This was my second visit to Grytviken. The first visit was on the Atlantic Odyssey trip on the Plancius at the start of Apr 18. It had been a sunny morning, but the weather cracked up for the afternoon with constant cold rain. As a result, I decided to write the Blog Post of my first visit using photos taken in black & white or sepia, which fitted the weather & the dark history of this whaling station.
The Petrel: Taken on my first visit (3 Apr 18)
Fortunately, it was a sunny and crisp day on this return visit, so I can use more colours in this Blog Post.
The Petrel: The weather couldn't have been better on my second visit
I had better jump back to our arrival into Grytviken.
The final approach to Grytviken and we couldn't ask for better weather
The mountains around Grytviken give a hint of what Shackleton, Worsley and Crean had to endure as they crossed South Georgia: Except they crossing them without proper equipment and in the winter
The wreck of a whaling ship in the approaches to Grytviken
The second and more exposed wreck of a whaling ship in the approaches to Grytviken
The South Georgia Admin Base at King Edwards Point, Grytviken
Officials from King Edwards Point came abroad to formally approve our entry into South Georgia: They also checked our boots as we left the ship for Grytviken and all passengers and crew passed muster
The zodiacs landed us on the beach next to the cemetery: We were collected from the whaling base
Antarctic Fur Seal: This was another site with plenty of cute-looking Antarctic Fur Seal pups
Antarctic Fur Seal: Another cute pups & a chilled King Penguin
Ernest Shackleton was buried in the cemetery in 1922 after he had a fatal heart attack in South Georgia on 5 Jan 1922 at the start of the 1921 Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. His wife decided it was appropriate for Shackleton to be buried at Grytviken. It is tradition for people who visit his grave to have a tot of whisky and then to pour the remains onto his grave. This was a tradition that was started by his crew at his burial. Now I'm teetotal, he got the full tot from me.
It is good that the cemetery has a strong fence, given the size of the neighbours
It's a stunningly beautiful gravestone
Shackleton's grave: The words of poet Robert Browning have been added on the reverse of the tombstone: "I hold that a man should strive to the uttermost for his life's set prize" (3 Apr 18)
Memorial plaques from some of the first expeditions to visit his grave: El Yacht Club Argentino Enero 1923 (The Argentinian Yacht Club Jan 1923), Guardia Nacional Sir Ernest Shackleton Febrero 1923 (The Argentinian National Guard Feb 1923), Society of Uruguay and From the British
On 27 Nov 11, the ashes of Frank Wild were interred on the right-hand side of Shackleton's grave: The inscription reads "Frank Wild 1873–1939, Shackleton's right-hand man". Shackleton left Frank Wild in charge of the crew on Elephant Island, when he and his colleagues set off on the ship's boat, the James Caird to South Georgia
It is a short walk from the cemetery to the old whaling station at Grytviken. There was plenty to see en route.
Southern Elephant Seal: More Southern Elephant Seals around the cemetery
Southern Elephant Seal: I wonder if these ditches have been shaped over time to perfectly fit a Southern Elephant Seal
King Penguins: Enjoying a freshwater stream
Antarctic Fur Seal: We have more negative conservation stories than positive ones these days. This photo epitomises the very positive conservation story of modern South Georgia
King Penguin: They must be a pair judging by the body language
Grytviken provided a good opportunity to compare the two species of Giant Petrels as there were a few of each present.
Southern Giant Petrel: Note the pastel green tip to the bill
Northern Giant Petrel: Note the darker pastel red tip to the bill
Southern Giant Petrel: A final couple of Southern Giant Petrels
We passed a number of historical items on the walk.
The Louise: She was a wooden copper clad three masted vessel used by CA Larsen to establish the Grytviken whaling station in 1904. Having transported men and materials, she was used as floating accommodation and then finally as a coaling hulk. Sadly, she was badly damaged by fire during a military training exercise in 1987
The Louise before the fire: A photo of the Louise before the fire in the museum
The Louise, the whaleboat wreck and fortunately, a serviceable Plancius
The South Georgia Heritage Trush have done some excellent work to ensure that the Grytviken whaling station is safe to walk around.
A lot of the equipment would have been in large sheds originally: Unfortunately, these sheds have been removed as they were getting dangerous. Sadly, that will mean the equipment is likely to rust & degrade quicker now it is exposed to the elements
It was a major operation to use all parts of the whale: Products included the extraction of whale oil, processing the bones for fertiliser, processing whale meat to create cattle food, with the baleen being made into brushes and other products until baleen was superseded by plastics
The processing equipment was very complex
The fuel oil tanks: Originally, the whaling station was driven by coal, but it switched to fuel oil to drive the machinery in the final whaling years
A map of the whaling station
Another photo of the Petrel
That looks like a nasty piece of kit
The Albatros with the Dias behind it: The Albatross was another whale-catching ship, but she was later converted into a seal-catching ship for most of her life. She was left when the whaling station was abandoned and sunk at her moorings a few years later. Fortunately, she was refloated in 2003 and relocated
A museum photo of the Albatros just before she was refloated
The Dias with the Albatross behind
A museum photo of the dias before she was refloated
These Antarctic Fur Seals were happy around the whaling station
It's important that these whaling stations are also safe for the Wildlife
Antarctic Tern: There were about twenty around Grytviken and they were happy to use the whaling station as convenient perches
Antarctic Tern: They also found more typical Tern perches
South Georgia Pintail: Another species which seemed very at home around the whaling station
South Georgia Pintail: They are a lovely-looking Duck and much more approachable than their South American cousins
There is an excellent museum which contains a lot of information about the whaling history, Shackleton and his expedition, the wildlife and more recent history involving the Argentinian occupation back in 1982. I covered this in a previous Blog Post after my first visit.
Some of the old harpoons and anchors outside of the museum
Another reminder of Grytviken's grim past
A photo of Grytviken taken in 1910 in the museum
We were all onboard for dinner. The ship decided to delay its departure and invite the South Georgia team on board for a barbeque given the relatively nice weather.
One of the two restaurant waitresses: Looks like she is planning on going ashore at St Andrews Bay on our next landing
The only ripples in the bay are coming from movement of the Plancius
The sun is finally starting to drop
The nearest we are allowed to get to the base at King Edwards Point: This area has been out of bounds on both of my visits. A shame as there is an original memorial cross to Shackleton just beyond the base
We couldn't have asked for a better day in South Georgia, apart from the original wind problems that caused us to move to Stromness for the first landing.
