SOUTH GEORGIA: THE GRYTVIKEN WHALERY STATION
grytviken is the only still existing settlement
in the british territory of south georgia. it was
established in 1904 by the norwegian sea captain larsen as
a whaling station. for about three decades it florished,
and the village was soon fully equipped for hunting,
slaughtering and processing whales and elephant seals.
several hundred people lived there during summer. in 1913
a norwegian church was built which is still in use.
the whale population in the seas around the island became
slim, and finally the whalery station was not viable
anymore - so in 1966 it was shut down. three dead ships
and lots of old rusty machinery offer a unique
perspective. however, grytviken can still be visited by
cruise ships, and the south georgia museum is open then,
including a tiny post office.
the cemetery of grytviken is famous, because it contains
the grave of ernest shackleton, the famous explorer of
antarctica. in 1915, his ship 'endurance' collapsed in
pack ice, and the crew of 28 stranded on elephant island.
with five crew members, shackleton then went in a little
boat on a legendary rescue action towards south georgia,
which is 1200 km away, reached it after two weeks, and
found help in grytviken. in 1922, leading a further
antarctic expedition, he died while his ship anchored near
grytviken - and he was buried there.
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