Stromness, South Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stromness, South Georgia
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Ruins of the whaling station Stromness
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Stromness is an old, abandoned whaling station on the northern coast of South Georgia. This island is in the South Atlantic Ocean. Stromness became famous as the place Sir Ernest Shackleton finally reached in 1916 during his amazing rescue journey. It is one of three harbours in Stromness Bay.
Long ago, this harbour was sometimes called "Fridtjof Nansen" or "Nansen" on maps. But since about 1920, everyone has called it Stromness. Its name comes from a town called Stromness in the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Contents
History of Stromness
Whaling Days
In 1907, a "floating factory" for whaling was set up in Stromness Harbour. This was a ship that processed whales. A full land station was built in 1912. From 1912 until 1931, Stromness worked as a busy whaling station. The first manager was a man named Petter Sørlle.
After 1931, the station changed. It became a place to repair ships, with a machine shop and a foundry (where metal is melted and shaped). It kept working until 1961, when the whole site was finally left empty. The whaling part of the station had closed earlier because whales became endangered. New laws were made to stop hunting them.
Shackleton's Amazing Journey
In 1916, the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton and a small group of his crew landed on the southern coast of South Georgia. They arrived at King Haakon Bay. This was after a very hard sea trip from Elephant Island in a small, 22-foot (6.7 m) lifeboat called the |James Caird|boat|2.
Shackleton, along with two other brave explorers, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley, then had to trek across South Georgia. The island is very mountainous and covered in glaciers (large sheets of ice). They walked for help to the populated northern side of the island.
The Rescue Mission
After walking for 36 hours, they finally reached the Stromness administration building. This building was also the home of the Norwegian whaling station's manager. People called this building the "Villa at Stromness." It seemed very fancy compared to the wild, icy land around it. Thanks to their incredible journey, all the men from Elephant Island were later rescued.
Stromness Today
After the station closed, Stromness was left to the weather. Over many years, strong winds and storms damaged the buildings. Many of them are now just ruins. However, people have recently started working to fix up the "Villa." They are also cleaning up the rest of the site. This makes it safer for visitors to explore. Outside Stromness, there is a small cemetery where 14 whalers are buried.
See also
- In Spanish: Stromness (Georgia del Sur) para niños
