Sub-Antarctic island project preserves legacy of Shackleton's historic Endurance expedition

Preparation works are under way to protect and preserve an important site in polar history on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, a British Overseas Territory where seven whaling stations operated from 1904–1964.

RSK Falkland Islands is assisting the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) with its proposed work to stabilise and protect the Manager’s Villa at Stromness Whaling Station from collapse, a site of historic significance due to its link to the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship Endurance.

Sir Ernest Shackleton was a leading figure in the early 20th century exploration of the Antarctic and led several expeditions until his death in 1922 at South Georgia. The Manager’s Villa at Stromness, the focus of the current stabilisation works, was the first point of outside help reached in May 1916 following the sinking of the Endurance after it became trapped in ice during Shackleton’s attempt to be the first to cross Antarctica.

Plans also involve the installation of a Key Table public artwork at Grytviken Whaling Station to stand as a memorial to the impact of the whaling industry on six species – humpback, fin, sei, southern right, sperm and blue whales.

RSK Falkland Islands Managing Director Jim Steele said: “The villa at the station in Stromness is in a severe state of disrepair and in vital need of preservation. Due to the remote location of Stromness, there is no permanent infrastructure to support the heritage preservation team working on the buildings.”

The RSK Falkland Islands team is currently assisting in the planning, procurement and logistics for the project, as well as providing multi-skilled supporting operatives who will provide day-to-day groundworks, plant operation and logistics labour to keep the project running safely through the short austral summer season.

South Georgia Heritage Trust Chairman Nick Prentice said: “The villa at Stromness Whaling Station is an iconic building in the Shackleton story and therefore of vital historical significance to the island of South Georgia and polar exploration. The ambitious preservation work SGHT is undertaking, subject to permission from the government, will protect this legacy for many generations to come. Following the sinking of Endurance in 1916, Shackleton and his men were stranded, first on an ice floe and then on Elephant Island, before a few of the crew made for South Georgia in a desperate attempt to find rescue, finally crossing the island and reaching safety at the Manager’s Villa at Stromness Whaling Station. Preservation works will protect this legacy for many generations to come.”

Jim said: “The RSK team’s many years’ experience of working and living in remote and isolated areas will give the SGHT heritage experts the resources and assistance they need to preserve this significant site.”

To further support South Georgia Heritage Trust’s work, RSK has donated funds towards the project, which will ensure the charity can continue to help protect South Georgia’s heritage and wildlife.

The installation of a whale memorial by sculptor Michael Visocchi is planned for Grytviken Whaling Station, the first whaling station to be established on South Georgia. The artwork, ‘Commensalis – The Spirit Tables of South Georgia’, will commemorate the loss of 175,000 whales on the island through the 20th century and celebrate the revival in recent years of the six species affected.

Jim said: “Like all remote island projects, there are several logistical challenges facing us in bringing Michael Visocchi’s work to South Georgia. Each year, there is a limited number of cargo sailings to the Falklands, which makes it difficult to coordinate. To overcome this, the artwork will be designed and fabricated in the UK before being transported, packed into a shipping container and moved halfway around the world, reducing time pressures during the short summer season.

“Approval has now been granted for the installation to be assembled at Grytviken. Once it is in place, it will highlight to visitors the history of whaling in South Georgia and the remarkable revival of whales in the region now that protections are in place.”

SGHT CEO Alison Neil said: “During the 60 years Grytviken station was active, 175,200 whales were processed there. Michael Visocchi’s work will raise awareness of the need to protect whales in the Antarctic. The Key Table is part one of the memorial, which also celebrates the recent recovery of six whale species pushed to near-extinction by the whaling industry.

“On Michael’s first voyage to South Georgia, there was excitement onboard as a large pod of humpback whales surrounded the ship. A few years ago, such a sight would have been extremely rare, but now many visitors have the joy of encountering whales. We should never forget how close we drove these amazing creatures to extinction, and that’s why it’s so important that we work with RSK to install a whale memorial at Grytviken, the hub of South Georgia, where more than 15,000 international visitors will encounter it each year.”