Elephant Island

Elephant Iceland ( English for " Elephant Island " ) is a rocky, uninhabited island north-east of the Antarctic Peninsula on the eastern edge of the South Shetland Islands in the Southern Ocean; 1300 km south-west of South Georgia.

Discovery

The island got its name because of its wealth of sea elephants, when it was discovered in 1821 by British sealers George Powell ( 1794-1823 ) and taken to the British crown in possession.

Geography

The island is about 47 km long, 27 km wide and has an area of 558 km ². They reached Mount Pendragon a height of up to 973 meters above the sea. Known points are the Northeast and the southern tip of the island, called Cape Valentine and Cape Lookout, and Cape Wild, a striking formation on the north coast. The island in the south in front is the small Rowett Iceland. Elephant Iceland has, due to the harsh climate, little flora or fauna, a few Gentoo Penguin colonies and seals live here. However, about 12,000 pairs of chinstrap penguins come at appointed times to breed at Cape Lookout on the island.

Tourism

Lack safe ship landing sites and because of their adverse climate, the island was inhabited at any time of people, even though they could have served as a very good location to supply the Antarctic research stations around the Weddell Sea and of whaling stations. Today it is occasionally visited by tourists ships, with a landing in rubber boats rarely succeeds because of the adverse wind conditions. An organizer of adventure travel in this region reported that of 50 experiments only two landings were successful.

Shackleton

Became famous for the island, as it served the team Ernest Shackleton from April to August 1916 as a refuge, had been after their vessel HMS Endurance trapped and destroyed by pack ice. The majority of the group remained on the island, while Shackleton set out with five companions in the " Endurance" salvaged lifeboat " James Caird " to South Georgia. After Shackleton had reached South Georgia, were rescued who remained on the island on 30 August 1916 by the Chilean steamship Yelcho. On Point Wild captain of Yelcho was erected a bust as a memorial. The inscription reads:

"Here rescued on August 30, 1916, the Chilean Navy ship" Yelcho ", commanded by Luis Pardo Villalon that. Shackleton expedition of 22 men who had survived the destruction of the Endurance and four and a half months living on this island "

The stem of the Yelcho can still be seen today as a monument in Puerto Williams on the Chilean island of Navarino.

1916: From The lifeboat " James Caird " sets

Pardo Monument at Point Wild