Grytviken, South Georgia

This abandoned whaling village is the largest settlement on South Georgia Island and it has no permanent residents. There’s just a staff of less than a dozen people who keep the South Georgia Museum and other relics open from October to March. It is, however, rich in wildlife and history. From the early 1904 until 1965 hundreds of thousands of whales were slaughtered and processed here until the dwindling whale population made the business unprofitable. Now the whales and other wildlife are protected and the human visitors give them priority.

When the whale oil factory ended operations, it left rusting boats, tanks, and equipment behind. The offices and living quarters became a museum of history and life on the island. And of course there is a gift shop.
Above is a recreation of a whaler’s dormitory in the museum. Below is some of the company’s communications equipment and other artifacts.
The heroic Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton looms large in the history of Grytviken. It was near here that his ship the Endurance got trapped and destroyed by the ice. His leadership and perserverance under the harshest conditions saved all of his men, making him a legendary figure. And it was in Grytviken that Shackleton died of a heart attack at only 47 when he came back 7 years later, leading another expedition. At the request of his widow, he is buried in the small cemetery here.
Fur seals and elephant seals lounge on the shoreline below the fenced in cemetery where Shackleton is buried with whalers and explorers who died here. Below is his stone monument.
King penguins and sea lions hang out on the shore line together.

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