A unique and fascinating polar destination comprising ashlayered glaciers, steaming beaches, and barren volcanic slopes, this island of fire and ice is one of the most spectacular places to visit on an expedition cruise to antarctica. Anyway, too often you feel deceived for the precious time after a visit there. But everybody knows this famous island and almost everybody wants to go there. December 27 foyn harbor, enterprise island, the antarctic peninsula. Deception island 22 january 2018 we have been more thorough with deception island than ever before. Commercial whaling in the arctic is reported to have begun in the 1730s, as dutch and english explorers began to fund their expeditions with whale catches. A land of slaughter and blood situated on an active volcano waiting to erupt. It was our fourth and final day in antarctica and we had made it to deception island in time for sunset. The first documented sighting of deception island was by william smith and edward bransfield in 1820.
Antarcticas whalers bay on deception island youtube. It is 15 km in diameter and rises to 539 m above sea level at mount pond. Deception island 22 january 2018 antarktis antarctic. This remarkable island is located in the south shetland islands, north of the antarctic peninsula. The island is the caldera of an active volcano, which caused. Deception island the awful consequences of whaling in. Abandoned whaling camp on deception island in deception. Its name gives away it original purposewhalers bay started as a norwegian whaling station in 1911. Abandoned hektor whaling station on deception island 11. Jan 22, 2018 deception island is an active volcano located in the south shetland islands, to the north of the antarctic peninsula. With its protected interior port, the horseshoeshaped land mass located in the south shetland islands above the antarctic peninsula. Historian damien sanders talks whaling history at deception island, antarctica. A fleet of factory ships, built to process blubber, crowded the bay.
The ruins from a whaling station, abandoned years ago still remain. Its total land area, including outlying islands, is 98. Deception is the premier tourist destination in the antarctic. Its an island of doom where the worst acts of human nature played out on the shores of antarctica. Deception island is an active volcano, a restless caldera. Apr 20, 2020 deception island is a horseshoe shaped island that forms part of the south shetland islands archipelago. Less balleyhooed but just as rugged were those who worked the antarctic peninsula on whaling vessels, an arduous task and one of the most taxing jobs on the seas. A plaque from outside tonsberg house now dismantled and removed on signy island in the south orkneys group. Originally published in 1989, this book lists antarctic expeditions and related historical events from ancient times to the time of publication. It was not until 1906 that whaling began on the island with whalers bay as the base for the whaling factory ships. Apr 07, 2015 deception was officially discovered by the british sealing captain william smith in 1820 and was subsequently used for purposes such as seal hunting and whaling before finding its modern calling. S during the summer season, and the russian vostok station at 7827. Deception island island week 5 monday, 4th october 2010 by robk.
Deception island neptunes bellows deception island is an island unequalled in the world. Meet and learn from quarks antarctic expedition team including scientists, historians, naturalists and researchers. Nearly a century later it was the site of the most extensive anchorage for the reconstructed ships and ocean liners used as nonpelagic whale. The caldera, now called port foster, measures 9 x 6 km. Deception island has been covered and then deserted by many, and the dilapidated shells of buildings, boats, and whaling equipment remain as proof of its productive years as a norwegianchilean.
The secondsouthernmost base is the chinese kunlun station at 8025. Deception island 6257s, 6038w is an active volcano in the south shetland islands, off the antarctic peninsula. It therefore became a popular location for sealers and whalers until the station was abandoned in 1931, following a drop in whale oil prices and the great depression. The flooded floor of the caldera is one of the most protected ports in all of antarctica. Deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with one of the safest harbours in antarctica. Deception island is an island in south shetland off the antarctic peninsula, which has one of the safest harbours in antarctica. Already the approach was an antarctic delight, a light breeze under a bright sun, the rim of the caldera of deception island ahead of us in full width. Starting with a rather spontaneous opportunity to visit the argentine base decepcion. W location whalers bay, port foster, deception island, antarctica temperature baltic wind strong and severe weather conditions cold, windy, dry date friday 12th november 2010 time 9. See more ideas about deception island, island and antarctica. One of the safest harbors in the antarctic, it is almost an entirely enclosed circle of water with only the narrowest of passageways for boats to enter.
Deception island is located in the south shetland islands off the antarctic peninsula. Deception island in the south shetland islands was the site of some of the earliest commercial activity to be carried out in the antarctic with the early 19th century hunting of antarctic fur seals. The plaque is a whale vertebra backbone found on a beach near the base, from a whale killed by the whalers, painted by one of the. True to its name, deception island is not what it seems. Deception island is a volcanic caldera west of the antarctica. Deception island is a horseshoe shaped island that forms part of the south shetland islands archipelago. An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of industry.
Abandoned boilers at deception island whaling station. It is one of the most wellknown active volcanoes of the antarctic region. Deception island, south shetlands group maps of antarctica. On our visit to deception island, we were allowed to walk around the various relics of the whaling days. Jan 22, 2018 deception island 22 january 2018 we have been more thorough with deception island than ever before. Deception islands varied human history has been partially masked by nature but remains preserved in places. With the rise of pelagic whaling, where fleets of ships with efficient tracking technology and onboard whaleprocessing equipment were sent on. Deception island ominous and beautiful antarctica the. It fulfilled that role for 20 years, until whale oil prices petered out. Whalers bay in deception islandour last landing in. Deception is noted for being the largest active volcano in the region and one of the main sources of seismic and. Aug 21, 20 due to its location and topography, deception island was a favoured refuge from storms and icebergs in antarctica in the early 19th century. The first antarctic whaling season of admiralen 19051906. Meet and learn from quarks antarctic expedition team including.
January is the perfect time of year to visit antarctica. The norwegian hektor whaling station is the most obvious example, but some of the old british buildings can still be seen. It has one of the safest harbours in antartica which largely explains as to how it became the base for a commercial whaling station for almost 30 years. This british antarctic survey base was built on the site of a norwegian whaling station founded in 1921. Deception island the antarctic volcano that just doesnt. Who cares that nobody really knows anymore what that reason was. Abandoned whaling station, whalers bay, deception island. The ringshaped island is in fact the top of a volcano, a caldera.
This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local. Deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with the safest harbours in antarctica. Initially, whaling thrived just off spitzberg island, reaching the shores of the north pole, an easy hunting ground for english boats streaming out of. Zoom in on the south shetland islands, just off the northern tip of the antarctic peninsula, and youll see what appears to be a giant cheerio floating in the south atlantic. Hector station on deception island south shetland islands, antarctica, an environmental assessment study of a. It has more rare plant species than any other place in the antarctic. In 1912, hektor whaling company established a shore based whaling station along the bay. Mar 08, 2018 deception island, made of the volcanos caldera and located near the tip of the antarctic peninsula, has erupted several times since humans first set foot in the south shetlands around 1820. Whaling technology had advanced enough such that whalers were finally able to hunt the fastswimming rorquals that populated antarctic waters in such abundance. Lieutenant kendall compiled a map of deception island, the first accurately surveyed map of an antarctic landmass. Deception island is found off the northwest side of the antarctic peninsula. Subsequently, in the early 20th century, whales started to be harvested on a commercial scale, with several whaling stations established in the sub antarctic islands and on deception island south. Diving at deception island, diving in deception island.
Abandoned antarctic whaling station provides history lessons. Deception island was our first stop on my antarctic adventure. Several whaling stations were set up, including ones on south georgia and deception island, and hunting began in earnest. But on our last morning in antarctica, we had a nice long stop in the bay, which is surrounded by deception island, so we could explore the nowabandoned british base b. Aug 25, 2019 deception island was lacking in the colonies of cute penguins and lazy fur seals of our other landings in antarctica, however, it is tragically beautiful. Over 57% of the island is covered by permanent glaciers. A touch of nature photographs series featured at the north carolina museum of natural sciences nature art gallery, march april, 2018.
The harbour was first used by british and american sealers who used deception as a hunting base for fur seals. Mar 25, 2015 deception island is an island in the south shetland islands archipelago, with one of the safest harbours in antarctica. The bay was so named by the french antarctic expedition, 190810, under charcot, because of its use at that time by whalers. This island is still an active volcano, with its center a caldera that has filled with sea water. The addition of maps, references and an index containing approximately. Deception island was an old whalers station and all that is left of it today is a reminder of just how cruel human beings can be. Remnants of a boat belonging to an old whaling factory remain on deception island, which is the caldera of an active volcano in antarctica, photographed on february 17, 2018. Antarctica 2 the deception island caldera volcano hotspot. Deception island 6257s, 6038w is an island located in the south shetland islands off the northwest side of the antarctic peninsula and has been a focus of human activity in antarctica since the early 1820s with the hunting of seal. The island forms a natural harbour and was a popular base for whaling ships in the 19th century. Jul 05, 2016 historian damien sanders talks whaling history at deception island, antarctica. The caldera has a diameter of about 15 kilometres and has a narrow entrance on one side. Amazing antarctica in photos the planet d travel blog. In february 1944, the secret british wartime mission, operation tabarin the forerunner to the british antarctic survey established its first base base b in the abandoned hektor whaling station.
Brief summary of whaling in the antarctic tom krepitch 2014 modern whaling is much different than it was in the time of herman melvilles moby dick. Other whaling operations followed suit, and by 1914 there were. Dec 23, 20 but deception island s past is full of conflict and destruction. The landscape of deception island is unusal for the antarctic, while about 50% is covered in glaciers, the rest is free of snow and ice in the summer with terrain made of dark volcanic rocks. Shipwreck december 27 foyn harbor, enterprise island, the antarctic peninsula in 1915, antarctica was the center of the heroic age of exploration, where intrepid adventurers like scott, amundsen and shackleton strove to discover antarcticas secrets. Theyre some of the industrys most passionate and seasoned experts, whose mission is to educate and enrich the passenger experience. Abandoned whaling station, whalers bay,deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica. Feb 10, 2012 deception island is an island in south shetland off the antarctic peninsula, which has one of the safest harbours in antarctica. With 3342 entries, covering the period from 700 bc to 1988, it is a completely revised and expanded version of a list complied by dr brian roberts and first published in 1958. The island is approximately circular at 12 km in diameter. In 1842, william smiley of the us sealing vessel ohio gave the first account of a volcanic eruption on deception island. Water boat ruins and artifacts of a norwegian whaling station abandoned in 1931 whalers bay on deception island antarctic archipelago poster print 11 x 17.
Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctic peninsula, western antarctica, antarctica. Deception island is antarcticas most confusing vacation. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. Africa agreement antarctic antarctic whaling average baleen whales barrels of oil blubber blue whales boat britain british capital carcasses cent cooker countries crew decline entire equipment established. The base at whalers bay was established as part of operation tabarin during the second world war. The united states maintains the southernmost base and the largest base and research station in antarctica, amundsenscott south pole station. Apr 01, 2018 abandoned whaling station, whalers bay,deception island, south shetland islands, antarctica. An abandoned whaling station on an active volcano offers hot springs in antarctica, surrounded by ruined giants of. In the nineteenth century, whale hunters would take handheld weapons to sea in a small boat and, when they caught a whale, they would bring it back to shore to convert it into products like oil, margarine, soap and corsets. Deception island played a central and important role in the international affairs of antarctica.
Jan 12, 2015 deception island is amongst the letter. Whalers bay is a small bay entered between fildes point and penfold point at the east side of port foster, deception island, in the south shetland islands of antarctica. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged. Deception island, made of the volcanos caldera and located near the tip of the antarctic peninsula, has erupted several times since humans first set foot in. We started our expedition through the antarctic peninsula on january 30 and it turned out to be the most incredible time to visit the continent.
A restless volcanic island located at the southwest end of the south shetland islands, northeast of graham land peninsula, and was constructed along the axis of the bransfield rift spreading center. Its also the volcano that scientists are still not sure why its there. Deception island is also one of the most frequently visited sites in antarctica by tourists. Abandoned antarctic whaling station provides history. Deception island volcano in antarctica is full of wildlife. Deception island, south shetland islands, antarctic.
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