East Base

East Base on Stonington Island is the oldest American research station in Antarctica, having been commissioned by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. The station was built as part of two US wintering expeditions – United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941) and Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (1947–1948). The base covers 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) from north to south and 500 metres (1,600 ft) from east to west. The base was accorded the status of one of the Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica on 7 May 2004.[1][2][3]

East Base
Antarctic base
The abandoned East Base, February 2007
East Base
Location of East Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 68°11′02″S 66°59′53″W
Country United States
Location in AntarcticaStonington Island
Marguerite Bay
Administered byUnited States Antarctic Service Expedition
Established1939 (1939)
TypeAll-year round
PeriodAnnual
StatusClosed in 1941 and 1948
Reopened1947

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.[4]

Second expedition and subsequent decline

A private expedition led by Finn Ronne (second in command in the 1941 expedition) in 1947 ended with the participants' evacuation in 1948. The expedition crew included Jackie Ronne and Jennie Darlington, who became the first women to spend a winter in Antarctica.[5] The base and all its equipment have since not been utilized, even though the British Antarctic Survey 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.[3][5][6][7]

See also

References
  1. "HSM 55: East Base". Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  2. "Recommendation ATCM XV-12 (Paris, 1989)". Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  3. "East Base". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  4. "CRM at East Base, Antarctica – Palmer Station" (PDF). Palmer Station. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  5. "Stonington Island – The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat" (PDF). Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  6. "Obituary: Edith 'Jackie' Ronne, First U.S. Woman on Antarctica". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  7. John C. Behrendt Innocents on the Ice, p. 99, at Google Books
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