East Base on

Stonington Island Stonington Island is a rocky island lying northeast of Neny Island in the eastern part of Marguerite Bay off the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctica. It is long from north-west to south-east and wide, yielding an area of . It was formerly ...

is the oldest American research station in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, having been commissioned by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

in 1939. The station was built as part of two US wintering expeditions –

United States Antarctic Service Expedition The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, State Department, Department of the Interior and The Treasu ...

(1939–1941) and

Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) was an expedition from 1947–1948 which researched the area surrounding the head of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Background Finn Ronne led the RARE which was the final privately sponsored exp ...

(1947–1948). The base covers from north to south and from east to west. The base was accorded the status of one of the

Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica A Historic Site or Monument (HSM) is a protected location of historic interest on the continent of Antarctica, or on its adjacent islands. The list of historic sites was first drawn up in 1972,

on 7 May 2004.

First expedition

The Antarctic Service Expedition was the first government-funded expedition of Admiral Richard E. Byrd (his first two expeditions in 1928–1930 and 1933–1935 were privately funded). East Base was built using Army knockdown buildings and a crew of 23 led by Richard Black, after Admiral Byrd had to return to Washington on the USS ''Bear''. The war time pressures and pack-ice in the bay which prevented ship movement led to the evacuation of the base in 1941 by air.

Second expedition and subsequent decline

A private expedition led by

Finn Ronne Finn Ronne (December 20, 1899 – January 12, 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. citizen and Antarctic explorer. Background Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861–1932), was a polar explorer w ...

(second in command in the 1941 expedition) in 1947 ended with the participants' evacuation in 1948. The expedition crew included

Jackie Ronne Jackie Ronne (October 13, 1919 – June 14, 2009) was an American explorer of Antarctica and the first woman in the world to be a working member of an Antarctic expedition (1947–48). She is also the namesake of the Ronne Ice Shelf. Biography ...

and

Jennie Darlington Jennie Darlington (née Zobrist, 1924–2017) was an American explorer and, with Jackie Ronne, one of the first women to overwinter on Antarctica, during the winter of 1947-1948. She and Ronne were part of a team that re-occupied a former U.S. sta ...

, who became the first women to spend a winter in Antarctica. The base and all its equipment have since not been utilized, even though the

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

developed Base E in the vicinity of East Base. The British also occupied and modified the East Base during the construction of Base E. As of 2017, the base is frequented by tourists arriving on the continent.John C. Behrendt

References

{{Authority control Outposts of Antarctica Weather extremes of Earth Historic Sites and Monuments of Antarctica 1939 establishments in Antarctica

First expedition

Second expedition and subsequent decline

See also

References