Port Lockroy

Port Lockroy has been renovated into a museum.

Port Lockroy is a natural harbor on north-west shore of Wiencke Island in Palmer Archipelago of the British Antarctic Territory. It was discovered in 1904 and named after Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, who assisted Jean-Baptiste Charcot in obtaining government support for his French Antarctic Expedition. The harbour was used for whaling between 1911 and 1931. During World War II the British military operation Tabarin established the Port Lockroy base (Station A) on the tiny Goudier Island in the bay, which continued to operate as a British research station until 1962.

In 1996 the Port Lockroy base was renovated and is now a museum and post office operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. It is designated as Historic Site no. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Antarctica. Proceeds from the small souvenir shop fund the upkeep of the site and other historic sites and monuments in Antarctica.

Food rations on display at the museum

Port Lockroy (in 2000)

The abandoned British base at Port Lockroy, 1962

The Trust collects data for the British Antarctic Survey to observe the effect of tourism on penguins. Half the island is open to tourists, while the other half is reserved for penguins.

References

Where'd You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple, Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (August 14, 2012)

External links

• "Port Lockroy ", UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, Accessed 25 April 2010
• "British Antarctic Survey: Port Lockroy Station ", Natural Environment Research Council, Accessed 25 April 2010
• "Images from Port Lockroy"