Prince Olav Harbour is a small harbour in the south west portion of Cook Bay, entered between Point Abrahamsen and Sheep Point, along the north coast of South Georgia.

Background

Throughout the 19th century, South Georgia was a sealers' base and, in the following century, became a whalers' base. Prince Olav Harbour is the site of one of the seven main whaling bases established on South Georgia. Prince Olav Harbour was the location of a former

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

whaling station operational dating from 1911.

History

The whaling station was initially a floating factory site, a shore station being set up in 1916. The whaling station continued as a shore station until March 1931 and then was closed. The name was in use as early as 1912 and was given by Norwegian whalers for

Olav V of Norway Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

. The wreck of the ship ''Brutus'' remains, semi-submerged, where she was deliberately beached to serve as a

coaling station Fuelling stations, also known as coaling stations, are repositories of fuel (initially coal and later oil) that have been located to service commercial and naval vessels. Today, the term "coaling station" can also refer to coal storage and feedi ...

. The ship was built in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1883 as the ''Sierra Pedrosa'', and measured 1,686 gross registered tons. After serving as a coal hulk at

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, she was towed to South Georgia in about 1912. Brutus Island in the harbour is named after it.

Named locations

Several locations in and around Prince Olav Harbour have been charted and named by various Antarctic survey and exploration groups, primarily by

Discovery Investigations The Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the Southern Ocean. They were funded by the British Colonial Office and organised by the Discovery Committee in London, ...

(DI) personnel in their 1929–30 expedition. Unless noted otherwise, the following locations were first named by DI personnel. Point Abrahamsen separates Prince Olav Harbour from Lighthouse Bay on the north side of Prince Olav Harbour. It was probably named for Captain Abrahamsen, manager of the whaling station at Prince Olav Harbour at that time. Southwest of it sits Razor Point, first named on a 1938 British Admiralty chart. Fine Point and Sheer Point are found close by. Dinghy Point sits on the south side of the harbor. Dinghy Point was originally called "Pram Point", but was renamed Dinghy Point by the

UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee The UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (or UK-APC) is a United Kingdom government committee, part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, responsible for recommending names of geographical locations within the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) and ...

in 1991 to avoid duplication with Pram Point at

Leith Harbour Leith Harbour (), also known as Port Leith, was a whaling station on the northeast coast of South Georgia, established and operated by Christian Salvesen Ltd, Edinburgh. The station was in operation from 1909 until 1965. It was the largest ...

Stromness Bay Stromness Bay is a bay wide, entered between Cape Saunders and Busen Point on the north coast of South Georgia. Stromness Bay, like Leith Harbour takes its name from a location in Scotland, Stromness, on the Orkney Mainland. This is partiall ...

. To the east is the descriptively-named East Bay, mile wide. It was named by the

Shackleton–Rowett Expedition The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as the ...

, a British expedition under

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of ...

, which visited South Georgia in 1921–22. Squire Point lies at the north side of the entrance to East Bay. The name appears on a 1938 British Admiralty chart. Sheep Point marks the south entrance to the harbour, separating it from Cook Bay. Hay Peak sits at the head of the bay. Near the center of the harbour sits Brutus Island.

References

External links

Plan of the Prince Olav Harbour whaling station
{{SGSSI Whaling stations of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Ports and harbours of South Georgia

Background

History

Named locations

See also

References

External links