (Grytviken); Allardyce Range with the summit Mt. ... A hamlet is (usually — see below) a small settlement, too small or unimportant to be considered a village. ... Motto: Leo Terram Propriam Protegat (Latin: Let the Lion protect his own land or May the Lion protect his own land) Official language English Capital Grytviken Commissioner Alan Huckle Area  - Total  - % water not ranked 3,903 km² - Population  - Total (2006 E)  - Density not ranked ~20 n/a; Currency GBP Time... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ... A harbor (or harbour) or haven is a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are stored. ...

Settlement history

The settlement at Grytviken was established at November 16, 1904, by the Norwegian sea captain Carl Anton Larsen as a whaling station for his Compañía Argentina de Pesca (Argentine Fishing Company). It was phenomenally successful, with 195 whales taken in the first season alone. The whalers utilised every part of the animals - the blubber, meat, bones and viscera were cooked to extract the oil and the bones and meat were turned into fertilizer and fodder. Elephant seals were also hunted for their blubber. Around 300 men worked at the station during its heydays, operating during the southern summer from October to March. A few remained over the winter to maintain the boats and factory. Every few months a transport ship would bring essential supplies to the station and take away the oil and other produce. November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... Year 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... Carl Anton Larsen (b. ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ... A Fin whale The term whale is ambiguous: it can refer to all cetaceans, to just the smaller ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. ... Remains of seventeenth century blubber cauldrons at the abandoned Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg in Svalbard, Norway This article is about the body tissue. ... Natural olive oil Synthetic motor oil Oil, in a general sense, is a chemical compound that is not miscible with water, and is in a liquid state at ambient temperatures. ... Species M. leonina M. angustirostris There are two species of elephant seal. ...

Grytviken as it was before 1929

The whale population in the seas around the island was decimated over the following sixty years until the station closed in December 1966, by which time the whale stocks were so low that their continued exploitation was unviable. Even now, the shore around Grytviken is littered with whale bones and the rusting remains of whale oil processing plants and abandoned whaling ships. Image File history File links Grytviken_harbour_historic. ... Image File history File links Grytviken_harbour_historic. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales of the genus Balaena, as , Greenland or right whale (northern whale-oil), (southern whale-oil), Balaenoptera longimana, Balaenoptera borealis (Finback oil, Finner whale-oil, Humpback oil). ...

The island is closely associated with the British explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton's most famous expedition set out from London on August 1, 1914, to reach the Wedell Sea on January 10, 1915, where the pack ice closed in on their ship, the Endurance. The ship was broken by the ice on October 27, 1915. The 28 crew members managed to flee to Elephant Island, off Antarctica, bringing three small boats with them. All of them survived after Shackleton and five other men managed to reach the southern coast of South Georgia in one of the small boats. From Grytviken Shackleton organized a rescue operation to bring home the remaining men. Portrait of Ernest Henry Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO, OBE (February 15, 1874 – January 5, 1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer, now chiefly remembered for his Antarctic expedition of 1914–1916 in the ship Endurance. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

He again returned to Grytviken, but posthumously, in 1922. He had died unexpectedly from a heart attack at sea at the beginning of another Antarctic expedition, and his widow chose South Georgia as his final resting place. His grave is located south of Grytviken, alongside those of the whalers who died on the island. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

Museum

Image File history File links Photo from German Wikipedia, taken by user Wofratz in November 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Photo from German Wikipedia, taken by user Wofratz in November 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Falklands War

During the Falklands War, Grytviken was captured by Argentine forces in early April 1982 following a brief battle with British Royal Marines. The Royal Marines, SAS and SBS retook the settlement three weeks later without a shot being fired.^{[citation needed]} See Operation Paraquat. Combatants United Kingdom Argentina Casualties 258 killed [3] 777 wounded 59 taken prisoner 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner The Falklands War (Spanish: ) was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. ... Her Majestys Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys Light Infantry, the United Kingdoms amphibious force and specialists in Arctic and Mountain Warfare. ... The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ... The Special Boat Service (SBS) is the British Royal Navys special forces unit. ... Paraquat was the code-word for the British military operation to recapture the Island of South Georgia from Argentine military control in April 1982. ...

Current situation

The area is now the site of a scientific research station managed by the British Antarctic Survey. The continued occupation of the station serves a political purpose as well, in that it helps to maintain Britain's claim against Argentina for ownership of the territory. Along with the surrounding area, the station has been declared an Area of Special Tourist Interest (ASTI). BAS headquarters The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), formerly the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), is an institute of the Natural Environment Research Council, and has, for the last fifty years, undertaken the majority of Britains scientific research on and around the Antarctic continent. ...

Church

Grytviken is a popular stop for cruise ships visiting Antarctica, and tourists usually land to visit Shackleton's grave. There is a small museum in part of the former whaling station; its two curators are the only permanent inhabitants of the island. Image File history File links Photo from German Wikipedia, taken by user Wofratz in November 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Photo from German Wikipedia, taken by user Wofratz in November 2002 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ...

The station's church is the only building which retains its original purpose, and is still used occasionally for services. There have been several marriages in Grytviken, with the first one being registered on 24 February 1932, between A.G.N. Jones and Vera Riches, and a most recent one on 19 February 2006 between Peter W. Damisch and Lesley J. Friedsam. January 28, 2007 a service was conducted in remembrance of Anders Hansen (Norwegian whaler burried at Grytviken cemetery in 1943) and to celebrate his great great grandson Axel Wattø Eide's baptism occuring in Oslo, Norway the same day. February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: -54.28150° -36.50800°
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Aerial image from TerraServer
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia

Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

See also

• History of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
• Carl Anton Larsen
• Solveig Gunbjörg Jacobsen

XVII-XIX Century The South Atlantic island of South Georgia, situated south of the Antarctic Convergence, was the first Antarctic territory ever discovered. ... Carl Anton Larsen (b. ... Photograph of Solveig Jacobsen standing (with his dog) in front of whale on the Grytviken flensing plan, taken by Magistrate Edward Binnie in 1916 Solveig Gunbjörg Jacobsen (1913-?) was the first person born south of the Antarctic Convergence. ...

External links

• Britain's Small Wars: The Argentine Invasion of South Georgia